September 23, 2023.
You think vehicle emissions make it tough to breathe in the greater metropolitan cities of California? Well, get this, over 40% of polluted air comes directly from the construction industry – and that number is only expected to increase over time with building projects doubling (yes, imagine living in a city twice the size of LA) by the year 2060.
That’s a hell of a lot of pollution, and the majority to blame is the operational carbon is takes to generate the concrete, aluminum, and glass. The manufacturing of buildings using these supplies has created a significant amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere.
If we don’t act now, we’re going to be breathing in harmful toxins that not even a purifier the size of Uranus could omit.
Concrete manufacturing is the biggest contributor to the problem, although these types of companies have taken great resolution measures recently. Unfortunately, it is taking longer for most aluminum and glass companies to get serious about their efforts to reduce alarming numbers (for every kilogram of aluminum produced, for example, an average of 25 kilograms of carbon is released into the atmosphere). Solar and hydroelectric power solutions are prevalent in countries like Qatar and India, where their entire electric grid is powered by natural gas, therefore, emissions are reduced by 50-80%.
Beginning in 2026, all companies operating with a revenue of $1B or more will be required to report on carbon emissions. The bill was passed by state legislature and sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom just last week.
Of the many techniques out there that capture carbon emissions, the most effective is a bit of a no-brainer: use clean methods to produce the aluminum instead of waiting until after it’s released. Think of it like this – if you have a jar full of coffee beans and only want to fill a bowl with half of them, it would be easier to count them as you fill the bowl versus pouring the beans into the bowl, then counting them by picking through them in the bowl.
Becoming carbon neutral is a major goal for large companies, not only in the manufacturing and construction industry, but also food, oil and even fashion moguls like Gucci.
Fortunately, companies like Reflection Window + Wall, a Chicago based aluminum manufacturer, are a step ahead, proactively seeking alternatives to the building material emission problem. Cleaner manufacturing and more sustainable construction processes are the company’s highest priority as it continues to assist in the growth of high rise residential and commercial buildings across the country.
Given the rise in how windows in such buildings can digitally react on things like climate and weather conditions, office and homes can maintain and control suitable indoor climate temperatures. Technologies like these can (and should) be mandated and regulated for new building construction.
Let’s consider what a typical 50,000 square foot high-rise building consists of.
We can quadruple that number of space to equal the total square feet of façade (that’s about 200 to 250-thousand square feet).
Now, each square foot of façade contains about 5 pounds of aluminum. Multiply that by 200,000 and it’s safe to assume every skyscraper you walk past is utilizing something to the tune of a million to a million and a quarter pounds of aluminum.
One final math equation here, multiply that million by 25 (the number of kilograms of carbon emissions produced). That’s about 25 million pounds of carbon production released into the breathable atmosphere – and that’s just to put windows on the building.
Did you jaw drop? If you’re in a big city, close it fast and hold your breath. Because I’m about to shock you with a couple more mathematical statistics.
We love big cities, we love traveling to them and seeing them in person, taking in all the sights and sounds. New York, Boston, Nashville, San Francisco, Dallas, Detroit and beyond. So go ahead and multiply that 25 million pounds of carbon by the number of cities and the number of buildings that are built every year. Let that sink in. Exhale.
Reflection Window genuinely cares about the planet, the environment, and subsequently the people that want to live in it and breathe cleaner air. That’s why they have always used more innovative production of the building materials they use in their construction practice. Where there is a will, there is a way. The Reflection Window + Wall way.