b'EMBODIED CARBONconcrete. Of the structural steel elements,accounts for around 90 per cent of the total thehighestcontributorstostructuralembodied carbon in a project for structural embodiedcarbonwereconsistentlymaterials. Furthermore, the structural hot-rolled shapes (nearly 20 per cent ofembodied carbon is approximately 75 per baseline structural on average), and cold- cent of the total embodied carbon. These formed steel floor and roof decks (aroundresultsreinforcetheideathat,tothe 10percentofbaselinestructuralonfullest extent possible, retrofitting existing average). These values are shown for allstructural systems and reusing structural projects in Figure 4. materials should be preferred over new construction to reduce embodied carbon. KEY TAKEAWAYS Structural steel may present a significant Theupfrontembodiedcarbon,advantage over other common materials represented by the A1-A5 wbLCA phases,with regards to reusability.FIGURE 4 : Breakdown of estimated embodied carbon by material class for all the projects.In the lowest-carbon scenario studied (Scenario 1 herein), the maximum overall reductioninGWPbyselectingcarbon-efficientsteelproductsisexpectedto be15-per-cent.Thisreductionmaybe even greater if carbon-efficient concrete materials are also utilized. Regardless, a 15-per-cent reduction from the baseline broughtmostoftheprojectsbelow thestrictestembodiedcarbonlimits examined in this study. Therefore, low-rise steel buildings appear to be a promising structuralsolutiontomeetthecurrent embodiedcarbonlimitsinCanadaif carbon-efficient materials are sourced for the project.Thatsaid,materialproduction techniquesmustcontinuetoevolve alongside engineers, architects and contractorspracticestolimitcarbon emissions. This is a critical issue both from a competitive business perspective and to address societys needs. This project, sponsoredbyCISC,servestocontinue the dialogue on embodied carbon while highlighting current areas that the AEC industry can focus on for our path to net-zero emissions. ASReferences:Seethefullreportat:https://www.cisc-icca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CISC-Low-Rise-Commercial-Embodied-Carbon-Study_FINAL-V2.pdf for additional references cited herein.CarbonLeadershipForum.(2025,0131). EmbodiedCarbon101.RetrievedfromCarbon LeadershipForum:https://carbonleadershipforum.org/embodied-carbon-101-v2IPCC.(2025,0702).Homepage.Retrievedfrom TheIngergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange: https://www.ipcc.ch/SEI. (2025, 06 24). SE2050: Committing to net zero. Retrieved from https://se2050.org/20|WINTER 2025 ADVANTAGE STEEL'