Archinect - News

Federal 2007 ban on fossil fuels in government-owned buildings finally kicks in

2024-04-28T08:00:00-04:00

Fossil fuels will be banned from new and remodeled federal buildings under a rule finalized by the Department of Energy this week. The rule stems from the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). Section 433 of that law says new federal buildings and those undergoing major renovations have to phase out "fossil fuel-generated energy consumption" by 2030. But that provision never went into effect because the Energy Department failed to finalize regulations, until now.

All buildings (and vehicles) owned by the U.S. Government are currently under mandate to run on renewable energy by 2050. The EISA mandate was not fully effected until now because the DoE never finalized its regulations, NPR reported a year ago.

Now, the enactment will save an estimated 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions and another 16,000 tons of methane emissions within three decades. That's equal to 4.92 billion kWh of electricity (enough to power a city the size of San Diego for a year) according to standard conversions.

KPF designs Columbia University's first purpose-built, all-electric research lab building

2024-04-10T18:28:00-04:00

Kohn Pedersen Fox has designed a new state-of-the-art research and academic facility that will deliver Columbia Universty’s first purpose-built, all-electric lab building for the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The project will augment Columbia’s Plan 2030 for achieving campus-wide net-zero emissions by 2050. It boasts a system of air source heat pumps (ASHPs) that manage the building’s temperature controls in unison with a high-performance facade that offers an optimized window-to-wall-ratio under 50%.

Credit: RGB, courtesy Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)

“As an all-electric research lab building in a cold climate, the biomedical research building presented a particular challenge given high heating loads brought on by the ventilation requirements of the building’s program,” KPF’s Director and Head of Sustainability, Carlos Cerezo Davila, said in a project announcement. “This required us to design a building where the architecture and the mechanical systems work toge...

Architecture's top green projects and sustainability innovations in 2023

2023-12-27T20:28:00-05:00

Wrapping up a year in the wake of the recently concluded COP28 UN climate summit that resulted in, well, mild levels of agreement on the role of fossil fuels, it is possible to sense a slightly increased urgency toward this most pressing planetary issue on a high-minded diplomatic level. As we're quickly approaching the quarter mark of the 21st century, however, much more concrete action and innovation in various sectors of the AEC domain is needed — and is already happening — on the ground level as well, as we have seen in our reporting on Archinect.

Continuing with our 2023 Year in Review series, let's take a look back at some of the story highlights focusing on decarbonization efforts, material research, policy implementation, and successful applications of sustainability principles this year.

Building Electrification

Energy-efficient heat pump technology is gaining in popularity. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Øyvind Holmstad.

The process of gradually phasing out fossil f...

EU member states agree to major building emissions cuts at COP28

2023-12-12T18:21:00-05:00

If approved in its current form, the deal struck on Thursday night will also force member states to put solar panels on more buildings, starting with new public buildings and offices and expanding to include new homes by 2030. [...] It is a compromise on the European Commission’s original proposals to renovate the leakiest homes, which member states had fought fiercely.

The EU’s pledge mandates that all new buildings will have zero emissions from fossil fuels in that timeframe, with heating systems derived from fossil fuels phased out by 2040. The expansion of heat pump subsidies will be a decisive factor, along with the mandatory installation of solar panels on everything except heritage architecture, churches, and agricultural buildings by the decade’s end. Also at the conference, six other member states joined the U.S., Canada, and UK in pledging their commitments to the UNEP Buildings Breakthrough challenge that will further reduce emissions by 2030. Signatories will also have until 2035 to cut emissions in residential structures by at least 20%.

Still, the Climate Action Network’s Eva Brardinelli, told the Guardian: “The final agreement on the directive missed a significant opportunity to lift millions out of energy poverty and cut our dependence on fossil fuels.”

The changes are likely to be formally adopted via the European Parliament in th...

Washington State effectively bans fossil-fueled appliances in new construction

2023-11-30T13:39:00-05:00

It will soon become nearly impossible to install fossil-fueled appliances to heat new homes and businesses in Washington. [...] The codes will require new homes and buildings to meet the same total energy performance as those built with electric heat pumps while allowing builders flexibility to choose appliances. Basically, if builders choose gas appliances, they will need to make up the efficiency losses elsewhere in the construction.

The state’s building code update puts them in league with California, Maryland, and major cities New York, Los Angeles, and Boston to have adopted similar policies.

The new amendments offer a “watered-down” alternative to a proposed electric heat pump mandate that was abandoned in the wake of a federal ruling against Berkeley, California’s natural gas ban from 2019.

The state’s building and construction industry is one of many being targeted by lawmakers in an effort to eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

HOK's $780 Million NYCFC Stadium plan pushes professional sports toward an all-electric future

2023-11-22T11:54:00-05:00

The proposed new stadium venue for the New York City Football Club (NYCFC) by HOK will be all-electric in addition to incorporating a number of sustainability strategies included in a press announcement that was made last week by the team.

The 25,000-seat stadium forms the center of a larger mixed-use redevelopment set for an area of the Willets Points neighborhood of Queens that is also being targeted for a proposed $8 billion new casino development and would be the MLS franchise's first dedicated facility after ten years in operation.

HOK intends to install a solar PV array on the stadium's roof and says they plan for a net-zero construction to match the franchise's 2040 commitment, achieving annual reductions of at least 12% after year one of the project's operation.

Image courtesy HOK

Other considerations include enacting a stormwater retention system and a zero-waste strategy. The stadium's green credentials are likely to inform the rest of the plan, which calls for a 250-room...

Large increase in all-electric and net-zero energy projects among AIA 2030 Commitment signatories, report says

2023-09-29T11:43:00-04:00

All-electric building projects have increased by more than 130% since 2020, according to new data from the American Institute of Architects. The figure is one of several findings from the latest AIA By The Numbers report which provides a detailed analysis of the energy performance of architecture and design firm signatories to the AIA 2030 Commitment.

428 companies reported data as part of the survey, with 23,276 projects reported from 107 countries. In addition, 168 new firms signed the 2030 Commitment in 2022, bringing the total number of signatories to over 1,200. By contrast, the community held 170 signatories and 56 reporting firms in 2010.

Related on Archinect: AIA 2030 signatories making progress on commitment to reduce energy use. Image credit: Mike Schwartz

In the latest outline, firms reported 707 all-electric buildings last year, totaling 80.1 million ground square feet, representing a 134% increase on projects registered in 2020. 346 net-zero energy projects were reported...

Boston has officially banned fossil fuels in all new city-owned buildings

2023-08-07T15:57:00-04:00

Boston is officially ending its reliance on fossil fuels in government-owned buildings after Mayor Michelle Wu signed a new executive order banning their use in all new municipal construction and renovation projects across the city.

In a press statement released on July 31st, Wu told reporters: “Week after week, we see the signs of extreme heat, storms, and flooding that remind us of a closing window to take climate action. The benefits of embracing fossil fuel-free infrastructure in our City hold no boundary across industries and communities, and Boston will continue using every possible tool to build the green, clean, healthy, and prosperous future our city deserves.”

The initiative is part of a larger Green New Deal for Boston, which takes aim at various issues surrounding topics in the built environment. Boston’s stock of municipal buildings is currently responsible for only 2.3% of emissions city-wide, and proponents say the new mandate will help speed their overall decarboniz...

Construction starts on $416 million, mixed-income development in Upper Manhattan

2023-05-11T17:48:00-04:00

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the start of construction of a $416 million mixed-income, mixed-use residential development in the Inwood neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. It will include nearly 700 apartments, including 281 affordable units, and provide a range of carbon-reducing features, including all-electric heating and cooling, in line with the state’s climate goals.

Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, the development is part of Hochul’s $25 billion Housing Plan that will create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with supportive services for vulnerable populations, in addition to the electrification of 50,000 others.

The two buildings that comprise the development are located at 405 and 407 West 206th Street. They will feature a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with forty percent of them reserved for those earning at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). An additional ten percent o...

COOKFOX's 555 Greenwich office complex in Manhattan nears completion

2023-05-08T17:19:00-04:00

*Editor's Note: The 555 Greenwich project officially topped out on April 22, 2022, and is slated for completion in 2023. Details below have been adjusted for accuracy.

COOKFOX’s 555 Greenwich project, a 270,000-square-foot, 16-story office tower in the heart of New York City’s Hudson Square, is near completion. As reported on NewYorkYimby, images by Michael Young show the installation of the building's brick facade and windows.

Rendering: Vocon, image courtesy COOKFOX

The structure will seamlessly combine with the adjacent 1931-built 345 Hudson to form a singular full-block building. The development was led by Hudson Square Properties, a joint venture of Trinity Church Wall Street, Norges Bank Investment Management, and Hines. The combination of 555 Greenwich and 345 Hudson aims to be a benchmark for sustainable and environmentally responsible office development.

Rendering: Vocon, image courtesy COOKFOX

The new building will feature geothermal and radiant heating and cooling, full el...

New York State set to ban natural gas appliances in new buildings

2023-05-01T17:02:00-04:00

A handshake agreement between New York Governor Kathy Hochul and lawmakers in Albany is on the cusp of banning natural gas in most new buildings statewide as part of a $229 billion budget deal that looks to broadly reduce the use of fossil fuels in the building sector.

The proposed ban covers appliances in most new construction and would take effect by late 2026 for smaller buildings under seven stories. The move puts New York in league with Washington state as the first two to legally bind builders to the use of either all-electric heating or kitchen appliances, which pave the way for an influx of new technologies such as heat pumps and induction stoves.

Cities like Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Jose, and Berkeley, California have joined twenty-one others, including New York City, whose own 2021 ban provided a model for the state’s new law, which was opposed by Republicans who are bolstered by legal challenges in the U.S. Court of Appeals’ 9th Circuit.

Earlier on Archinect: NY...

Chipotle launches new all-electric restaurant design pilot

2023-04-20T14:37:00-04:00

Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled a new fully electric restaurant design that aims to utilize 100% renewable energy and maximize energy efficiency in its equipment and systems.

The chain has recently opened restaurants with these new features in Gloucester, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, with a third location set to open later this summer in Castle Rock, Colorado. This design pilot will help the company progress towards its sustainability targets, formed in alignment with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.

Chipotle aims to have more than 100 of its new locations in 2024 utilize this new model. Its impact will be further extended as the company plans to eventually grow to 7,000 locations in North America. The design will continue to evolve as restaurants receive additional feedback and insights.

Key features of the new restaurant design include rooftop solar panels, all-electric...

Sustainable design trends are already outpacing One Vanderbilt's once-lofty green goals

2023-02-16T17:07:00-05:00

It is also the rare skyscraper designed with climate change in mind. It holds a self-contained, catastrophe-resilient power plant capable of generating as much energy as six football fields of solar panels. The building captures every drop of rain that falls on it, and reuses that runoff to heat or cool its 9,000 daily visitors. But One Vanderbilt is also something else. It is already out of date.

New York City’s recent ban on fossil fuels is making the green technology built into the merely two-year-old KPF-designed tower obsolete in terms of energy sources, the NYT's Ben Ryder Howe writes. Foster + Partners’ nearby 270 Park project is cited as an example of the forthcoming delineation triggered by the new mandate.

Speaking to the Times, SL Green’s director of engineering Jonathan Wilcox said it remains “to be determined” which elements, including a set of powerful natural gas-burning turbines, will be replaced in unison with city and state guidelines in the future.

A heat pump revolution could bring much-needed building decarbonization

2023-02-06T12:09:00-05:00

By 2030, around a quarter of UK buildings should be heated using them, according to the UK government's climate advisory body, rising to 52% by 2050. Electrifying heating will also be key to decarbonising buildings in the US, says Melissa Lott, director of research at the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. One study in San Francisco referred to heat pumps as the "single most impactful lever" to reducing emissions.

Communal heatmains can be used to overcome the challenges of digging expensive boreholes for heat pumps in private homes and urban apartment blocks where most of the UK’s population resides. The country’s push to heat half of its homes using heat pumps, which are evolving, puts it squarely in line with Germany and other states looking to leverage the technology in the interest of achieving sustainability goals.

A recently-announced New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) design contest is also attempting to tackle the affordability issue with window-frame prototypes that cost no more than $3,000 per unit and can be installed in less than two hours.

On the benefit and challenges of designing all-electric affordable housing

2023-01-19T13:28:00-05:00

In a few short years, policymakers and building designers have gone from pushing energy-efficient design and products—which saved folks money—to targeting carbon emission reductions, even if it costs more in the long run. This paradigm shift is rapidly changing expectations for the development and operation of affordable housing.

New York, Boston, and Los Angeles are three of America’s largest cities to have recently adopted some version of law or code changes mandating the design of new buildings (with the occasional exception for certain, typically smaller multifamily developments) be made all-electric.

The challenge for practitioners, according to authors Kimberly Vermeer and Walker Wells, is doing so equitably with a mind to costs, as the price per unit of electricity is typically much higher for consumers than traditional fossil fuels. The implementation of pricier but more energy-efficient heat pumps is also discussed as a huge technical and design obstacle for architects, along with the necessity of learning new vocabularies and more complex building performance metrics in the hopes of girding against the effects of climate change and preparing for the inevitability of electrification at a broad scale.

LA mandates all new buildings be all-electric in major milestone

2022-12-15T16:42:00-05:00

[The] Los Angeles City Council put an end to the expansion of local natural gas infrastructure on December 7th when they unanimously approved an ordinance requiring that all new buildings within city limits be constructed all-electric. With this vote, Los Angeles became the largest city in the state and the second largest city in the country to mandate a definitive shift away from fossil fuels in new construction.

LA City Hall had previously adopted a similar ordinance for all its municipal buildings in 2020 and passed a ban on gas appliances along with a mandate for emissions-free new constructions at the end of spring. The new building code changes are set to go into effect with the new year. A test run for a fleet of driverless EV taxis is also set to hit the streets soon in what could be a complicated counterbalance to the impact of car culture in the city.

The move now gives 70 California cities some form of an all-electric requirement, prompting speculation that a statewide code update might come in 2025.

New York selects six Empire Building Challenge partners to boost the state's energy efficiency

2022-10-10T09:00:00-04:00

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has just announced the addition of six new strategic partners to the $50 million Empire Building Challenge in aims of enhancing the state’s stock of energy-efficient buildings.

The newly-added partners will be tasked with developing "highly repeatable" solutions to reducing carbon emissions in the heating and hot water systems of roughly 5.6 million square feet of high-rise buildings statewide that are included in the Challenge.

Brookfield Properties and Tishman Speyer lead the groups included in the program’s expansion, which now covers some 125 million square feet of commercial and multifamily properties and over 1,500 units of housing. The new interests selected by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) include:

Amalgamated Housing Corporation, who will team with EN-POWER GROUP and Egg Geo on Tower I & Tower II, 3965 - 3975 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx.
Boston Properties, who pairs with Jaros, Baum, & Bolles Consulting...

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...

LA is banning the gas burner in favor of electric appliances

2022-06-01T11:47:00-04:00

Citing the climate crisis, the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to ban most gas appliances in new construction, a policy that’s expected to result in new homes and businesses coming equipped with electric stoves, clothes dryers, water heaters and furnaces. The nation’s second-largest city was late to the game, said Councilmember Nithya Raman, the policy’s lead author — but no longer.

Raman’s motion echoes that of many other cities in the state as well as a recent proposal to phase out non-electric car sales by the year 2035. It also includes a provision that all newly-constructed buildings be emissions-free, a requirement it first adopted for all municipal properties in 2020.

Current estimates have it that 10% of all emissions can be traced to natural gas installations in California, with another 15% being attributed to the electric grid needed for those homes and businesses.

NYCHA is challenging designers to create an affordable heat pump for 24,000 apartment units

2022-01-27T17:23:00-05:00

A creative answer to one of the most pervasive issues in American public housing is being sought by one of the largest civic authorities in the country as the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has issued a challenge to design an affordable new all-electric heat pump for the 21st century.

NYCHA has made design challenges a part of its program before. As Grist noted, the agency has previously issued similar challenges to older generations of industrial manufacturers, including a late-90s contest to design more energy-efficient refrigerators for its properties, which at the time, did not offer ample enough space for the appliances. A design from Maytag won the contest and was widely adopted by a number of other regional housing authorities in order to reduce energy costs.

Now, with the tragedy of this month’s devastating Bronx apartment fire in its recent purview, NYCHA is once again asking for help from the design community in solving a silent problem that has drawn increasing ...

NY Governor Kathy Hochul calls for ban of greenhouse gas emissions in new buildings by 2027

2022-01-10T14:51:00-05:00

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) called for an end to the use of natural gas in new buildings in a policy blueprint released Wednesday ahead of her State of the State address.

The governor's plan will require that there be zero on-site greenhouse gas emissions from new construction by 2027. It would also require energy benchmarking, a process that requires large buildings of similar sizes or occupancy levels to compare their energy consumption. Hochul’s blueprint would mark the first statewide requirement if passed. This follows a similar New York City bill signed into law in December that bans the use of fossil fuels in new buildings.

Previously on Archinect: New York City Council reaches agreement to require the use of all-electric heating in new buildings

In addition to this new policy blueprint, Governor Hochul also announced in her State of the State address a plan to establish a rail line that connects Brooklyn and Queens dubbed the Inter-Borough Express.

New York City Council reaches agreement to require the use of all-electric heating in new buildings

2021-12-09T17:26:00-05:00

The City Council is poised to ban the use of gas in new buildings, requiring most to use electricity-powered heat and hot water. Lawmakers reached a deal late Wednesday on a bill requiring new buildings shorter than seven stories to go electric on Jan. 1, 2024, and taller ones after July 1, 2027. Projects that get their construction documents approved before those dates will be exempt.

Buildings of less than seven stories and at least half of its units subject to an affordable housing regulatory agreement are exempt if construction documents are approved before December 31, 2025. New buildings that are taller with the same agreement will have two more years. The measure allows the limited use of fossil fuels in new buildings as long as they are not used for heat and hot water and are used intermittently.

The City Council will vote on the bill next week.

Los Angeles adopts all-electric, embodied carbon standards for municipal buildings

2020-02-12T13:52:00-05:00

With a new Executive Directive issued by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the City of Los Angeles has become the latest California municipality to make a plan to decarbonize its municipal building stock.

Under the recently unveiled Executive Directive No. 25, L.A.'s Green New Deal: Leading By Example vision, the city will, among other broad efforts aimed at bringing environmental sustainability and economic and social justice initiatives to the fore, "ensure that all new municipally-owned buildings or major renovations be designed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030," according to the memo's text.

In addition, the directive will make the city the first in the state to adopt the guidelines of the Buy Clean California Act, a measure that indexes and rates on the embodied carbon of building materials for new building projects and renovations. The move aligns "procurement decisions for steel, flat glass, and mineral wool using Sate of California-adopted Global Warming Potential limits"...

Berkeley's natural-gas ban creates a chain reaction in the West

2019-10-03T09:00:00-04:00

When Berkley, California recently made the announcement that it would become the first city in the United States to ban natural-gas installations in newly constructed buildings, public took note. After the news broke, four other California cities established new rules to "encourage buildings to use only electricity," according to a report from Salon. Since then, more cities, such as Santa Monica, San Jose, and Menlo Park have made the change, as well. Several larger California cities are seriously considering such a ban, as are more far-flung cities like Seattle and Brookline, Massachusetts. However, why is there still a group of individuals against this proactive approach to helping mitigate better carbon cutting practices?

Nathaneal Johnson of Salon highlights, "The Berkeley ban outlaws gas in new single family homes starting in January. It will apply to the construction of larger buildings as soon as state regulators put the finishing touches on standards for all-electric buildin...

San Jose embraces all-electric buildings, bans natural gas for new commercial construction

2019-09-19T12:30:00-04:00

[San Jose] became biggest city in the US to adopt all-electrification requirements on new residential buildings and gas bans on commercial construction. By early next year, developers may have to opt for electric appliances and other infrastructure in single-family homes, backyard cottages, low-rise buildings, apartments and condos. [...] the changes could cut greenhouse gas emissions in new buildings by up to 90 percent and save owners and tenants money on utility bills.

San Jose, California's third largest city, is implementing its Paris Accords-aligned Climate Smart San Jose plan as part of a municipally driven decarbonization effort. The plan relies on a series of "reach codes" to go above and beyond existing sustainability requirements.

Seattle is the latest city to consider banning natural gas infrastructure

2019-09-05T21:00:00-04:00

The Seattle City Council will consider a ban on natural gas for newly constructed homes and buildings, favoring the use of electricity for heating and cooking. Councilmember Mike O’Brien plans to introduce legislation this week that would prohibit natural-gas piping systems in new structures, starting next summer. The ban would take effect for permitting on July 1, 2020, according to a draft of the legislation.

If successfully implemented, the ban would position Seattle alongside Berkeley, San Jose, San Francisco as American cities that have recently banned new natural gas infrastructure.

A 2016 report estimates that roughly one-quarter of Seattle's total greenhouse gas emissions come from natural gas use in buildings.

San Francisco, San Jose set to join Berkeley in banning some new natural gas installations

2019-08-22T11:00:00-04:00

San Jose, Santa Rosa and Petaluma are among the cities looking into phasing out natural gas in some new buildings as a means of meeting climate goals. Heating and appliances like dryers and ranges would have to run on electricity instead. San Francisco is also set to consider legislation that would ban natural gas in new municipal buildings, of which there are few.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that several San Francisco Bay Area cities are looking to ban new natural gas installations in some types of upcoming construction projects.

The move follows a recent city council ordinance in nearby Berkeley that calls for eliminating natural gas-powered appliances in new residential construction there. The push to electrify home and commercial appliances and operations is part of a state-wide decarbonization effort aimed at eliminating carbon emissions in California by 2045.

Berkeley bans natural gas in new homes (and makes city code language gender-neutral)

2019-07-18T15:02:00-04:00

The city of Berkeley will no longer allow natural gas pipes in many new buildings starting Jan. 1, 2020. It’s the first city in California to pass such a law, officials said. [...] Public support was also unanimous during 45 minutes of comment from community members and representatives of the University of California’s Office of the President (UCOP), energy giant PG&E and the Sierra Club, among others who spoke.

According to the council report on the ordinance, "the effect of this legislation will be that builders will be prohibited from applying for entitlements that include gas infrastructure — gas piping to heat water, space, food, etc. — except for specific building systems that have not yet been modeled for all-electric design" by the state, reports Emilie Raguso for Berkeleyside.

"We have to take more drastic action," said Berkeley Councilwoman Kate Harrison who had initiated the legislation.

Berkeley's direction could soon be replicated by other municipalities nationwide. In 1977, it became the first U.S. city to ban smoking in restaurants and bars and later spearheaded now widely applied environmental regulations.

The Berkeley City Council this week also approved an ordinance that eliminates masculine and feminine pronouns from its municipal code to introduce a gender-neutral language: "he" and "she" will switch to "they" and "them." Certain other terminology will get a makeover as ...