Sitework

When you enter a site area, select whether the site has been previously developed. If previously developed, C.Scale treats it as a brownfield site with no carbon sequestered in its soil and existing landscape. If not previously developed, C.Scale treats it as a greenfield site with preexisting vegetation.

Planted Area

Set the percentage of site area, minus the building footprint, which is planted. To calculate emissions from the removal of above-ground biomass, C.Scale treats the site as vegetated with regionally-specific "low carbon storage" plants (such as no-mow turfgrass or other herbaceous perennials) at 50% of the site's carrying capacity. All unplanted area is assumed to be hardscape.

High Carbon Storage

Appears once Planted Area is above 0%. Set the percentage of the planted site area comprised of a high carbon storage landscape, such as dense broadleaf shrubs and trees in a matrix of no-mow turfgrass or herbaceous perennials.

Hardscape Carbon Intensity

All site area not designated as planted is assumed to be hardscaped. The specification of the pervious and impervious surfaces on the building site (outside the building enclosure. These specification levels do not describe specific materials or assemblies. Instead, they approximate the 80th, 50th, and 20th percentile of the distribution of all hardscape assemblies based on a set of standard details.

Choose from pre-defined hardscape carbon intensities, or input a custom value.

Service Life

The length of time over which a majority of the site's hardscape will be replaced.