Partnership investigates use of low-carbon aluminum in buildings

Hydro Aluminum Metals and Parsons Healthy Materials Lab (HML) have entered a partnership to explore how advances in recycling and low-carbon production methods are affecting aluminum’s role in the built environment.

The partnership examines approaches impacting aluminum’s environmental profile and what architects, designers, and manufacturers need to consider as material choices are assessed in response to sustainability and regulatory pressures.

Aluminum has long been viewed as one of the most carbon-intensive construction materials, largely due to coal-based production methods. 

That perception is evolving as improvements in recycling technologies and access to renewable energy are significantly decreasing aluminum’s carbon footprint, according to a Hydro/Parsons news release.

Recycled aluminum is rapidly becoming a high-performance material with significantly lower emissions and growing relevance for construction of low-carbon and energy-efficient buildings, the release says.

The collaboration includes a study that examines low-carbon aluminum solutions, their benefits and limitations, and the implications for material specification and use in construction.

Findings will be published later this year and translated into accessible educational content for architects, designers, builders, and manufacturers through HML’s platform and network.