| Project Detail |
HESTIA addresses the need for implementing carbon removal strategies by converting buildings into carbon storage structures. HESTIA is also important for nullifying embodied emissions. The majority of these emissions are concentrated at the start of a building’s lifetime and locked in before the building is ever used. This upfront emissions spike equals 10 years of operational emissions in a building constructed to meet standard code, but increases to 35 years for more advanced, higher operating efficiency buildings, and more than 50 years for high-efficiency buildings operating on a lower carbon intensity grid. These time horizons go beyond 2050 climate targets, which means embodied emission reduction strategies are a high priority.
Project Innovation + Advantages:
BamCore aims to transition its bamboo/wood hybrid dual panel hollow wall system to primarily bamboo content to develop a prefabricated, building code-compliant vertical framing wall system for constructing carbon-negative low- and mid-rise buildings. BamCore will (1) replace high embodied carbon insulation with carbon negative insulation (2) maximize fiber utilization for more efficient sequestration-to-storage ratio and less waste, (3) replace the wood panel core with a bamboo or fast growing agricultural alternative, (4) achieve high fire rating without high embodied carbon gypsum board, and (5) advance end of life uses for the material. The result is a substantially more carbon-negative building material than wood with superior performance, lower overall cost, and high end-of-life value.
Potential Impact:
HESTIA projects will facilitate the use of carbon storing materials in building construction to achieve net carbon negativity by optimizing material chemistries and matrices, manufacturing, and whole-building designs in a cost-effective manner. |
