Reconceptualizing Resilient and Lower Carbon Precast Buildings and Structures

Reconceptualizing Resilient and Lower Carbon Precast Buildings and Structures

This webinar is part of the RAIC 2024 Conference on Architecture, now available to stream!

Topics: Climate Justice and Resilience, Sustainability, Adaptation and Mitigation

Length: 1 hour | What's Included: Video, Quiz, and Certificate of Completion 

This presentation will focus on designing and constructing resilient, lower-carbon structures. The session will discuss manufacturing and specifying low-carbon precast concrete products, the importance of Performance-Based Specifications, using Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs), understanding Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and CPCI’s 2050 Roadmap to Net Zero. The presentation will explore the Precast Concrete/Passive House Case Study, the importance of resilient built structures, and Canada’s new National Adaptation Strategy, which focuses on Building Resilient Communities for a Safe and Strong Economy during severe climate change.

By the completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the steps that the designer can take to reduce the embodied carbon in the structure, from the methods of specification and the use of cement replacements to improving the efficiency of the structure.
• Understand performance-based specifications, which represent an alternative to current prescriptive specifications, and provide details of required results such as strength and other mechanical properties along with requirements for durability and serviceability. 
• Recognize that EPDs are appropriate for use in procurement as agreed-upon resources for calculating and documenting the embodied carbon of products and that there are limitations to using EPDs for comparison, as most EPDs only report on A1 - A3 processes and don’t account for A4 & A5, where prefabricated and modular products have many advantages.
• Explore a recent Precast Concrete Passive House Case Study by Kearns Mancini Architects Inc, the importance of resilient built structures, and Canada’s new National Adaptation.

Subject Matter Experts:

Ray Li
M.Sc., P.Eng.
Technical Representative, Western Canada CPCI

Ray is the staff liaison with CPCI’s Western Chapters (BC, Alberta, and Manitoba/Saskatchewan). Ray supports members with technical inquiries, industry advocacy, and business development. In addition to the regional activities, Ray is the CPCI staff liaison for the Sustainability, Productivity and Safety Committee. Ray started with CPCI in January 2022. Before joining the CPCI team, Ray was a noise and vibration engineer with a consulting firm that provided services to industrial facilities, infrastructure projects, and real estate developments. Ray holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary and a master’s in Materials Engineering from the University of Alberta.

Matt Dalkie
P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C
Senior Sustainability Manager, Lafarge Canada Inc.

Matt has worked in the cement industry for his entire career and is currently the Senior Sustainability Manager for Lafarge in Western Canada. Before this position, he held engineering positions in manufacturing plants and technical centers in NZ, UK, France and Canada. He has a detailed knowledge and understanding of cement manufacturing and the production of concrete and concrete products. Matt holds a degree in Chemical Technology, is a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction and holds various NRMCA certifications. He is active on CSA Concrete (CSA A23.1/2) and Cement (CSA A3000) standards development committees, chairing the A3000 and sustainability subcommittees for both standards. He also sits on ACI committees for Concrete Sustainability, Alternative Cements, Concrete Durability, and Soil Cementing. Matt is a registered Professional Engineer in BC and Alberta.