Amazon used CarbonCure Technologies in the construction of its HQ2 site near Washington D.C. to lower the carbon footprint of the development, specified to meet Amazon’s sustainability goals.
260,000
sqm of office space over 3 high-rises
20% reduction
in carbon footprint from concrete
1,000 tons
of carbon saved
CO2 mineralised concrete specified to meet sustainability goals
“While it’s not always necessarily visible to our customers or communities, we’re working to decarbonise all of Amazon’s buildings — including our corporate offices, data centers, and fulfillment facilities — given the climate impact of the built environment. At HQ2, we challenged ourselves to push the limits of what’s possible when it comes to sustainable construction and design — and we’re proud to share these features.”
Kara Hurst, Vice President of Sustainability, Amazon
Background
Amazon HQ2 is part of the Metropolitan Park site, an existing urban renewal and development project in National Landing, in Arlington, Virginia, USA. The first phase of “ground-up” construction saw the redevelopment of a block of vacant warehouses into two new LEED Platinum-certified buildings, new retail space for area businesses, and plenty of open space for the community to enjoy.
Solution implemented
CarbonCure’s technologies introduced recycled carbon dioxide into fresh concrete to reduce its carbon footprint without compromising performance. Concrete makes up the largest portion of the project’s total embodied carbon footprint, making low-carbon concrete one of the most impactful ways to reduce emissions associated with the building itself.
Outcome delivered
Using an advanced lower carbon concrete mix design and CarbonCure, which Amazon invested in through its Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon was able to achieve a 20% reduction in the carbon footprint of Met Park’s concrete structures compared to the industry baseline. An estimated 106,555 cubic yards (81,467 cubic metres) of concrete made with CarbonCure was used for the construction, which saved approximately 2 million pounds (approximately 900 tonnes) of CO2.
CarbonCure’s technologies have since been utilised at over 40 Amazon sites globally.
About CarbonCure Technologies
CarbonCure is a technology for the concrete industry to permanently embed CO2 into concrete to reduce the carbon footprint without compromising performance.
For more information, visit https://www.carboncure.com/.
Source: CarbonCure Technologies, May 2024
