On Wednesday 29 March, the RSUA in partnership with Ulster University and FCBS Studios held the Carbon Counts Exhibition Private View Event at the new Ulster University Belfast Campus. This event allowed private access to the exhibition for guests, followed by three informative talks. Dr Joe Jack Williams from FCBS Studios, Professor Neil Hewitt from Ulster University Centre for Sustainability, and Alan Ritchie, Chair of the RSUA Climate Emergency Committee, each shared their expertise and insights on the topic.
The event sparked great discussions and raised interesting points on the embodied carbon impacts of building materials. The exhibition itself draws together key metrics for 10 materials, including steel, aluminium, concrete and timber, to represent their embodied carbon impacts. Embodied carbon refers to the carbon emissions that occur in the creation of materials, including their extraction, processing, manufacture, packaging, transport, and construction on site, maintenance over their lifespan, and disposal after the building is demolished.
Designed to have a low environmental impact, the Carbon Counts Exhibition features tall totems made of recycled wood that house a sample of each material inside glowing acrylic tubes. Each sample size represents an exact equivalent of 1kg of CO2 emitted during its manufacture.
The Carbon Counts Exhibition seeks to start a conversation and encourage wider debate and discussion within the industry. It is now open to the public until 29 April and free to attend, allowing visitors to learn about the embodied carbon impacts of common building materials used in architecture today.
