Dissatisfied with the one-dimensional nature of defining energy efficiency as it relates to commercial buildings, international engineering firm Buro Happold developed a metric that links energy use to economic performance. The Building Economic Energy Coefficient (BEEC) could help many commercial building owners whose properties use a lot of energy (input), but add economic value to their cities and regions (output). This metric can also be a game changer that influences how local governments create policy to monitor the energy use of buildings.
(Download Buro Happold's white paper on the subject.)
Most systems of measurement deem a building efficient or inefficient based solely on how much energy it consumes. By contrast, BEEC measures a building’s energy use against economic performance indicators to give a more complete picture of a building’s productivity -- hence its overall efficiency. For example, a building might use less energy, but its tenants do not contribute as much to the regional economy. By this definition, another building that uses more energy might have an exponentially greater economic performance, making it more efficient.
When observed from this more comprehensive vantage point, some buildings that were previously thought of as energy hogs are revealed to be using energy more efficiently than many low-energy buildings. Buro Happold used proprietary research from CoStar Group to determine economic performance of commercial buildings in New York.
“Energy efficiency is framed in a very black-and-white way – either a building has low energy intensity or it is considered wasteful. With this research, we can now see whether or not commercial buildings are putting energy to good use. It allows us a much more nuanced and complete picture of what’s really going on with energy use,” said Steven Baumgartner, PE, CEM, HBDP, LEED AP, associate at Buro Happold, who led the research team, along with Jim Coleman and Amelia Aboff of Happold Consulting, Buro Happold’s strategic consulting arm.
City officials, building owners, and members of the AEC industry measure a building’s energy use on a per square foot, per year basis. This is known as its Energy Use Intensity (EUI). EUI is a very useful metric in determining a building’s performance but it only tells half of the story.
“Buro Happold has been a pioneer in sustainability for decades, and now we are intensively involved in the challenges of the 21st century,” said Craig Schwitter, PE, BSCE, MSCE, principal. “We are a multidisciplinary firm that brings a comprehensive approach to problems at multiple scales – from the individual building to the region. This groundbreaking research will have a major impact on the way that energy use is discussed and regulated as we meet the ongoing challenges of an increasingly complex world.”
BEEC data is currently limited to New York City commercial buildings. With more funding, Buro Happold hopes to expand the scope of the research to include more cities, and with greater detail. “This is a huge first step toward redefining energy efficiency,” added Baumgartner, “and we’re excited to take this research to the next level.”
Related Stories
| Jul 13, 2014
Punishing deadline can’t derail this prison health facility [2014 Building Team Awards]
A massive scope, tough schedule, and technical complexity fail to daunt the Building Team for a huge California correctional project.
| Jul 11, 2014
First look: Jeanne Gang reinterprets San Francisco Bay windows in new skyscraper scheme
Chicago architect Jeanne Gang has designed a 40-story residential building in San Francisco that is inspired by the city's omnipresent bay windows.
| Jul 11, 2014
$44.5 million Centennial Hall opens at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Centennial Hall houses the College of Education and Human Sciences and consolidates teacher education. It is the first new academic building on the UW-Eau Claire campus in more than 30 years.
| Jul 11, 2014
Are these LEGO-like blocks the future of construction?
Kite Bricks proposes a more efficient way of building with its newly developed Smart Bricks system.
| Jul 10, 2014
BioSkin 'vertical sprinkler' named top technical innovation in high-rise design
BioSkin, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jul 10, 2014
Unique design of Toronto's townhome The Tree House
Plans for a new Toronto townhome brings cutting-edge design.
| Jul 10, 2014
Berkeley Lab opens 'world's most comprehensive building efficiency simulator'
DOE’s new FLEXLAB is a first-of-its-kind simulator that lets users test energy-efficient building systems individually or as an integrated system, under real-world conditions.
| Jul 10, 2014
Steinberg SF Studio launches in San Francisco, plans to transform its own office space
Grant and Saheba left their previous architectural firms, AECOM and Handel respectively, because they saw the opportunity to bring their agile, provocative design aesthetic to clients in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Oakland.
| Jul 9, 2014
Dragon-inspired hotel conveys Vietnamese hospitality [2014 Building Team Awards]
An international Building Team unites to create Vietnam’s first JW Marriott luxury property.
| Jul 9, 2014
Harvard Business School to build large-scale conference center
Expected to open in 2018, the facility will combine the elements of a large-scale conference center, a performance space, and an intimate community forum. The new building will be designed by Boston-based William Rawn and Associates.