Evaluating Fast-Growing Fibers for Building Decarbonization with Dynamic LCA

By Kate Chilton, Jay Arehart, and Hal Hinkle, published in Sustainability 2025

BamCore's MonoShear Framing System

The authors investigate the potential of fast-growing biogenic materials like bamboo and Eucalyptus to decarbonize buildings compared to traditionally used building materials. The study critiques standard carbon accounting methods and metrics for ignoring the timing of carbon uptake, which can misrepresent the climate impact of biogenic building materials.

The research compares four residential framing systems in the US: concrete masonry units (CMU), light-frame dimensional timber (2×6), and two of BamCore's Prime Wall™ based framing systems utilizing fast-growing bamboo and Eucalyptus. Leveraging dynamic life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling, the study projects the radiative forcing and global temperature change potential of these systems across four adoption scenarios: Business as Usual, Early-Slow, Late-Fast, and Highly Optimistic.

Key findings include:

1. Fast-growing biogenic materials have the potential to significantly reduce the climate impact of new residential buildings in the US.

2. Immediate and aggressive adoption of these materials is necessary to achieve net climate cooling by 2100.

3. Dynamic LCA, which accounts for the timing of carbon flows, provides a more accurate assessment of the climate impact compared to static LCA methods.

The study emphasizes the need for updated carbon accounting and reporting standards to better reflect the benefits of fast-growing biogenic materials and their near-term, climate-cooling advantages compared to slow-growing alternatives. Improvements in these standards can aid policymakers and construction industry decision-makers in promoting and utilizing materials that have the highest potential to decarbonize the built environment.

You can find the peer reviewed article here.