ABSTRACT
Biogenic materials are a promising path for building decarbonization. However, carbon storage in short-lived components may only postpone the crisis when releasing the carbon back into the atmosphere. Design strategies for longevity, whether by designing buildings to be reused, or to be deconstructed and materials reused, are just as important. This research explored solutions to the short- and long-term problem through the design of hybrid steel-timber structures. The design leveraged the spatial efficiency, reusability, and market dominance of steel in US commercial buildings to accelerate the path to decarbonization. The cross-laminated timber (CLT) designed for deconstruction and reuse replaced the concrete slab to store carbon for the long term. This paper describes design strategies, from structural patterns to enclosure and distribution of services, and shares results from the Life Cycle Assessment about their relative contribution to carbon reductions from the equivalent baseline steel-concrete building to achieve net zero embodied carbon.
