Carbon Conscious Insulation

This session picks up where September’s WSEC 2024 code-updates session left off, moving from the “what changed” to the “what to build with.” WSEC 2024 raises the bar on envelope performance, and insulation choice is now one of the biggest levers for hitting code while cutting embodied carbon. Three low-carbon insulation categories go head-to-head: wood-fiber insulation via Sustainable NW Wood (featuring TimberHP), mineral wool from Rockwool, and hemp-based insulation. Each speaker unpacks how their material performs under WSEC 2024, where it fits in different assemblies, and how its carbon footprint stacks up against conventional options. Whether you’re a builder, architect, designer, or homeowner planning your next project, you’ll leave with a practical, code-ready material comparison.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Tommy Gibbons CIO | Cofounder Hempitecture Inc.

Tommy Gibbons is the Chief Innovation Officer at Hempitecture Inc., a public benefit corporation created to develop, manufacture, and sell sustainable, high-performing building materials. Tommy is also an innovator fellow within the D

epartment of Energy’s Building Technologies Office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to facilitate Hempitecture’s product development.

Before Hempitecture, Tommy worked in growth operations at an education technology startup in San Francisco and debt capital markets at Goldman Sachs in New York. He is also a LEED Green Associate, a Department of Energy IMPEL+ innovator, and certified by the French l’École Nationale du Chanvre (School of Hemp Building). He graduated from Princeton University in 2013 with a degree in public policy.

Justus Stewart
Seattle Branch Manager, Sustainable Northwest Wood, Inc.

Justus has spent more than two decades working to strengthen the connection between healthy communities and a healthy environment. After years working ‘upstream’ in planning & policy, he is excited to get back to his roots working more directly with natural resources communities and businesses. As a former green building consultant, Justus has extensive experience supporting projects that contribute to a more sustainable built environment. Outside of work, he can be found roaming the beautiful PNW wilderness, on the water, or seeking out live music.

Marcus Ward
Architectural Specification Manager for the PNW at Rockwool North America.

Marcus connects manufacturers with their ideal customers and manage sales, distribution and market growth. He considers this job to be the most important one I’ve ever held. Sustainability with ROCKWOOL Is not only about what and how we manufacture, It’s about the product itself, being infinitely recyclable and providing the thermal, acoustic and fire resilience for the life of the buildings it goes into. “We really don’t know what the future holds, but if I can put products into buildings today, that can be pulled out in 100 years and reused for the original purpose, at least I’m doing something to give future generations a resource they can count on“.

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS: