Projects
Our mission is to make it easier for everyone in the design and construction industry to make climate-friendly choices.
We do that in many ways, as described below
and in the “About Us” page.
Conferences
EBNet began hosting international conferences focused on climate-friendly building materials in 2001. Under our BuildWell banner, these gatherings brought increased attention to both the health implications of the chemicals we build with, and the hidden (and huge) carbon emissions “embodied” in those materials.
Now, the building and policy worlds are abuzz about the enormous effects of embodied carbon, with conferences, government agencies, and startups engaging the work of climate-friendly architecture. Our work here is done, for now, and we have no plans for future BuildWell conferences.
(But you never know . . .)
Video and PowerPoint
We’re making videos as part of the larger BuildWell Project because video is the fastest and most effective way to spread good ideas — like climate-friendly architecture — all based on the exciting advances being made in academia, Silicon Valley, and on construction sites everywhere. Video can’t replace the dense information available in books, papers, and websites, but it can alert you to the fundamental ideas, and direct you to reliable resources, both technical and human.
Slide decks such as PowerPoint have replaced textbooks as the primary teaching tools in colleges and universities, and we’re working with Stanford and other universities to make teaching tools focused on easing the climate crisis — tools that are freely available and easily plugged into existing curricula.
Find our video and PowerPoint offerings at Buildwell.site
Research and Testing
Engineering studies are fundamental for introducing and promulgating new building technologies, and one of EBNet’s first undertakings was to conduct research on straw bale and earthen construction.
This research has continued to inform building officials, codes and standards development, building design and construction, and government regulators.
Total Carbon Study
EBNet has helped in sponsoring the Total Carbon Study, a project undertaken by Integral Group ad Seigel and Strain Architects with funding from Stop Waste.
The “Total Carbon Study” of the DPR San Francisco Office was initiated by a group of embodied carbon and Life Cycle Assessment experts who tracked “total carbon” emissions of the net-positive energy performing retrofitted building. The case study project reported nearly 70% avoided embodied carbon emissions associated with buiding material supply chain when compared between a new construction and significantly reused existing building structure. Therefore: Reuse to the maximum amount possible, and renovate whenever conditions allow!
Case Study of DPR Construction
San Francisco Office Building
Net Positive Existing Building Reuse
DOWNLOAD (821KB)
World’s First Low-Carbon Concrete Building Code
In 2019, Bruce King initiated work with Marin County, California, to develop the world’s first building code addressing the climate emissions embodied in building materials. King drafted the many versions leading to publication, but a huge shout out to the many participating stakeholders, including Bill Kelley, Marin County Building Official, Kate Simonen of the Carbon Leadership Forum, Frances Yang of Arup Engineers, and many people from the concrete, cement, and construction industries, from government and from engineering.
The “Marin Code” as it is widely known has served as a template (as was our intent) for many subsequent provisions adopted by local, state, and national building standards all over North America and the world.
ENR – Engineering News-Record
Bruce King: ENR article
ASTM International Earthen Building Standard
Billions of people live in adobe and other earthen homes because that’s all they can afford. Until recently, they also died in those homes, either because of earthquakes, or the lack of sanitation that poverty imposes. But: News flash! Earthen building can be safe, lovely, and climate-friendly.
We were proud to draw on recent engineering developments to develop safety guildelines for those structures: ASTM E2392-10. Standard Guide for Design of Earthen Wall Building Systems
Following on that effort, we developed a method for Haitians to rebuild after the 2010 earthquake, using local soils and the concrete rubble that had filled the streets. That effort won the Build Back Better competition sponsored by the Clinton Foundation. Now we are working with EarthEnable in Rwanda to develop safe, sanitary floors, walls and plasters in ways that can be used anywhere in the world.
Mud huts no more, earthen building is moving uptown!