Stories
Stories
During Construction: Carbon Reduction Strategies for Your Build
Meet your carbon reduction goals during construction with these strategies.
Key Strategies:
- Create and maintain a sustainable construction site
- Minimize waste
- Utilize hybrid and electric equipment
- Build an integrated project team
During Construction
Build Low Carbon
Construction stage carbon emissions have largely been ignored when accounting for carbon across the building life cycle. Recent studies have even shown that these can account for 5-25% of the total emissions of a building project.
Fossil fuels are used for getting temporary power setup to the site and continue to be used for operating most equipment used during the project. Apart from fuel usage, there is also construction stage waste generation and temporary material usage that is commonly unaccounted for.
DPR is one of the founding partners to the Contractor's Commitment which offers a framework for contractors to start tracking and reporting construction emissions on the largest projects depending on the tier they choose.
Create a Sustainable Jobsite
A holistic approach is needed to track and reduce A4 & A5 stage emissions (see chart below) which includes items like onsite transportation, temporary power consumption, off-road vehicles, equipment, and tools used within the jobsite & material waste.
One of the ways we do this is by changing the way we build onsite, including:
- Investing in hybrid and electric equipment
- Tracking and reducing construction emissions
- Minimizing waste on site
95%
DPR has achieved over a 95% diversion of waste on numerous projects across the country.
Minimize Waste
DPR's zero waste by 2030 goal includes waste reduction strategies on projects and in our offices including exploring adaptive reuse, furthering the use of prefabrication, implementing lean principles, and utilizing virtual design and construction. Using data collected in several regions, we are expanding our processes company-wide and look to partner with progressive waste management companies to help on our mission to zero waste.
Jobsite Best Practices
We have created a detailed guide of actions tailored to jobsite operations. These resources encourage sustainable decision-making at the team and individual level by identifying and prioritizing tactics that move behavior toward better choices in support of the environment and employee wellbeing.
Utilize Hybrid & Electric Equipment
Prioritization of hybrid, electric, and clean fuel is critical to limiting carbon emissions during the construction stage of a project.
Equipment
On jobsites, DPR is transitioning to electric equipment as technology becomes available and focusing on renewable and bio-fuels where appropriate.
Fleet
For current fleet, DPR is pushing for biofuel usage and currently transitioning to hybrid-electric trucks.
Construction
Getting Started
Covering all the bases to maximize carbon savings can be complicated, but having a partner with the right expertise can simplify the process and help get the intended results.
- Understand your organization's overall carbon reduction goals
- Include carbon budgets in the owners program requirements and basis of design
- Provide specifications requiring environmental project declaration or meeting certain embodied carbon thresholds
- Engage DPR's in-house team team to perform whole building life cycle analysis studies
- Discuss low carbon and design strategies early in the programming stages
Your Path to Carbon
Reduction
Implementing a Carbon Reduction Strategy throughout the project lifecycle — before you build, during your build, and after your build — to help you achieve your corporate sustainability goals.
Posted on September 6, 2024
Last Updated September 16, 2024
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