Embodied and Operational Carbon Analysis: A Grasshopper-Based Method for Visually Comparing Impacts of Material Choices

This paper aims to describe and evaluate a parametric method for enabling embodied carbon analysis early in architectural design. The method utilizes Grasshopper, within Rhino, to convert volumes of modeled materials into equivalent volumes of carbon dioxide, providing a means to visualize and compare embodied carbon impacts. As described here, the parametric method is an extension of an earlier method developed within a graduate-level architecture design studio taught by authors Mike Christenson and Malini Srivastava, focused on renovating an existing building. The studio aimed to influence students’ awareness and consideration of embodied carbon impacts in their design processes. Author Robert Gay, a student in the studio, proposed an extension to the original method, increasing its relevance to early design decisions informed by awareness of embodied carbon impacts. The paper provides details on the extended method and its implementation, identifies limitations, and proposes specific enhancements.