Horizontal structure can account for in excess of 40% of a project's entire embodied carbon. Currently, the analysis of a projects' embodied carbon begins after initial design concepts have been developed and schematically modeled. Considering that the suitability of different structural solutions can be dependent on project design, as well as the availability, proximity, and cost of raw materials, this can mean that low embodied carbon structural options are often ruled out before whole life carbon is even considered. Furthermore, new construction methods, including hybrid CLT/steel superstructures, must be decided upon and developed in tandem with concept design.

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This software is a tool for architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors to examine environmental and cost impacts of different structural materials from the early concept design stage and onwards. The software outputs estimated embodied carbon factors, material quantities for costing, and visual representations of the design's structural program. This is an important step for the sake of clarity when consulting with clients and other stakeholders. The intent is for the input point of the software to be simple and easy to populate with preset material ECFs and concept design model envelopes. The simplicity of the inputs is vital for encouraging this type of analysis in the early design stage when time pressure is a key constraint.

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Furthermore, the software can be used to test the impact of variations in envelope form, as well as modifications to the structural grid spacing and layout, in addition to analyzing the effectiveness of different structural systems.

The proof of concept below uses rule-of-thumb inputs as a placeholder for existing project datasets and machine learning. This will allow the estimated outputs to be tested by running benchmarks against existing projects where the final embodied carbon factors and costings have been accurately measured.