New opportunities for carbon reductions in buildings create a strong need for a common
framework and method for those who design, build and influence construction to evaluate
lifecycle carbon reductions from design decisions and technology choices. These opportunities
include a wide range of low-embodied-carbon concrete materials being rapidly developed and
introduced to the market. How to evaluate these newer materials and technologies has become
critical for both public- and private-sector actors seeking to decarbonize building constructions
by leveraging the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA) funds. We propose an evaluation framework to assess the lifecycle carbon reductions from
adoption of these technologies, including a subset of key “must have” (1) technical criteria
(embodied carbon level, technology development stage); (2) market criteria (market size,
scalability); and (3) financial criteria (cost of technology implementation compared to businessas-usual) from a range of options. We discuss how to use the framework and illustrate it using a
“heatmap,” rating score and short case study of a promising technology. We also propose a plan
to implement this framework that includes (1) standardized measurement and validation methods
for verifying emission reductions from these technologies, and (2) avenues to implement real
world demonstrations. We conclude with recommendations for next steps on framework
refinement and commercialization strategy development.