A Guide to Alignment in the Built Environment

The built environment is at the forefront of the climate challenge, with embodied carbon from construction materials representing a significant share of global emissions. “A Guide to Alignment in the Built Environment” are technical recommendations developed under WBCSD by a global cohort of industry leaders with the technical lead of Autodesk, designed to help practitioners, owners, and policymakers use Building Information Modeling (BIM) to lower carbon emissions from the earliest stages of design.

What is it?

This report provides step-by-step, practical guidance for leveraging BIM to streamline material quantity extraction and improve the consistency, accuracy, and transparency of carbon assessments in building projects. It builds on the findings of the 2024 Phase 1 report, A Path to Alignment in the Built Environment, which revealed significant variation in carbon results across firms—even when using the same BIM model. By applying the new guidelines, the variation in carbon assessments was reduced by 43%, demonstrating the power of industry alignment.

Who is it for?

• Architects, engineers, BIM managers, and sustainability consultants
• Owners, developers, and policymakers
• Anyone seeking to embed carbon considerations into design, procurement, and reporting workflows

Why read it?

• Gain actionable, adaptable recommendations to improve carbon data quality and reporting
• Avoid common pitfalls and improve collaboration across project teams
• Support regulatory compliance and climate goals with transparent, comparable results
• Learn from real-world examples and best practices developed by a cohort of leading firms

Adopting these guidelines helps organizations improve reporting accuracy, reduce risk, and unlock new opportunities for low-carbon innovation and leadership in the built environment.

This publication is the result of collaboration between WBCSD, Autodesk, AECOM, Arcadis, Arup, Foster + Partners, Ramboll, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).