Carbon Narratives for Design Planning: Mass Timber Meetup

How do we navigate the complex story of embodied carbon in building materials? And where does mass timber fit within that story?

The Carbon Narratives for Design Planning project was developed to explore this question, synthesizing peer-reviewed research and insights from academia, industry, government, and environmental organizations.

Led by the University of Oregon's NetZED Lab and the Institute for Health in the Built Environment, this work surveyed industry perspectives, hosted a series of online workshops, and produced a graphic design guide to help AEC professionals and students better understand embodied carbon considerations when selecting structural building materials.

For our September Meetup, we'll dive into the findings and lessons from this initiative.

Featured Speakers:

• Mark Fretz, Co-Director of the Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon

Mark will unpack the key questions raised by industry around embodied carbon, explain why the narrative can be so complex, and highlight opportunities for mass timber to address these challenges.

• Blayne Burnside, M.S., University of Oregon

Blayne will showcase how he applied the Carbon Narratives framework in his thesis research, comparing embodied carbon in mass timber versus traditional construction approaches.

Join us for an engaging discussion that brings clarity to the embodied carbon conversation and offers practical insights for architects, engineers, contractors, and others in the AEC community interested in low-carbon building solutions.