Sustainability & Embodied Carbon: the Dissimilar approach
Most carbon is spent before a building ever opens. Dissimilar Metal Design cuts that impact where it starts (in the materials themselves) by using recycled metals, eliminating coatings, and detailing systems that last for decades with almost no maintenance.
DMD Editor | Dissimilar Metal Design
Article Posted November 6, 2025
Our approach at Dissimilar can be summed up by three simple but powerful ideas: recycled content, long service life, and an almost complete lack of maintenance.
Together these three elements lower the embodied carbon of a building and deliver measurable savings over time. It’s a practical path to sustainability built right into the metal itself.
Embodied carbon explained
When you look at a building, the carbon emissions aren’t just from running it: heating, cooling, lighting, etc. There’s also the carbon that’s already “baked in” before anyone ever moves in.
This is what is known as “embodied carbon” in the AEC industry.
Embodied carbon is the sum of all the greenhouse gases that were released while making and installing the materials: mining ore, melting it into metal, rolling it into sheets, shipping it, and fastening it to the wall.
Every weld, truck trip, and factory process uses energy, and that energy almost always produces CO₂ and if you add it all up — that’s the material’s embodied carbon footprint.
Much of a building’s impact is baked in when materials are made. And the best way to cut that impact is to replace less often. Our systems at Dissimilar are detailed to perform for decades. That means fewer tear-outs, fewer truck rolls, and fewer do-overs. It also means a stable look that holds up in the real world.
And our systems can go decades with no maintenance.
Sustainability: the Dissimilar approach
We specify metals with high recycled content. Steel, stainless, zinc, copper, and aluminum all move through robust scrap streams. And we keep that loop going by recycling our offcuts. We track mill certs, securing domestic metals by default, and can align to owner standards for sourcing.
Finishes that remove paint from the equation
Weathering steel forms a stable protective layer in the open air. Stainless relies on its own passive film. Zinc and copper build patinas that heal small scratches on their own. None of these finishes need paint, which means no repeat coating cycles and no solvents. That is less labor, less material, and less waste over the life of a building.
Designed for very low maintenance
The best maintenance plan is the one you almost never think about. Our systems are detailed to shed water, manage drainage, and avoid staining of adjacent materials. Routine care is simple rinse-and-inspect. No harsh cleaners. No specialty coatings. No recurring finish work.
Upstream, we nest parts to maximize sheet yield and return scrap to certified recyclers. Prefabrication reduces rework on site. Tighter fits and fewer field fixes mean less waste and less time spent on lifts.
Documentation for your team
We support LEED and other frameworks with manufacturer documentation for base metals, mill certifications, and recycled content summaries. If your project requires durability or maintenance plans, we can provide system-specific guidance tied to climate and exposure.
Bring us in early
Early choices lock in sustainability and cost. We help teams match alloy and thickness to climate, set the right surface from day one, and detail connections that protect both the metal and the building over time. The result is a facade you don’t have to keep fixing, and a carbon story you can stand behind.
If you’re looking for a sustainable metal system with custom fabrication, let’s talk.
