Archinect - News

Biden-Harris administration defines future of zero emissions buildings

2024-02-09T11:41:00-05:00

In a landmark initiative, the Biden-Harris Administration has released the draft National Definition for a Zero Emissions Building, setting a transformative standard for the construction sector. This comprehensive definition targets all new buildings not owned by the federal government, stipulating that they must achieve high energy efficiency (in the 75th percentile or above), eliminate on-site emissions, and be powered by clean energy sources.

This move is part of a broader effort to mitigate climate change impacts by ensuring that the future of construction aligns with environmental sustainability goals. The definition is poised to serve as a critical framework for both new constructions and existing buildings, aiming for a measurable reduction in operating emissions across the board.

Previously on Archinect: AEC firms sign on to Biden Administration’s definition of zero-emissions buildings

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has expressed strong support for this initiative...

AEC firms sign on to Biden Administration’s definition of zero-emissions buildings

2024-01-19T12:53:00-05:00

An effort by the Biden Administration to establish a new national definition of zero-emissions buildings is gaining traction after leaders representing a group of 69 different AEC firms working in the U.S. added their support in a letter that was circulated earlier this week.

Prominent architecture firms, including SOM, NBBJ, Payette, Lake|Flato, Curtis + Ginsberg, DIALOG, FXCollaborative, Handel, and EskewDumezRipple, were among the architecture firms whose principals signed on to the pledge. The signature drive was initiated by Maine-based studio OPAL in coordination with the Building Green Sustainability Leader Peer Networks.

Under the proposed new standards, a “net zero emissions building” would obtain “high” (e.g., the 75th percentile) energy efficiency ratings, be free of any on-site emissions, and be powered purely by clean energy sources. Existing buildings will require an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher or a measured whole building energy use intensity (or EUI) of at lea...

Toronto builders set their sights on (near) net-zero buildings by 2030

2023-05-04T15:24:00-04:00

Toronto builders have a challenging task ahead of them, and with a rapidly approaching deadline: constructing all new buildings with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

This goal falls under Toronto’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy initiative, which aims to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions in the city to net zero by 2040. The building mandate targets the sizable portion of carbon emissions that buildings account for. As reported by Storeys, data from The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) on carbon emissions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) found that the building sector accounts for 44% of all emissions in the region.

One Canadian construction company, EllisDon, has reportedly been exploring ways to contribute to meeting these sustainability goals. With a large amount of building emissions originating from materials used within the construction process, the company began working with building and material sciences specialists. One shift includes altering cement usage by implementing alternative materials, nam...

Boston may soon become the next major American city to ban fossil fuels in new buildings

2022-08-19T17:46:00-04:00

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has announced an ambitious new city-wide plan that would eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new developments and major renovations in an effort to take "every possible step to climate action."

If passed, the Home Rule Petition to the state’s new Bill H.5060 would make Boston the next large city to adopt such measures, following New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, and Berkeley which have all codified similar mandates into local construction laws in recent years.

Furthermore, the city has announced the formation of a special advisory committee made up of local architects, environmental and public health experts, real estate developers, and other stakeholders who will all be tasked with creating guidelines that will later be recommended by Wu as ordinance to the City Council.

In a press statement, Councilor Kendra Lara said: "Implementing meaningful e...

New standard for verifying UK buildings as net-zero carbon on the horizon

2022-06-01T17:02:00-04:00

A cross-industry coalition, representing stakeholders across the built environment, has come together to develop a standard for verifying buildings in the UK as net-zero carbon.

Called the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, it provides a single, agreed methodology for proving built assets are net-zero carbon and in line with the UK’s climate targets. The leading industry organizations behind this initiative include BBP, BRE, the Carbon Trust, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC.

The metrics used to evaluate net-zero carbon performance will include energy use, upfront embodied carbon, and lifecycle embodied carbon, along with space heating/cooling demand and peak load. The Standard will cover both new and existing buildings with performance targets that align with Britain’s 2035 emissions target to reduce by 78% and its 2050 net-zero target. It will also cover the procurement of renewable energy and the treatment of residual emissions, including carbon offsetting. The ...

Is carbon offsetting a misleading tool of the building industry?

2022-05-16T15:16:00-04:00

Six months after the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, columnist Kunle Barker wrote in the UK Architects' Journal to take a stand against the industry’s oneiric focus on “lofty ideals of zero-carbon and on soundbites” and towards a more considered system of new project evaluation, advocating for the “need to develop a viability methodology that is independent, objective and focused on carbon impact versus social need.”

“Let’s rid ourselves of these conceited phrases and instead focus on the real issues,” he wrote, arguing that need will always push architects into costly demolition efforts and away from restoring structures that may, in many cases, be better suited for adaptive reuse. “Offsetting is not sustainable. In fact, it's not even close to being sustainable, and most worrying of all, it is allowing lazy, ego-driven designs to be accepted by us all. We must find an objective and fair way to assess if (and how) a building should be constructed. This is the only way the built en...

Can the architecture industry deliver a carbon-neutral building revolution?

2022-04-15T18:40:00-04:00

There’s ever-growing panoply of efficiency measures — better insulation, improved heating and air-conditioning, less-polluting appliances — that could help the building sector rapidly decarbonize. By 2030, almost all new buildings could consume zero net energy — net meaning there’s some give and take from the grid to equal zero use. That’s a big deal, especially with a corollary switch to electrified forms of transportation.

The list of new green technologies is long and includes innovations like low-carbon concrete, cross-laminated timber, and living wall systems that have all developed into scalable products over the past ten years.

So far, big-name firms like Gensler, Lake|Flato, and KieranTimberlake have been among their many evangalizers, with high-profile projects like the White Arkitekter-designed Sara Cultural Centre, Arup's recently completed HAUT residential building, or the Sonoma Academy Janet Durgin Guild & Commons by WRNS Studio serving as the new standard-bearers in an industry seemingly reluctant to adopt its own rhetoric as to the need for systematic change.

The residential sector is another key area of focus if the 2030 ambit mentioned above is to ever truly become a reality. There is quite a bit of reason for hope in this area, too, with more and more governments providing fundin...

One of Zaha Hadid's final designs opens in the UAE

2022-04-11T18:50:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has officially ushered in what it says will become a “new benchmark for future workplaces” in the form of a brand new high-tech headquarters for the sustainably-minded BEEAH Group in Sharjah, UAE.

Echoing the surrounding desert landscape, the design incorporates two interconnected dune-like structures that house the company’s main offices with a central courtyard and an oasis-like water feature in between to aid in the overall ventilation of the structures.

Image © Hufton+Crow

Lightly glazed facades made of glass with reinforced fiber panels reduce the need for artificial light in the hall. The new headquarters also comes equipped with a host of green innovations such as on-site water treatment and solar-charged Tesla battery packs and will strive for LEED Platinum standards and a net-zero emissions rating using materials taken primarily from local sources.

Image © Hufton+Crow

Much like the city it inhabits, BEEAH is trying ...

The Dutch government is leading the fight to retrofit against climate change

2022-01-14T17:55:00-05:00

Energiesprong (which translates to “energy jump”), a nonprofit that the Dutch government helped launch a decade ago, is coordinating a system of mass retrofits. “We thought, okay, let’s make home retrofits into a scalable solution,” says Christian Richter, who works in the organization’s market development team in Germany.

The Netherlands has pursued an aggressive agenda which has meant a spate of net-zero residential conversions. Now groups are looking for ways to apply lessons from the program outside the country in the hopes of matching increased demands with advancements that have produced certain types of completed retrofit projects in less than a day.

“We know that roughly 70% of the buildings that exist today will exist in 2050,” Martha Campbell, the president of an energy nonprofit called RMI told FastCompany. “And if we’re going to hit net zero by 2050 . . . our estimates are that we need to hit a retrofit rate between 4% and 6%.” That adds up to as many as 6 million retrofits each year in the U.S. alone.

Populous' overhauled Climate Pledge Arena is officially open in Seattle

2021-10-26T10:13:00-04:00

The puck has dropped on the home debut of the NHL’s newest franchise. Seattle’s Kraken professional hockey team is settling into its new digs after the Populous-designed Climate Pledge Arena officially opened on Friday in the Emerald City.

The 17,400-seat arena is the risen corpse of the building known formerly as KeyArena, the original Paul Thiry structure from 1962 that was once home to the beloved world champion SuperSonics.

In the past, the city has been plagued by its inability to successfully find public funds for a replacement arena that would have kept the erstwhile NBA franchise from moving to Oklahoma (the city can also thank Howard Schultz for that) but was able to secure the private funding necessary to construct the arena, which came with a steep $1.15 billion price tag.

Now, the expanded 740,000-square-foot arena can bill itself as the world’s first net-zero carbon professional sports facility thanks to a solar roof that also features the ability to harvest rainwater, ...

Virtual climate pavilion to be launched for COP26 with free public events and exhibition of exemplary projects

2021-10-07T11:24:00-04:00

In advance of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021, the UK Green Building Council has announced 17 sustainable projects to be displayed in an online exhibition. The exhibition, titled Build Better Now, will take place in virtual reality, and will also feature a sustainability-focused 360-degree virtual pavilion designed by Make Architects, forming the exhibition’s centerpiece.

Heart of School, Green School Bali, Bali, Indonesia, by John Hardy, PT Bambu, Heru Wijayanto, Joerg Stamm, Gadjah Mada University

Alongside the exhibition of the 17 exemplar projects, the Build Better Now virtual pavilion will host an events series comprising of tours and talks, keynotes, panel discussions, and other downloadable content aimed at highlighting the impact of the built environment on climate change, and potential mitigations or solutions. The events will be free and open to a global audience, running from October 31st to November 12th, 2021.

F...

CallisonRTKL is bringing biophilic design to its latest airport project in Mexico

2021-08-18T17:08:00-04:00

Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara, is getting a brilliant new biophilic airport terminal courtesy of CallisonRTKL.

The 1.2-million-square-foot Terminal 2 expansion project promises a stress-relieving, traveler-friendly design and is also aiming to become one of the only net-zero airport terminals anywhere in the world.

Image courtesy CallisonRTKL

Featuring elements that pay homage to various local inspirations, the new terminal includes hotel-quality amenities like an in-house spa, art gallery, and gym. A sanctuary space will be open as well in addition to added greenery which makes for a more fluid and enjoyable user experience, according to the architect.

Image courtesy CallisonRTKL

“There is pressure to be more responsible towards the environment, which has increased over the last couple of years,” CallisonRTKL’s Sustainability team lead Pablo La Roche said in a June interview to Lampoon. “The airlines themselves as well as the airplane manufacturers are trying to make thei...

World Green Building Council publishes 2021 report on net-zero carbon

2021-06-14T12:29:00-04:00

The World Green Building Council (WGBC) has published its Advancing Net Zero Status Report 2021, offering an overview of the construction sector’s progress towards decarbonization throughout the last twelve months. Available to read and download here for free, the 48-page report offers detail on the sector's progress towards net-zero carbon, including the scale of the problem, positive case studies from the industry, and responses to common misconceptions about net-zero carbon in buildings.

The report is an output of the GBC’s Advancing Net Zero global program; a pillar of the organization’s response to climate change. The 2021 report contains a world map showing participation in the program by the GBC’s global network, and an update on the GBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, whose 141 signatories include 107 businesses, 28 cities, and 6 states/regions.

“A bold approach is urgently required to reduce the [environmental] impacts of the sector, which is globally responsible ...

MIT commits to net-zero emissions by 2026

2021-05-19T11:19:00-04:00

MIT has announced a goal of achieving net-zero emissions from their campus by 2026, and eliminating direct emissions by 2050. The goal is one of a number of initiatives announced under the institution’s new plan titled “Fast Forward: MIT’s Climate Action Plan for the Decade,” aimed at intensifying new technologies, new policies, and new forms of outreach to tackle the climate crisis.

The plan sets out a desire to create “new ideas, transformed into practical solutions, in record time,” with key research areas including cement and steel production, heavy transportation, and ways to remove carbon from the air. Five broad areas of action are proposed: sparking innovation, educating future generations, informing and leveraging government action, reducing MIT’s own climate impact, and uniting and coordinating all of MIT’s climate efforts.

Previously on Archinect: Carbon-free nuclear fusion power within reach, according to MIT

The specific aim of achieving a net-zero emissions campus by...

Getting to Zero Energy Housing

2020-02-21T17:48:00-05:00

At the rate we’re going, I fully expect, Zero Energy Ready Homes to become the norm by 2030, when tens of thousands of homes are certified each year or constructed under codes representing zero energy performance

Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd talked with Sam Rashkin, chief architect of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, about the building blocks for achieving Zero Energy Ready Home certification, as well as the current and future state of adoption.

To learn more check out the 2018 Zero Energy Residential Buildings study by Net-Zero Energy Coalition / Team ZERO and the 2019 count of zero energy commercial buildings in the U.S. and Canada, by The New Buildings Institute.

Cross-Laminated Timber net-zero apartment comes to Boston

2020-02-20T15:29:00-05:00

In winter 2021, Boston is expecting Model-C, its first ground-up full Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Passive House demonstration project. Designed and developed by Generate, an architectural tech company, and Placetailor, a leading sustainable housing developer, Model-C replaces the conventional concrete and steel construction materials with the CLT "cellular structure."

The new development will consist of 14 residential units and an "affordable" co-working space for the surrounding community on the ground level. Moreover, the five-story mixed use building will use a prefabricated kit-of-parts for its construction. A CLT rooftop canopy sits at the peak of the structure, allowing for the implementation of photovoltaics.

The construction speed achieved through the reduction of interior framing and the use of modular and prefabrication methods has enabled the construction timeline to significantly diminish. Construction is due to begin later this summer and building is projected to be c...

Debra Gerod takes the helm of AIA California

2020-01-21T20:05:00-05:00

Gruen Associates Partner Debra Gerod has been inaugurated as the AIA California 2020 President.

According to the AIA California website, Gerod aims to focus on expanding the group's efforts to push the state to adopt proposed Zero Code measures that would mandate emissions-free buildings across the state.

According to the AIA California website, Gerod made the following statement at her inauguration: “This is a pivotal time where architects are in a position to show leadership in the climate action arena. I wanted to be part of an influential conduit such as the AIA CA. I can think of no better group to work with.”

Gerod succeeds AIA California 2019 President Ben Kasdan of the firm KTGY.

Voicing support for Gerod as she embarks on her year-long journey at the top of the state's AIA group, Kasdan stated, "Debra Gerod, FAIA, represents AIA California and the architectural profession in such a quintessential way. She leads by example with tactful wisdom, seemingly effortless grace,...

What we can learn from EwingCole and their net-zero building Unisphere

2019-12-26T14:55:00-05:00

In Silver Spring, Maryland, the 135,000 square foot building pushes the boundaries of a net-zero building. With its completion in 2018, the building was built in collaboration with United Therapeutics, a biotech company, and Whiting-Turner Contracting.

With the push for mitigating carbon emissions and improving sustainability efforts for new architectural projects, Unisphere approaches the task by implementing a mixture of technologies to have the building become fully sustainable.

According to Marlene Cimons of Quartz, Unisphere consists of "thousands of devices feeding into a powerful computer "nerve center" that tracks energy use and coordinates heating, cooling, and other operations."A few examples of sustainability efforts are the windows that automatically darken when temperatures outside increase and the concrete labyrinth 12 feet underneath the building that acts as a passive heating and c...

AIA embraces a pro-climate agenda

2019-09-05T13:00:00-04:00

The leadership of the American Institute of Architects organization has officially signed off on an ambitious climate agenda that was proposed during the organization's annual meeting in Las Vegas.

The so-called "Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action," introduced at the meeting by Betsy del Monte, an architect with Dallas-based Cameron MacAlister, aims to "prioritize and support urgent climate action to exponentially accelerate the 'decarbonization' of buildings, the building sector, and the built environment."

In addition, del Monte's resolution aims to craft new revisions to the AIA's collection of Public Policies and Position Statements in an effort to "engage its full membership, clients, lawmakers, and communities in a multi-year education, practice, and advocacy strategy."

Remarking on the organization's official ratification of the climate resolution, 2019 AIA President William Bates, wrote in a press release, “This is a defining moment for the Institute,” addi...

How will Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang plan for a sustainable future?

2019-08-26T20:00:00-04:00

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has introduced a five-step plan to address climate change and to help mitigate its effects in the built environment.

To start, Yang lays out the problem of climate change in personal economic terms: "Why have we so far barely made a dent in what we need to do in order to combat this crisis? When 78% of our fellow Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, it's hard to mobilize people to care about the massive problem of climate change. Many think, 'I can't pay my bills. The penguins will have to wait.' It's impossible to think about the future if you can't feed your kids today. We need to get the economic boot off of the throats of our fellow Americans so everyone can get their heads up and start facing this threat head-on."

Yang's first step to his five-pronged plan is to establish a better net-zero standard for new buildings that would take effect by 2025. To do this, he addresses the need to pull away from fossil fuels while also pay...

Governor Cuomo announces $30 million "Buildings of Excellence" competition to promote low-carbon building design

2019-03-07T18:47:00-05:00

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced plans for a $30 million "Buildings of Excellence" Competition, to promote the design, construction and operation of low-carbon buildings across the state. The competition, announced yesterday morning, is part of the Governor's goal to reduce New York's greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. As building's account for 59% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficient design solutions can be a powerful tool in helping achieve this goal.

Previously, Governor Cuomo has put forth an initiative for New York State's own version of a Green New Deal initiative to advance a clean energy future, promising New York State to be carbon free by 2040. On how the competition will further these goals, Governor Cuomo said, "the development of low- to zero-carbon buildings will create healthier living spaces and communities for all New Yorkers, while driving down harmful emissions from one of our highest contributing sect...

AIA issues statement of support for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal

2019-02-08T21:13:00-05:00

AIA President William Bates has issued a statement praising the efforts of a Green New Deal, an ambitious resolution put forth by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that addresses the immense threat of climate change while stimulating the economy through sustainable job creation across various sectors.

The transformative package of policies, announced yesterday, is both broad and bold, giving attention to everything from environmental justice and labor to health care and education. And to get there, the road map calls for a range of policy-driven projects that would heavily touch on the building industry, which accounts for nearly 40% of CO2 emissions in the United States.

Most notably, the bill calls for densifying urban areas and demands the U.S. “upgrade all existing buildings and build new buildings, to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability"—both of which would have huge impacts for how and wh...

3 Canadian mayors join global leaders in signing net zero carbon buildings pledge

2018-08-24T14:46:00-04:00

Today, 3 Canadian mayors, alongside 16 mayors from around the world, representing 130 million urban citizens, committed to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions from their cities by ensuring that new buildings operate at net zero carbon by 2030 [...] Buildings in urban areas are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and typically account for over half of a total city’s emissions on average. I

Mayors from 19 cities around the world have now signed the Net Zero Buildings Declaration, which also pledges to ensure all buildings will meet net-zero carbon standards by 2050. A net zero building uses energy efficient design by drawing from renewable sources to meet performance needs. These commitments are an essential goal of the Paris Agreement and controlling global temperature rise.

Cities pledged include: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Copenhagen, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Newburyport, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Tshwane & Washington D.C.