ASCE Hawaii and SEAOH - March 2023 Dinner Meeting

Aloha SEAOH Members,

Please join us for an in-person, joint meeting with ASCE Hawaii on Thursday, March 16th, 2023 at Terry's Place (formerly HASR Bistro) beginning at 5:30 pm, featuring a presentation by SEAOH's Eric Borchers and Colin Sakamoto of KAI Hawaii.

Please visit the event page at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asce-hawaii-seaoh-march-2023-dinner-meeting-tickets-567421070697 for tickets and for additional details.

Abstract:

As climate change increasingly becomes a part of the public dialogue, buildings and infrastructure have been scrutinized as a source of greenhouse gas emissions.  The nonprofit organization Architecture 2030 estimates that the built environment generates 40% of global CO2 emissions, and 1/3 of these emissions are attributed to the production of building materials - primarily concrete and steel. These up-front, or "embodied carbon" emissions are largely locked in when the design of a project is complete, yet until recently, the design industry lacked effective tools to understand and address this challenge.

This presentation aims to clarify the concept of embodied carbon, demystify buzzwords, and point to a rational method by which designers can evaluate sustainability claims by others and reduce their own impact. Carbon reducing technologies and design strategies will be explained, with a particular emphasis on concrete due to its near-ubiquitous use in both buildings and infrastructure projects.

Topics will include:

• A definition of embodied carbon as it relates to the built environment
• Explanation of processes by which production of building materials releases greenhouse gas emissions
• Carbon mineralization (e.g. CarbonCure) and its current adoption by Oahu ready mix plants
• Portland limestone cement (Type IL cement) and its imminent adoption in Hawaii
• Actions taken by federal agencies and the Hawaii DOT to address embodied carbon in concrete
• Methods and tools for embodied carbon accounting
• Immediate steps designers can take to reduce embodied carbon in their designs
• Industry-wide action to address embodied carbon: SE 2050 and Infra 2050

Bios:

Eric Borchers is a senior structural engineer at KAI Hawaii with design experience spanning a wide range of materials, geography, and building types. He is a member of the ASCE-SEI Sustainability Committee and leads the database team for the SE 2050 Commitment Program, which seeks to understand, reduce, and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in structures. He is committed to expanding the use of life cycle assessment and promoting a complete view of carbon accounting.

Colin Sakamoto is a Structural Designer in the Infrastructure Department at KAI Hawaii, Inc.  His work includes the design of various bridges, retaining structures, drywells, and retrofits of deteriorating structures.  In addition, he has worked as part of the forensics team assessing various parking structures, buildings, and bridges. He is currently a member of ASCE, SEAOH, and INFRA 2050, a program being developed to combat embodied carbon within Infrastructure Projects.