OnTrack Series - Glotman Simpson

Category: OnTrack Series

Our Journey to Net Zero

In the last few years, several ominous phrases have crept into our daily lexicon including “atmospheric rivers”, “quarantining”, “social distancing”, and “air-quality index.” Oxymorons are also taking over our headlines such as “stormy California” and “rainy Arizona.” Spurred by the pandemic and climate crisis, the world is changing faster than ever before – and our ...

Counting Rebar vs. Counting Carbon: Rethinking Our Metrics

October 1, 2025 GS Sustainability OnTrack Series

For years, the construction industry has leaned on rebar density as a quick and easy way to budget rebar costs. Estimate the total concrete on a project, apply a standard percentage, and you’ve got a rough rebar number. And, for a long time, it worked really well. But lately, things have been feeling off. Numbers …

Decarbonizing Construction Materials: Concrete, Steel, and Timber

August 26, 2025 GS Sustainability OnTrack Series

The construction industry has a reputation for being slow to change — “this is how I’ve done it for years” is a familiar phrase in project meetings. But from a materials perspective, things are shifting fast. We’re seeing steady reductions in the carbon footprint of concrete, steel, and timber, thanks to new technologies and smarter …

A Retreat from Conventional Design: Reducing Embodied Carbon Through Engineering Innovation

August 1, 2025 GS Sustainability OnTrack Series

Glotman Simpson prides itself on being at the cutting edge of structural engineering. As engineers, we are always looking at new ways of sharpening the pencil on our designs. These efforts are shared in our technical retreat, a two-day event held in Whistler every few years. It’s a forum for thoughtful discussion on the implications …

The Structure Behind the Stats: Sen̓áḵw’s 22% Carbon Cut Explained

July 11, 2025 General GS Sustainability OnTrack Series

Glotman•Simpson’s role as the structural engineer on Sen̓áḵw – Phase 1, an Indigenous-led development in Vancouver, BC, is projected to eliminate over 7,800 tonnes of embodied carbon setting a new benchmark for sustainable construction in Canada. Although this study was conducted independently of the building’s design, it reinforces a broader principle we uphold; designing efficiently …

Partition Choices, Carbon Consequences: The Case for Smarter Material Selection

May 27, 2025 General GS Sustainability OnTrack Series

When we think about embodied carbon, slabs, beams, and footings all come to mind, but what other elements are missing and how important are they? Look inside any building with partition walls, and you’ll notice the square footage of partition wall is considerable—often considerably more than the floor area in that space. All that material …

Speed Up, Carbon Down: How We made LCA Lightning Fast

April 29, 2025 General GS Sustainability OnTrack Series

At Glotman Simpson, we are continually enhancing our capabilities as sustainable designers. We’re always aiming to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to innovation and in line with this commitment, we’re thrilled to announce that we now conduct Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in-house using a custom tool built specifically for structural engineering. Developing …