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SOM Joins SE2050 Commitment to Carbon Neutral Structural Systems

SOM has joined leading structural engineering firms in signing the Structural Engineering Institute’s (SEI) Structural Engineers 2050 (SE2050) Commitment. The initiative sets measurable goals to eliminate embodied carbon in structural systems by 2050. SOM is among the first architecture and engineering firms to commit to achieving substantive embodied carbon reductions within structural systems.

Making the SE2050 commitment further advances SOM’s response to the most urgent challenge of our time: protecting the Earth’s resources and leading the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

Strategies to reach net-zero embodied carbon include reducing and eliminating emissions from extracting, manufacturing, and transporting construction materials, all of which contribute immensely to global warming. The SE2050 program provides engineers with a platform to play an integral role in carbon reduction. The SE2050 committee will be sharing professional resources and educational opportunities to benchmark embodied carbon metrics, set targets, and track progress for firms that pledge to the program.

SE2050 adds to the list of climate action commitments that SOM has already made, including the AIA 2030 Commitment, the Architecture 2030 China Accord, and World Green Building Council Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront.