12-614 Special Topics Environmental Life Cycle Assessment
9 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Environmental impacts of construction materials and techniques are of increasing concern to developers and building owners. This project will assess the environmental impact of the use of steel and wood in construction using traditional product designs and optimized (new) product designs. The project course will involve some in-class lectures to familiarize students with the concept of life cycle assessment, with steel and wood manufacturing and production processes, with structural building design, and with construction management processes. Students will participate in field trips to steel and wood manufacturing facilities. Students will work in a multi-disciplinary team to evaluate the different materials and structural design options, to estimate the greenhouse gas emissions of the options, and to propose material and design choices for the construction industry. The goals of the course include exposing undergraduate students to multi-disciplinary teamwork, to the relationships between various engineering fields in decision-making for a final product design, to environmental impacts as a design constraint, and to the concept of life cycle assessment. Notes: cross-listed with 27-566 section B only
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Spring 2027, Spring 2026
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