Embodied Carbon Assessments of Wood

Erin Kinder, PE, SE, LEED AP, WoodWorks 

Erin is a licensed Structural and Professional Engineer in California, a Professional Engineer in Colorado, and a LEED Accredited Professional. She received a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Erin came to WoodWorks with over 10 years of experience in structural engineering design, construction administration and project leadership. At WoodWorks Erin focuses on Life Cycle Assessment, embodied carbon, and the long-term benefits of wood construction.

Chelsea Drenick, SE, WoodWorks 

Chelsea is a licensed structural engineer in the state of California. She received her BS in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College and MS in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. Chelsea spent nine years in structural design consulting prior to joining WoodWorks. Her experience is in a variety of sectors including residential, higher education and retrofit of existing and historic structures. She is passionate about sustainability and the use of wood as a building material to reduce the embodied carbon emissions of structures.

Alexis Feitel, PE, Team Carbon Unit Director, KL&A Engineers & Builders

Alexis is a licensed professional engineer with nearly 10 years of structural consulting experience in the Denver and Rocky Mountain region. Her design background includes custom high-end residential, multi-family, concrete high-rise, existing building renovation, material salvage and stockpiling, and sustainable design experience. She is the KL&A Team Carbon Unit Director, leading a team of in-house expertise focused on embodied carbon quantification, reduction strategies, and implementation into the current design and (de)construction practice at KL&A. 

Lauren Piepho, PE, Hammel Green and Abrahamson

Lauren Piepho is a structural engineer at Hammel Green and Abrahamson (HGA) in Minneapolis, MN.  While her work spans a multitude of different project types, she specializes in the structural design of mass timber buildings.  She has led multiple research efforts at HGA focusing on the design, implementation, and environmental impact of mass timber in commercial construction.  Most recently, she has investigated how life cycle analysis software and parametric design can be used to inform the design process for mass timber structures.  Lauren’s passion for sustainable design continues to drive her exploration into innovative uses for mass timber. 

Jennifer Hardy, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Payette

Jennifer is a Senior Associate at Payette and 2020 AIA Young Architect Awardee with over 15 years of experience leading large, complex international and domestic projects with an expertise in pushing innovation and performance boundaries. She recently completed work on the Penn State Engineering Design and Innovation Building, which utilizes a hybrid mass timber structure and mass timber curtain wall to reduce operational and embodied carbon and enhance broader design goals. Jennifer is an active member of the BSA/AIA and serves as a juror for the Boston Mass Timber Accelerator – an important program to enhance awareness, provide technical support, and identify opportunities to reduce building- related carbon and support the Zero Net Carbon Building Zoning Initiative.

Melanie Silver, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Payette 

Melanie has been with Payette’s Building Science Group since 2017, working with design teams to meet rigorous sustainability targets through data-driven investigation while understanding which elements are critical to the building’s design or program. She manages building performance simulation in the Building Science Group and leads research efforts to develop and implement Payette’s Material Policy throughout the office. Melanie is the co-creator of Payette’s award-winning embodied carbon tool, Kaleidoscope, which won the 2022 AIA Innovation Award and a 16th annual ARCHITECT R+D Award.