What is Embodied Energy?

Conversations about sustainable design often focus on how efficiently a building uses energy once it is occupied. While certainly a consideration, a sustainable building also considers the embodied energy of building materials used in its construction. Embodied energy is a term used to describe the energy used during the production of the material. Production includes activities like mining, harvesting, milling, smelting, or transporting materials prior to construction.

A large screened porch, designed by Patch, built from recycled glulam timbers.

The late British architect and critic Peter Buchanan simplified the average embodied energy of building materials by comparing common building materials to the building material with the lowest embodied energy. Wood sits at that lowest end of the spectrum. Brick contains about four times (4x) more embodied energy than wood, concrete 5x, plastic 6x, glass 14x, steel 24x, and aluminum a staggering 126x. These numbers reveal how material choices shape a project’s overall carbon footprint.

If you want to align with cutting-edge, state-of-the-art building science, wood offers remarkable possibilities. In recent decades, researchers have tested and refined engineered wood products such as glulam beams and mass timber panels. They have proven that wood can safely replace steel and concrete in the majority of building types. Wood delivers the strength and safety of concrete and steel while dramatically reducing carbon impact. Wood also brings a warmth to interiors that steel and concrete cannot replicate. (It smells nice too!)

By choosing wood, you can invest in beauty, durability, and responsibility. You will gain a building that contributes to a healthier future while also creating a product that stands out from similar products in the market.

Interested in a new, all-wood building? Patch can help!