View down corridor with windows displaying nearby forested area on the left, and people sitting at tables on the right. Cross-laminated timber columns support wood ceiling, with wood-paneled walls.

Podcast: Diana Lopez on the UBC embodied carbon pilot

Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility, UBC | Photo credit: Don Erhardt

Diana Lopez discusses the multi-year UBC embodied carbon pilot study

Listen to the Construction Record’s Warren Frey speaking with Diana Lopez, Campus Living Lab research manager with The University of British Columbia’s (UBC’s) Sustainability Initiative.

Focusing on the multi-year UBC embodied carbon pilot research project, this podcast provides an opportunity for listeners to further their understanding of whole building life cycle assessment (wbLCA) with specific examples of how LCA is conducted and implications on embodied carbon in buildings.

The interview also summarizes the team’s work from 2019 to 2022, outlines key findings, and proposes actions to improve wbLCA practice and leverage its full power for reducing embodied carbon in the built environment.

The interview covers

  • learning opportunities for practitioners stemming from the pilot program
  • role of mass timber in wbLCA
  • strategies to reduce embodied carbon in buildings
  • need for more standardization regarding data collection, LCA methodology, reporting, and benchmarking to advance wbLCA practices and policy.
Opens in new tab