The number of design projects, gross square footage, and net-zero energy projects has increased as part of the American Institute of Architects 2030 Commitment. Reaching carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030 is countered, however, by a small percentage of projects that met the 60% carbon reduction target for 2014.
It was determined in this report that nearly half of energy-modeled projects met or came close to meeting 2014 carbon reduction targets. Energy modeling allows architects to be more ambitious with energy-saving in their design projects.
“As an architect, the only way that you have options to make major changes to your design projects is by using energy modeling early in the design process,” said AIA 2030 Working Group member, Nathan Kipnis, FAIA. “Otherwise, your decisions are locked and limited to making equipment and materials choices in hopes of lowering a building’s energy consumption. Energy modeling gives you the best bang for your design buck.”
“Energy modeling has the potential to be a game changer that can help architects reach carbon reduction targets—but only if there is a move away from using it as a compliance confirmation tool,” said Kim E Shinn, PE, LEED Fellow. “Instead, the key is to start using it as a simulation tool completely interwoven into the design/test/refine cycles from the very beginning, and during the conceptual phase of a project. This helps ensure that architects stay on track to achieve their projects’ energy goals rather than realizing some course correction is needed well into design, perhaps after making some nearly irreversible decisions."
To increase the energy-efficient design literacy among the profession, AIA has partnered with Architecture 2030 to launch an educational program that addresses energy modeling throughout the online continuing education series. Participants can learn what comprises a living energy model that can ultimately lead to a more efficiently designed finished project.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Jan 26, 2015
MVRDV designs twisty skyscraper to grace Vienna's skyline
The twist maximizes floor space and decreases the amount of shadows the building will cast on the surrounding area.
| Jan 21, 2015
Schneider Electric and Autodesk begin collaboration on building lifecycle management
Schneider Electric has announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding, which states that Schneider Electric and Autodesk plan to collaborate to enhance current practices for building lifecycle management based on BIM.
| Jan 8, 2015
Microsoft shutters classic clipart gallery: Reaction from a graphic designer
Microsoft shut down its tried-and-true clipart gallery, ridding the world not only of a trope of graphic design, but a nostalgic piece of digital design history, writes HDR's Dylan Coonrad.
| Jan 7, 2015
How you can help improve the way building information is shared
PDFs are the de facto format for digital construction documentation. Yet, there is no set standard for how to produce PDFs for a project, writes Skanska's Kyle Hughes.
| Dec 29, 2014
Startup Solarbox London turns phone booths into quick-charge stations [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]
About 8,000 of London’s famous red telephone boxes sit unused in warehouses, orphans of the digital age. Two entrepreneurs plan to convert them into charging stations for mobile devices. Their invention was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.
| Dec 29, 2014
Hard hat equipped with smartglass technology could enhance job site management [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]
Smart Helmet is equipped with an array of cameras that provides 360-degree vision through its glass visor, even in low light. It was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.
| Dec 29, 2014
New data-gathering tool for retail designers [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]
Beacon technology personalizes smartphone messaging, creating a new information resource for store designers. It was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.
| Dec 29, 2014
Wearable job site management system allows contractors to handle deficiencies with subtle hand and finger gestures [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]
Technology combines a smartglass visual device with a motion-sensing armband to simplify field management work. The innovation was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.
| Dec 29, 2014
14 great solutions for the commercial construction market
Ideas are cheap. Solutions are what count. The latest installment in BD+C's Great Solutions series presents 14 ways AEC professionals, entrepreneurs, and other clever folk have overcome what seemed to be insoluble problems—from how to make bricks out of agricultural waste, to a new way to keep hospitals running clean during construction.
| Dec 29, 2014
HealthSpot station merges personalized healthcare with videoconferencing [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]
The HealthSpot station is an 8x5-foot, ADA-compliant mobile kiosk that lets patients access a network of board-certified physicians through interactive videoconferencing and medical devices. It was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.
