Net Zero Structural Systems by 2050: How Local Firms Plan to Achieve the SE2050 Commitment

The SE 2050 Commitment states: all structural engineers shall understand, reduce, and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in their projects by 2050. The commitment entails three primary requirements.

1. Upon joining: Commitment Letter from Firm Leadership
2. Within six months and annually: Embodied Carbon Action Plan (ECAP)
3. Within one year and annually: Submit data to SE 2050 project database.

This is no small feat, but three local Toronto firms are up for the challenge. In this online event,  representatives from DIALOG, Entuitive, and NORR wil; speak about their journeys so far as signatory firms to the commitment. Megan Stringer from the SE2050 oranization will provide an overview of the SE2050 program, and attendees will learn about what is involved in the SE2050 commitment, and how local professionals can get involved.

Speakers:

Megan Stringer is an Associate Principal with Holmes in their San Francisco office. Motivated by our impact on the built environment, Megan is at the forefront of reducing structural embodied carbon. She champions Holmes' commitment to SE 2050 and gets sustainable structures built at impressive scales. Megan has overseen mass timber construction at Microsoft, low-carbon concrete pours at Intuit, and many life cycle assessments. Megan also serves as Vice President of SEAONC and has chaired numerous committees.

Elaine Hu is a structural engineer at DIALOG, based in their Toronto studio. She has experience working on a vast range of project typologies, including institutional, healthcare, educational, retail, commercial and nuclear facilities.

Aside from structural design work, she is also championing DIALOG Toronto’s embodied carbon efforts, focusing on educating and preparing the structural and architectural teams to take on the SE2050 commitment.

Emily King leads the Whole Life Carbon Consulting team and Sustainable Performance Stewardship Group at Entuitive and has a deep passion for finding solutions in service of a sustainable future. She has a background in structural engineering and has experience working on projects in various applications, including transportation, institutional, industrial, healthcare, residential, and restoration.

With a specialized focus in carbon-responsible, high-performance buildings, Emily works collaboratively with service experts, design teams, and clients to guide the design of low-carbon structural and building envelope elements. Her expertise in lifecycle assessment helps reduce the embodied carbon of systems and materials, supporting the transition to zero carbon buildings and infrastructure.

Ali Husain has over 12 years of experience in the structural design and project management of complex building projects in Canada and abroad. He is responsible for successfully delivering creative engineering solutions for projects that employ a wide variety of structural expertise and construction practices.

Ali is a key member of NORR's Sustainability committee and actively contributes to the firm-wide efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. He also helps manage NORR's participation in the Carbon Leadership Forum's Structural Engineers 2050 Challenge.