EwingCole ECAP MEP 2040

MEP 2040

EMBODIED CARBON ACTION PLAN

YEAR 1 - 2023

ARCHITECTS

ENGINEERS

INTERIOR DESIGNERS

PLANNERS

University of Pennsylvania, Burk-Bergman Boathouse

University of Pennsylvania, Burk-Bergman Boathouse

EWINGCOLE’S COMMITMENT

EwingCole, a 400+ person, interdisciplinary architecture and engineering firm with 10 offices located across the country, is hereby signing on to the MEP 2040 Commitment Program. We support the vision that all MEP engineers shall understand, reduce, and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon across all projects by 2040.

Buildings are the largest global contributor to annual carbon emissions. Operational Energy use makes up roughly 30% of the carbon emissions and embodied carbon makes up approximately 10%. While the design and construction industry has made significant strides toward creating high performing buildings by reducing operational carbon, embodied carbon in MEP systems has been largely neglected. Lifecycle assessments (LCAs) that include cradle-to-gate scope are rare for MEP equipment, and most manufacturers do not have the data needed to provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), a summary of LCA data. Through advocacy and outreach we hope to galvanize the MEP equipment manufacturing industry to start providing EPDs for all products.

As engineers and architects, we understand the need to exercise leadership in our role in creating the built environment. Consequently, we believe we must encourage our colleagues, clients, and the entire design

and construction industry to join a collective action to create a healthy and thriving future. EwingCole has signed additional aspirational commitments such as AIA 2030 and SE 2050. The MEP 2040 commitment to reducing embodied carbon in MEP systems aligns with these other commitments to support health, equity, and ecosystems around the globe.

Our commitment to MEP 2040 is a multi-year, continuous improvement effort that begins with growing our understanding of embodied carbon, setting goals, and creating an action plan to accomplish these goals. We will track progress toward our goals and program requirements and report on them annually.

We look forward to joining this coalition and industry effort to achieve the goals of the MEP 2040 Program.

Respectfully Submitted,

EwingCole MEP 2040 Committee, in partnership with Thrive@EC

Robert A. McConnell, AIA President

“WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY FOR DECADES. IN THE PAST, THE FOCUS WAS ON ENERGY CONSERVATION, LONG-TERM OPERATIONAL AND LIFE-CYCLE COST REDUCTIONS AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. NOW WE NEED CONCERTED ACTION TO ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION AND CONSIDER THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY. WE NEED TO ENGAGE IN REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS AND THE IMPACTS OUR BUILDINGS HAVE ON GLOBAL WARMING.”

- Robert McConnell,

AIA President, EwingCole

WHO WE ARE

WHAT WE DO

We explore and design inventive solutions to complex projects that better our clients’ everyday life, our community, and our world. Our clients are leaders in their respective industries. We partner with them to bring the latest thought leadership to each project, and to deliver buildings, spaces and places that advance their mission. Our diverse group of professionals take that responsibility seriously. As their trusted advisors and stewards of responsible design, we are always looking for opportunities that enable us to make a positive impact.

HOW WE DO IT

We bring together research, creativity, and technology through a rigorous process to create places where people live, learn, heal, work, and play. Design is an iterative and interactive process that works best when ideas are measured, discussed and challenged. Our process is informed by a deep understanding of the program, the site, and the science of buildings, but it starts with the need to discover a project’s full potential. Our expertise, knowledge and resources are most effective when we listen to one another, work with one another, and learn from one another.

Our common vision is to transform every day buildings and landscapes into meaningful experiences.

WHY WE DO IT

Our vision is to design places that elevate the human experience; our goal is to build a design culture that can transform the most common buildings and landscapes into meaningful experiences. We believe that great design emerges from a visionary response to an everyday need. The places we design are used by people in all walks of life, yet each design must reach beyond the ordinary. Our collective journey requires that we challenge ourselves to ask the right questions and search for the right responses. We nurture a work culture that values and cultivates these ideas.

WHAT WE VALUE

– Collaboration – Communication – Creativity – Innovation – Social Responsibility – Investing in the Future

We are committed to creating a studio culture that fosters professionalism, creativity, communication, positive energy, and mutual respect. When our people are equipped to work at their fullest potential, we can live out and realize our philosophy of “innovation through partnership”.

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Technology & Engineering Development Facility

PROGRAM GOALS

United Therapeutics Corporation, Unisphere

Thomas Jefferson Technology &

PROGRAM GOALS

GENERAL

The MEP 2040 Challenge consists of four obligations that the signatory firm pledges to uphold in attempts to radically reduce embodied carbon across all projects.

1 2 3 4

ESTABLISH A PLAN

Under the first commitment EwingCole pledges to set clear targets and evolve them as needed annually as processes are implemented and data is gathered. The firm shall define action items to reduce both operational and embodied carbon emissions. EwingCole will measure, report, and analyze progress annually.

REQUEST LOW GWP REFRIGERANTS

New advanced refrigerants are coming to market and all engineers should be prepared for the phase out of the previous generation of refrigerants. All engineers shall inquire about low GWP refrigerants for every refrigerant-based system in designs.

REQUEST ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) summarize the lifecycle of a product and its impacts on the environment in a short report. EPDs provide inside into at least five distinct impact categories, including GHG emissions. Designers and engineers will request or inquire about an EPD for every piece of equipment on a project. The goal is to galvanize the industry to start producing EPDs for all MEP equipment.

PARTICIPATE IN QUARTERLY FORUMS

The carbon leadership forum hosts a quarterly meeting to report findings, share information and lessons learned, and network with other leaders in the field. Each signatory firm must have representation at the forums.

Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, & Engineering Development Facility

Rutgers University, Gary & Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center

TIMELINE & TARGETS 03

TIMELINES AND TARGETS

We have broken down the MEP 2040 timeline into a series of segments to establish our MEP embodied carbon reduction plan. These segments provide progressive targets across actionable time periods, and build toward the goal of zero embodied carbon in MEP systems across all projects.

Present -2025

Establish a Baseline

Before we can tell if the implemented carbon reduction strategies are working, we need to develop a system to gather and track data as it relates to embodied carbon within MEP systems. Once this system is in place, we will use data driven methods to establish a baseline for operational and embodied carbon emissions across all projects.

2025 - 2030 2030 - 2035

30% Reduction in Embodied Carbon Emissions

Once the baseline has been set, we will implement carbon reduction strategies and continue to track data across all projects. We will analyze the collected data annually and reevaluate carbon reduction strategies to achieve 30% reduction from baseline levels by 2030.

60% Reduction in Embodied Carbon Emissions

EwingCole will continue to evolve carbon reduction efforts to achieve a 60% reduction compared to baseline levels by 2035.

The Smithsonian Institution, Charles McC. Mathias Laboratory

2035 - 2040

100% Reduction in Embodied Carbon Emissions

We will continue to implement new and cutting edge carbon reduction strategies to realize the final goal of MEP 2040 and attain as close to 100% reduction in embodied carbon emissions as possible across all projects.

2040 and Beyond

Continued Tracking and Improvement

Engineers and designers will continue to stay vigilant with carbon reduction strategies and produce high performing buildings with little to no environmental impact.

Rutgers University, Hale Center

Illumina, Building 6

City of Hope Medical Center, Amini Transfusion Medicine Center

Syracuse Mets, NBT Bank Stadium

YEAR 1 ACTION ITEMS

ESTABLISHING A COMPANY PLAN

EwingCole’s MEP 2040 Working Group was established to define the targets and timeline previously listed, and to guide progress on the commitment overall. The MEP 2040 Working Group started meeting weekly in the first few months to get the ball rolling on the initiative, and currently meets monthly to discuss progress on action items. Collecting and managing project data is a key action item for 2023. Partnering with other firmwide efforts, we will help to develop a sustainability database that will be used to measure progress moving forward. EwingCole will use the collected data to issue the first annual report on MEP systems carbon reduction strategy effectiveness.

REQUEST LOW GWP REFRIGERANTS

The MEP 2040 Working Group will be inviting an industry leader to give a lunch and learn presentation on low GWP refrigerants. All members of the mechanical department and any other interested persons will be invited to attend. The purpose will be to educate engineers on the new advanced refrigerants and their timelines for implementation. After the seminar, the group will send out a quick reference guide to the department to use when selecting refrigerant based systems. Documentation for low GWP refrigerant requests will be collected and analyzed along with other MEP 2040 related data.

REQUEST EPDS

The MEP 2040 Working Group will organize a lunch and learn presentation on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), highlighting the cradle to gate stage and information that EPDs provide. All MEP departments will be invited to attend. EPD requests will be tracked and documented with the MEP 2040 data collection system.

PARTICIPATE IN QUARTERLY FORUMS

EwingCole will have representation at each quarterly forum and new information will be discussed at the subsequent monthly working group meeting. The firm will also have representation in each of the four smaller Carbon Leadership Forum working groups: Manufacturers and EPDs, Data Analysis and Reporting, Communication and Resources, and Partnerships. Information from the smaller working group meetings will be documented in an accessible place and shared with the rest of the MEP 2040 Working Group.

PROJECT PROCESS INTEGRATION 05

PROJECT PROCESS INTEGRATION

GENERAL

In order to meet the goals of MEP 2040 there must be some fundamental changes in the firm’s project processes. Every employee needs to be on board and participating towards reaching the end goal of 100% carbon reduction.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

There was a firmwide announcement of EwingCole’s involvement with MEP 2040 in early August 2022. Subsequently, an introductory continuing education seminar was given to the firm by the firm’s MEP 2040 Chair.

It is understood that there are varying levels of knowledge and understanding within the MEP departments on embodied carbon and life cycle analyses. Education needs to be an ongoing theme throughout the timeline of the MEP 2040 initiative to bring everyone up to speed as new information is uncovered and implemented. Hosting information in an accessible location for all engineers and designers will help to promote continued education.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project engineers will plan to document and report requests for low GWP refrigerants and EPDs during equipment selections. LCAs will be performed more frequently and with more focus on embodied carbon emissions as a life cycle cost and impact. Early energy

School District of Philadelphia, Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School

modeling strategies should be started during the schematic design phase of new projects.

ADVOCACY

Project proposals will highlight EwingCole’s commitment to achieving the goals of MEP 2040 and educate clients on the benefits. This will give full transparency of intent for design decisions made to reduce operational and embodied carbon emissions. With help from the marketing department, the firm will work with social media and marketing materials to spread the word that EwingCole is an MEP 2040 signatory.

The goal of reducing and ultimately eliminating embodied carbon emissions requires help from all professionals within the MEP space. Members of the

MEP 2040 Working Group along with other EwingCole engineers will advocate and educate on the goals of the initiative in conversations with colleagues.

EWINGCOLE STANDARDS

Standards will be updated to define how refrigerants are documented on projects. It will be determined whether the standard will be to include refrigerant type in the schedules or in specifications.

Master specifications will be edited to require EPDs as they become available for each piece of equipment. Submittals will be reviewed and checked to confirm the EPD has been provided.

U.S. Military Academy West Point, The Cuber & Engineering Academic Center

2023 EWINGCOLE MEP 2040 WORKING GROUP

Dylan Jones (Chair)

Charles Argue

Anthony Arnone

Jason Fierko

Matthew Hayes

Kyle Kavanaugh

Taylor Linus

Nicole Pulido

MEP FIRM LEADERSHIP

Atlanta 3535 Peachtree Road, NE Suite 320 Atlanta, GA 30326 404.725.5057

San Diego 1420 Kettner Boulevard, Suite 310 San Diego, CA 92101

949.417.7550

ewingcole.com

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