A comparison of the embodied energy and embodied carbon of a timber visitor centre in Ireland with its concrete equivalent

Climate change is widely accepted as the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today. Increases in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially CO₂, to the atmosphere is a major contributor to climate change. As buildings account for 36% of EU CO₂ emissions the use of sustainable construction materials such as wood has a major role to play in reducing our CO₂ emissions. Research is presently underway to accurately quantify and compare the total environmental impacts associated with the construction of a timber office block in Ireland to a similar office block constructed primarily from concrete using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), an environmental assessment tool. Preliminary results indicate that the embodied energy and embodied carbon associated with the construction of the timber office block are 2,911 GJ and 287.9 T CO₂e respectively which are to be compared to the concrete equivalent structure. Should carbon sequestration be included the total cradle to gate carbon released was calculated to have a negative net value of -110.9 T CO₂e highlighting the fact that both carbon neutral and carbon negative construction are possible in Ireland.