Rethinking Industrial Site Design for Lower Carbon Impact

Let’s imagine a scenario: a development uses the best-performing, lowest embodied carbon concrete mixes for its site pavement—yet the project’s overall embodied carbon is still significantly higher than average. How is that possible?

The answer often lies not in the materials, but in the quantity. If your pavement area is significantly larger than that of a typical development, even the most optimized materials won’t offset the impact of simply building more. 

This principle applies across all building assemblies, but it's especially critical when it comes to site pavement on industrial sites. In the recently released Version 2 of the Embodied Carbon within U.S. Industrial Real Estate Benchmark Study (BranchPattern, November2024), we expanded our analysis to include site impacts. After reviewing over 96 whole-building life cycle assessments, we found that pavement alone accounts for an average of 24% of a development’s embodied carbon (10.1 kgCO₂e per building GSF out of a total 32.1 kg CO₂e per building GSF for average embodied carbon intensity). 

That’s a substantial share—and it means that even modest reductions in paved area can lead to meaningful carbon savings.  

For industrial developers and designers, optimizing pavement areas is a critical lever often overlooked. While pavement area is determined by factors such as local codes or operational needs, many projects have flexibility in their site area which can be reduced through strategic decisions and smart design. Optimizing concrete mixes is essential and chasing the next low-carbon innovation is exciting, but we can’t lose sight of the fundamentals. The path to lower embodied carbon isn’t just about what you build with, but how much you build. 

Early collaboration across disciplines—developers, engineers, architects, and sustainability consultants—can unlock smarter site layouts, right-sized infrastructure, and more efficient use of space. It’s time to ask: Are we designing for operational need or out of convention? Can we challenge outdated codes that drive overbuilding? Can we enhance multi-material strategies for paving based on use type? Can we use tools like AI or post-occupancy evaluations to uncover new efficiencies?

Reducing embodied carbon in industrial developments extends far beyond material selection. When we reconsider not just what we build with, but how we configure pavement area, circulation, and site layout, we open the door to significant reductions in embodied carbon.