Why should architects understand and care about carbon and LCA?

Yes, we know. We have been talking a lot about carbon. Not only here, but everywhere people seem to be discussing the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide, fossil fuels, carbon sequestration, and several other seemingly esoteric terms that have increasingly permeated our daily lives. But why is carbon so important and why do we, as architects, architecture students, or architecture enthusiasts, have to care about something that seems so intangible?

Bioenergy Research & Demonstration Facility, UBC | Image credit: Don Erhardt

By Eduardo Souza, ArchDaily

We’re going to have to go back to chemistry classes and the periodic table, and I apologize for that. Carbon is a chemical element that has the capacity to combine with others to form molecules. When a carbon atom bonds with two oxygen, it forms carbon dioxide (CO₂). Carbon dioxide is a colourless and odourless gas, which in itself is not bad. It becomes harmful when the balance of chemicals in the air is lost and CO₂ is released in large quantities. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb this CO₂, retaining the carbon and releasing the oxygen (O₂). Animals, in contrast, inhale oxygen and release carbon dioxide. About 18 per cent of our body and 50 per cent of plants are composed of carbon, the fourth most abundant chemical element.