Foundational Work Towards Tool Development to Support Carbon Accounting and Low-Carbon Material Selection in Part 9 Residential Construction

o The Construction Research Center (CRC) of the National Research Council Canada (NRC) has a requirement to begin data collection, algorithm development and interfacing with other tools and databases to support future development of a tool to support carbon accounting and low-carbon material selection in Part 9 residential construction. The work will involve the following:
 Research product environmental data (covering A1-A3 life cycle analysis stages) for building systems not currently incorporated in Building Emissions Accounting for Materials (BEAM) estimator, for example, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems (MEP), doors, stairs, paint and other product categories in alignment with industry standards.
 Update existing data for Modules A1-A3.
 Research and incorporate algorithms for A1-A3 modules in BEAM as needed in accordance with National Guidelines for Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment.
 Research alignment with current and developing standards and LCA methodologies.
 Research and incorporate if relevant Canadian regionalized data from EcoInvent for Modules A1-A3 (NRC continues to build the multi-stakeholder verified database and there are few datasets to date).
 Organize, engage in and report on broad multi-sector stakeholder sessions to learn what functionality, reporting and analysis features are wanted in a code-compliant embodied carbon tool.
 Engage with software experts to explore development platforms, connectivity, APIs, & PDF plan reader technology.
 Research A4-A5 underlying data with consideration to geographical representativeness.
 Incorporate HOT2000 outputs to BEAM (B6 stage) and develop routine to calculate B6 in accordance with proposed 2025 National Building Code (NBC) operational GHG emissions requirements for houses.
 Report on data validation methods, results, and limitations of A4-A5 data.
 Incorporate product environmental data (covering A1-A3 stages) for building systems not currently incorporated in BEAM, for example, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems (MEP), doors, stairs, paint and other product categories in alignment with industry standards.
 Engage with software experts to explore development platforms, connectivity, APIs, & PDF plan reader technology.
 Follow Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes policy recommendations and technical committee progress to help inform future work.