Infrastructure 2050: Our Mission
By developing guidance and standards, the design and construction industry can more consciously design, build and maintain infrastructure systems while reducing pollution and warming within our communities.
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Throughout our industry, professionals across the built environment – including designers, owners, contractors, manufacturers, researchers, innovators, and policymakers – are working together to analyze embodied carbon across various infrastructure systems.
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By centralizing resources and exploring innovative design and construction solutions, Infrastructure 2050 is working to advance embodied carbon reduction strategies.
The infrastructure systems we’re currently focused on include bridges, tunnels, ports, roadways, aviation, and utility distribution systems.
The Challenge
Infrastructure professionals shall understand, reduce, and ultimately work to eliminate embodied carbon within infrastructure projects by 2050. Infrastructure professionals will collectively identify and communicate effective embodied carbon reduction strategies for infrastructure projects.
Embodied Carbon of Infrastructure Systems
Embodied carbon references the greenhouse gas emissions generated across the entire life span of infrastructure systems; not only are they released when construction materials are produced, but also throughout transportation, construction, maintenance, repair, and demolition efforts. Infrastructure 2050 is working to centralize resources, guidance, and industry best practices that help designers make more informed, environmentally conscious design decisions.
Throughout 2024, we’re working to achieve three goals:
Centralize carbon reduction strategies.
Collaborate across the industry to identify and implement effective carbon reduction strategies within our daily practices.
Standardize carbon calculations.
Identify key variables and trends that significantly contribute to the carbon footprints of infrastructure projects, ensuring that the most impactful project data is collected and analyzed.
Inform carbon reduction targets and goals.
Industry professionals can explore embodied carbon impacts across infrastructure projects by comparing designs against standardized industry data.
Our Progress
2024
2023
Upcoming Events
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Hosting workshops with subject matter experts
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Launching embodied carbon webinars
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Testing data collection with preliminary infrastructure typologies
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Drafting case studies and best practices
Accomplishments
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Hosting monthly focus group discussion
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Drafted bridge and tunnel typologies for standardization
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Advocacy through national conference presentations
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Advising graduate research groups