What is Enhance, and which goal should I choose?

Overview

Enhance proposes a new mix using the same materials, while respecting the requirements, limits and locked materials on your screen. You choose a goal (lower carbon, lower cost, project strength or workability) and Enhance looks for the best mix for that goal.

The four goals

Goal	What Enhance looks for	What to expect to change
Lower carbon	The mix with the lowest embodied carbon that meets every requirement.	Cement decreases, SCM replacement increases up to the allowed limit, and water moves toward its allowable cap, while strength requirements at every age are maintained. Aggregate proportions remain unchanged.
Lower cost	The mix with the lowest material cost, using plant prices.	Cement decreases, SCM replacement increases up to the allowed limit, and water moves toward its allowable cap, while strength requirements are maintained. Aggregate proportions and entered admixture doses remain unchanged.
Project strength	Reduce excess predicted strength toward f'cr while keeping all requirements.	SCM replacement, w/cm and then cementitious content adjust toward the required strength target. Aggregate proportions remain unchanged. Predicted strength at the controlling age should reach f'cr, or remain slightly above it if another limit binds first.
Workability	Adjust aggregate proportions toward the Tarantula reference without changing cement, SCM or water.	Aggregate weights change toward the Tarantula gradation ranges while cement, SCM and water remain unchanged. Finishability and pumpability may improve, but cost and carbon may move slightly up or down depending on the aggregates used.

The Tarantula reference is a combined-aggregate gradation reference.

Choosing a goal

Lower carbon when embodied carbon is your priority, for example when a project sets a carbon requirement.
Lower cost when material cost is your priority. It uses your plant prices, so every plant material needs a price.
Project strength when predicted strength is well above f'cr and you want it to come down toward the target while keeping every requirement.
Workability when gradation or the placement ratings are the concern. It changes only aggregate proportions.
Enhance changes quantities of the same materials. It doesn't add or swap materials.
If no mix satisfies every requirement at once, Enhance doesn't return a mix. It names the limit that left no room. See the related article for each message.
The mix Enhance returns is a starting point for validation, not a guaranteed result.

Review before you apply

You can review the original and enhanced mix designs side by side before you apply any changes, which makes tradeoffs easier to spot and defend. For example, the Workability goal leaves cement, SCM and water alone, but cost and carbon can still move slightly.

Good to know

Enhance changes quantities of the same materials. It doesn't add or swap materials.
If no mix satisfies every requirement at once, Enhance doesn't return a mix. It names the limit that left no room. See the related article for each message.
The mix Enhance returns is a starting point for validation, not a guaranteed result.