By KELLEY TAPIA

A few years ago, while working with an architecture firm on a sustainability strategy, I sat in a meeting where the tension between cost, time and aesthetics played out in real-time. The firm wanted to use low-carbon materials, but the client worried about the budget, the contractor was concerned about lead times, and the design team wasn’t sure how it would fit the building’s look.

It wasn’t an unusual conversation—I’ve had countless discussions like this across different projects. But it made me realize how carbon is rarely given equal weight in design and construction decisions, even when it’s the factor that determines a building’s long-term impact.

  Now, as our area continues to grow, builders, homeowners and developers face the same challenge: How do we make carbon-conscious choices without compromising on budget, efficiency or aesthetics? 

Beyond a single material: The whole palette of design and construction decisions

Too often, discussions about low-carbon building focus on swapping one material at a time—mass timber instead of steel, hempcrete instead of fiberglass, natural stone instead of concrete. While these swaps matter, real carbon reduction happens at a holistic level, across all materials, systems and site strategies.

For example, instead of defaulting to high-carbon materials like concrete and steel, designers and builders here could take advantage of regionally available materials, prefabricated timber or reclaimed wood that reduce transportation emissions and waste. 

Site decisions also play a role—minimizing excavation, using passive solar orientation and preserving mature trees can significantly reduce embodied carbon before the first material is even installed.

In other words, carbon isn’t just about what we build with—it’s about how we build. 

Building a more resilient future 

The more I work with design teams, builders and developers, the more I see the same pattern: the projects that turn out the best—both financially and environmentally—are the ones that integrate carbon into decision-making from the start.

Construction is at a moment of growth. Every new home, business and community space built today will shape the region for decades to come. By balancing cost, time, aesthetics and carbon together, we can create buildings that don’t just look good today—but last for generations.

We don’t have to choose between sustainability and practicality—we just need to start asking better questions.

Kelley Tapia is the founder of Samskara Studio (www.samskarastudio.com), where she works at the intersection of the built environment and natural systems to drive positive change. When she’s not focused on resilient design, she’s chasing her German shepherd puppy, cycling and practicing yoga.