Carlos Gerardo Murguia Rendon
Francisco Benita
Susan Wong
The building and construction industry is responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions worldwide.
Embodied carbon emissions from producing and assembling building materials account for the largest portion of embodied carbon during a building’s entire lifecycle. These stages are also known as stages A1-A5 of the building lifecycle.
These stages encompass materials production (A1-A3), transportation (A4) and construction-installation (A5). To address this pressing issue, EZCarbon was developed as a tool to calculate embodied carbon and support users in making informed decisions during the building design phase.
Our goal was to create an intuitive, one-stop solution that helps designers and sustainability professionals efficiently calculate embodied carbon during the early design stages. Current methods are time-consuming and hinder productivity due to poor user experience and complex workflows. By streamlining A1-A5 embodied carbon calculations and incorporating a scalable material database, the tool supports faster decision-making and encourages the use of low-carbon materials.
A key challenge in existing Embodied Carbon (EC) calculators is the lack of spatial context, requiring users to assign materials via abstract data tables. To solve this, the Speckle Viewer, a 3D model visualization tool, was integrated into our model viewer page.
The 3D building model reader lets users interactively navigate the model and highlight or isolate elements based on filters or selections. This helps visually confirm the elements being worked on, improving accuracy and confidence in material assignment. Users can now see exactly where components sit within the model, creating a more intuitive and engaging experience.
After completing material assignments, users are directed to the initial EC calculations page covering stages A1-A5. The A1-A3 table features interactive filtering by category, type, or material. For A4, users input transportation details, including land and marine distances and the material’s country of origin. A5 emissions are calculated using a two-part input flow—typology and project—based on gross floor area. Results are conveniently displayed below for easy reference.
After completing the A1–A5 data inputs, users are directed to the initial EC report page where data visualizations and summary metrics are generated. Key highlights, such as the highest contributing materials, allow users to quickly grasp the overall results. Filtering options by Trade Groups—such as Architectural or Structural—enable more targeted insights. With structured graphs and clear summaries, users can analyse the outcomes much more effectively. All information shown on the report page is captured in a downloadable PDF report for convenience.
In the material suggestion page, users are offered alternative materials based on their Global Warming Potential (GWP) to support more sustainable decisions. Filtering options—like category and type—make it easy to find suitable replacements. When a material is selected, users can view its impact via A1–A3 comparison bars on the left, providing clear visual feedback. Additional features like the mass assignment section and integrated 3D model viewer improve usability and help users visualise where changes are applied. The following Material Suggestion A4–A5 page allows users to adjust calculations similarly to the earlier A4–A5 input process.
After completing the material suggestion inputs, users are directed to the material suggestion report page, where dynamic, comparison-based statistics and visualizations are generated. Unlike the initial EC report, this version highlights the before-and-after impacts of material changes. For example, users can compare the top EC contributors before and after the suggestions were applied. These focused insights and clear comparisons support architects and sustainability consultants in making more informed material decisions throughout the design process.
Here, the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) drag and drop function is backed by an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) AI tool that reads the EPD files and extracts GWP values automatically. Before the extracted data is saved to the database, users are also able to verify and edit any missing fields. Once all missing fields are verified, users are brought to the material database where they can search for materials by name with filters and sorting functions. Edit and delete options are offered to ensure any timely update or deletion of material information from the database. Furthermore, as an alternative to the EPD file data extraction, users have the option to manually create material information entries too.
After conducting user testing with the DPSD team, we received the following feedback:
“The overall experience of using the Web App is pleasant.” – DPSD
“Overall, the digital tool can help tackle one of the biggest bottleneck, which is to properly extract BIM data and sort them to easily assign material data for embodied calculations. The ability to iterate and view the lives changes in embodied carbon is key to allow Architects and Sustainability Consultants to make insightful decisions in the project. On the UIUX side could have some improvement, but I think the tool will be helpful in delivering better than sustainable results.” – DPSD Design Technologist
EZCarbon is designed to support sustainability efforts in the built environment by empowering early-stage, low-carbon decision-making and is alligned with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
EZCarbon helps architects design resilient infrastructure and actively encourages the use of sustainable materials for developments
EZCarbon empowers design teams to contribute to the development of inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban environments by promoting responsible material choices and resource-efficient planning.
EZCarbon supports sustainable construction practices by encouraging the use of low-carbon, environmentally responsible materials, helping architects and developers minimize waste and optimize resource use.
EZCarbon enables early-stage decisions that reduce embodied carbon in building materials, directly supporting efforts to mitigate climate change through sustainable design.
EZCarbon also aid design teams contribute to national targets such as Singapore’s Green Building Masterplan.
Team EZCarbon would like to express our sincere appreciation to our industry partner: DP Sustainability Design for granting us this enriching opportunity to work on this project. We would also like our industry mentor, Ms. Nhu Pham, and the team at DPSD for their generous support, insightful feedback and the resources that greatly contributed to the development of our project.
Team EZCarbon would like to thank our capstone instructors, Dr. Carlos Gerardo Murguia Rendon and Dr. Francisco Benita, for their valuable advice, which was pivotal to EZCarbon’s success.
Finally, Team EZCarbon would like to thank our CWR instructor, Dr. Susan Wong, for her unwavering support and for believing in us. Her guidance has enabled the group to showcase the project in its fullest form.
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At Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), we believe that the power of design roots from the understanding of human experiences and needs, to create for innovation that enhances and transforms the way we live. This is why we develop a multi-disciplinary curriculum delivered v ia a hands-on, collaborative learning pedagogy and environment that concludes in a Capstone project.
The Capstone project is a collaboration between companies and senior-year students. Students of different majors come together to work in teams and contribute their technology and design expertise to solve real-world challenges faced by companies. The Capstone project will culminate with a design showcase, unveiling the innovative solutions from the graduating cohort.
The Capstone Design Showcase is held annually to celebrate the success of our graduating students and their enthralling multi-disciplinary projects they have developed.
