A Challenge for Structural Engineers
Structural Materials and the Path to Zero
Recognizing that structural materials account for at least 50% of the carbon emitted in production, delivery, and installation of materials for new construction and the latest IPCC reports tell us that the building sector only has until 2050 to reach carbon neutrality, now more than ever, structural engineers members have an opportunity to change the trajectory of the building sector.
The SE 2050 Challenge, an initiative conceived of and developed by members of the Carbon Leadership Forum, was designed to ignite structural engineers and their firms to meet embodied carbon benchmarks and ambitious reduction goals, and be recognized for the significant role they can play towards these targets.
The SE 2050 Challenge states:
“All structural engineers shall understand, reduce and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in their projects by 2050.”
Committing to the Challenge
In the United States, a group of structural engineers are actively developing and managing a comprehensive program, the SE 2050 Commitment Program.
In development by the Sustainability Committee of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), this group is focused on supporting its professional community in achieving net zero embodied carbon structural systems by 2050. Recognizing their exemplary work, in April of 2020 the SEI endorsed the group’s work and the SE 2050 Commitment is now an official program of the SEI. This support will exponentially increase awareness and engagement by engineers and their firms with the program.
In addition, the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) in the United Kingdom is championing an initiative to promote a “Structural Engineers Declaration”. Companies are responding across the UK, each making a declaration and commitment to achieve a Net Zero Carbon target.
Structural Engineers of the United Kingdom Take Action
Similar to the SE 2050 Challenge and corresponding SE 2050 Commitment Program, we are pleased to announce that the buildings industry across the UK made declarations, (as part of the UK Structural Engineers Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency) to achieve a Net Zero Carbon target. The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) of the UK is championing an initiative to promote the “Structural Engineers Declaration”.
Evolution of the SE 2050 Challenge
CLF creates working group to develop a data-driven commitment for structural engineering firms to work towards zero embodied carbon buildings – 2016
CLF members propose the idea of a Challenge to ASCE SEI Sustainability Committee, which then forms new working group – Spring 2018
CLF issues formal SE2050 Challenge to SEI Board of Governors, which then endorses the Challenge – Fall 2019
SE2050 working group launches SE 2050 website at Carbon Positive ’20 in LA – March 2020
SEI Board of Governors accepts the Challenge and makes the SE 2050 Commitment a formal SEI program – April 2020
Public launch of the Structural Engineers 2050 Commitment – November 2020
Commit to Zero: The SE 2050 Commitment Program
Inspired by how the architecture community responded to the Architecture 2030 Challenge and how American Institute of Architects (AIA) followed with the 2030 Commitment, a team of structural engineers has set out to develop and manage a comprehensive program designed to ensure substantive embodied carbon reductions in the design and construction of our structural systems. Using a model of collective action, the SE 2050 Commitment Program’s mission is to provides the guidance and resources to achieve net zero embodied carbon structural systems by 2050.
United Kingdom Structural Engineers Declaration
In an open letter to its members, Martin Powell, Chief Executive of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), welcomed a UK Net Zero Carbon target and encouraged companies to change the way they work. He further asked companies across the UK to take the “Structural Engineers Declaration” and commit to actions.
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