Computer Model Could Improve Sustainability for Construction Industry

Everyone wants to design with sustainability in mind. But what does it actually take to decrease carbon emissions, especially in an industry like construction used to building structures the same way they have for decades? 

MIT researchers recently released research making strides against a significant barrier to sustainability—7 percent of total carbon emissions come from construction materials globally. In October 2026, Senior author Josephine Carstensen, MIT’s Gilbert W. Winslow (1937) Career Development Professor in Civil Engineering, will have published research in Automation in Construction on “topology optimization,” on how to reduce material use by as much as 90 percent in the industry. MIT News shared that traditionally this type of work has been used by researchers doing 3D printing rather than engineers scaling findings to large scale construction projects. 

Now, Carstensen’s process can be applied using her algorithm, which allows users to customize various constraints to determine strengths and limitations. Engineers using trusses, which she said are in everything from bridges and cranes to airplane wings and even new sneaker designs, could benefit.

Creating an algorithm more users can access

One major barrier to using algorithms to improve carbon emissions in real time has been access to the right systems and knowledge. “Especially at a larger scale, we see very few modern examples of it being used,” Carstensen said. Years ago they did a survey to formalize the barriers to industry adoption of the tools. “Is there a will to use them? We found there is a will, but the inhibiting factors relate to time constraints and constructability of the results—we get results that are really fancy in the computer but extremely challenging to make.” 

She said this was the inspiration behind this research, addressing the complexity of the structures, so users feel confident they can make them.

They used a MacBook so it would be a system most people could use on their regular device. “Some of the designs are fast, and can be solved on a laptop. Some could be but you might need to let it run overnight. But ease of use was really important to us.”

Sustainability at connection points

MIT News reported the researchers used their approach to “design steel, wood, and multimaterial truss structures that support loads in buildings and bridges, showing the carbon emissions associated with materials changed significantly when different constraints were applied.” 

A big pain point for manufacturing processes, Carstensen said, is related to connections in the structure. “Having a connection where there’s a big enough angular spacing to do these processes is really important,” she said. “How can we get control over how the connections look?” 

One step was to allow for mixed-integer programming formulation. “We were interested in being able to design with different materials or components,” she said, as opposed to past models that would force users to choose either timber or steel or cables, rather than mixed materials.

First author and civil and environmental engineering doctorial student Zane Schemmer told MIT News, “You can’t have a part that’s 72 percent timber and 28 percent steel,” Schemmer said. “Instead, it says, ‘This truss or cable is going to be made out of this,’ and then based on that decision, how do we make sure all of these connections meet their strength standards?”

The system also accounts for material properties, such as steel struts that can hold up against compressive loads, but other materials that can’t. In addition, users can specify the complexity of the joints by noting the number of connections and minimum angles. 
Overall, the research is part of a movement to improve sustainability through reduction of emissions from construction materials into the future, made more accessible to all who need the tool.

Alexandra Frost is an independent writer and content strategist in Cincinnati.