SOM Joins SE2050 Commitment to Carbon Neutral Structural Systems

SOM joins leading structural engineering firms in the Structural Engineering Institute’s (SEI) Structural Engineers 2050 (SE2050) Commitment. The initiative sets measurable goals to eliminate embodied carbon in structural systems by 2050. SOM is among the first architecture-engineering firms to pledge its commitment to substantive embodied carbon reductions within structural systems.

SOM’s integrated teams of architects and engineers have been at the forefront of research and design for embodied carbon. SOM’s SE2050 commitment is part of recognizing the most urgent challenge of our time: protecting the Earth’s resources and leading the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

The SE2050 initiative is inspired by the AIA 2030 Commitment, which was a response to a declaration from Architecture 2030 to reduce building operational energy consumption to net-zero by 2030. Hundreds of architecture firms including SOM have signed on to the challenge and agreed to track and improve the energy performance of their projects.

Similarly, the goal of the SE2050 challenge is to urge structural engineers to help reduce embodied carbon emissions associated with the construction of built structures to net-zero by 2050. Structural building materials include carbon emitted from extracting, manufacturing, and transporting construction materials, all of which contribute immensely to global warming.

The SE2050 program provides engineers with a platform to become an integral piece of embodied carbon measurements and reduction strategies. The SE2050 committee will be sharing professional resources and educational opportunities to benchmark embodied carbon metrics, set carbon-reduction targets, and track progress for firms that pledge to the program.

Joining SE2050 is part of several climate action challenges that SOM is already committed to, including:

• AIA 2030 Commitment
• Architecture 2030 China Accord
• World Green Building Council Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront
• Riba 2030 Climate Change