As owners and developers become more energy and environmentally conscious, design teams are required to carefully implement sustainable design principles. The building’s structure has a significant impact on the building’s embodied energy and the ability to achieve LEED points. CHRIS Embodied energy is defined as the available energy used in the work of constructing a building. A building’s structure accounts for about 25% of the building’s embodied energy but only about 10% of the building’s cost. A knowledgeable LEED AP structural engineer on your project can assist with sound sustainable design principles that can significantly reduce the building’s embodied energy.