sustainability

At McNamara • Salvia, we understand our responsibility to the built environment. We design hundreds of millions of square-feet of buildings every year and realize our position in creating a sustainable future. We work to reduce embodied carbon by using new technologies, design optimization methods, construction methods and materials and have signed on to the SE 2050 Commitment in order to advance this goal across the industry. We recognize sustainability is a holistic goal and are dedicated to working with the design team to achieve it on each project.

“The greatest contribution to sustainability that a structural engineer can make is to do his or her job exceptionally well. A more efficient structure is a more sustainable structure.”

— Bart Sullivan, P.E. | NY Principal

se 2050 commitment

McNamara • Salvia supports the vision that all structural engineers shall understand, reduce, and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in their projects by 2050. We are a signatory firm of the Structural Engineers 2050 (SE 2050) Commitment sponsored by the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

With our wide-ranging portfolio and existing client relationships, we believe we are well-positioned to reduce embodied carbon in the built environment. We are excited to partner with and help educate our staff and clients to achieve the goals laid out by the SE 2050 program.

McNamara • Salvia is taking the following steps as part of the SE 2050 Commitment:

Create and annually update an Embodied Carbon Action Plan (ECAP), which will serve as a guide to reduce embodied carbon.
Submit embodied carbon data for multiple projects to the SE 2050 project database in a collaborative effort to understand embodied carbon in structural engineering projects and to set attainable targets for future projects.
Educate our engineers about embodied carbon, its impact and reduction strategies.
Engage our clients in discussions about project sustainability goals and the structural engineers’ role.

We look forward to joining this coalition and industry effort to achieve the goals of the SE 2050 Commitment. To learn more please visit SE2050.org and carbonleadershipforum.org

What is the environmental impact of buildings today?

The building and construction sector has a vital role to play in eliminating carbon, as it is responsible for at least 39% of global carbon emissions.

* Global CO2 emissions for 2019 were roughly 33 billion metric tons of CO2, which means the core & shell of buildings was responsible for approximately 3.6 billion metric tons of CO2 (or the emissions of 790 million cars).