This case study examines strategies for minimizing embodied carbon in high-rise multi-family residential developments in British Columbia, Canada, aligning with the City of Vancouver’s Embodied Carbon Guidelines (2023). Focusing on a 34-storey reinforced concrete rental tower in Vancouver, comprising 248,758 ft² above grade and 81,860 ft² below grade over five parkade levels, the analysis demonstrates over 10% reduction in embodied carbon intensity (A1-C4, excluding B6) for the structure and enclosure, while achieving significant cost savings.

The project, featuring 275 units and 142 parking stalls, utilized the Baseline Path methodology, establishing an initial embodied carbon benchmark of 361 kgCO₂e/m² from an early design iteration. Key interventions included enhancing supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in General Use Limestone (GUL) cement mixes for below-grade concrete and increasing SCM content from 20-25% to 25-40%. This adjustment yielded a 3% embodied carbon reduction and 2% hard cost concrete savings without extending construction timelines due to delayed strength considerations limited to subterranean elements.

Greater impacts were realized through holistic design efficiency optimizations across multiple levers: reducing common circulation spaces (e.g., corridors from 760 ft² to 709 ft² per floor), amenity and lobby ratios per unit, parking layout efficiency, eliminating double-height parkade spaces, and simplifying massing complexity. These measures decreased total embodied carbon from 8,722,570 kgCO₂e to 7,883,740 kgCO₂e, lowering intensity to 341 kgCO₂e/m² – an additional 10% reduction via Baseline Path (or 17% against the Absolute Path’s 400 kgCO₂e/m² benchmark). Financially, project hard costs dropped by 7%, boosting profit over cost by approximately 6%.

Insights highlight that smart design decisions—balancing livability, marketability, and zoning compliance—can enhance environmental sustainability and economic viability in urban residential projects.