By the mid 21st century, over three quarters of the world’s population could be living in urban areas. Relentless urbanization must reckon with the reality of climate change, which compels AEC firms and their clients to rethink the built environment with an eye toward resilience and preservation.
“The greatest potential impact comes from design itself,” states Gensler in its third annual “Impact by Design” report. Gensler asserts that while the business case for sustainable design “has never been clearer,” the specifics for achieving higher levels of sustainability “are changing.”
The report revolves around six topics—form, materials, adaptation, energy, water, and intelligence—where Gensler believes design can have the greatest positive impact in the coming years. “Our goals are to expand the discussion of resilience beyond just energy efficiency, and [to] demystify complex conceptualizations to encourage broader adoption of resilient methods.”
Gensler stakes its claim for authority in these matters by noting that its estimated 1.25 million sf of project work in 2017 were designed to keep nearly 11 million metric tons of C02 from entering the atmosphere on an annual basis.
The firm’s analysis of its 2017 portfolio found that its more than 800 million sf of work have an averaged predicted Energy Unit Intensity (pEUI) of 42.5 Kilo British Thermal Units (KBTU) per sf per year, a 59% improvement over the firm’s calculated equivalent in 2003. Its more than 400 million sf of interiors work have an averaged predicted Lighting Power Density (LPD) of 0.81 watts per sf, a 29% improvement over the firm’s calculated ASHRAE 90.1 2007 equivalent.
FORM: To achieve effective resilience, cities must experiment with new forms that reassess location, proportion, orientation, fenestration, and “augmentation” (i.e., additions that maximize a building’s performance). “Early intervention is crucial,” says the report.
Gensler’s design proposal for the 1.2 million sf Zhuhai Huace Plaza, in Guangdong, China, merges two towers into a single structure that focuses on sustainable performance, community connectivity, and the integration of nature. A vertical atrium system embeds vegetation at all levels of the building, while creating a breathing envelope that brings draft winds into the building. Performance is further optimized via intelligent building controls.
The firm’s design for the 430,000-sf Harbin Bank headquarters in Beijing includes a double-glazed high-performance façade to reduce the building’s cooling load by over 50% in the summer and minimize heating loads by up to 40% in the winter. That system is coupled with automatic blinds to facilitate occupant access to daylight whenever possible, while providing sufficient solar shading and mitigating glare. The building requires 11% less mechanical equipment.
The choice of materials is a major component in the modernization of San Francisco International airport's Terminal 1, which when completed is expected to reduce its carbon emissions by 79%, compared to its previous baseline, over 50 years. Image: Gensler
MATERIALS: Sustainability usually starts with materials selection. “We must prioritize lifecycle thinking for every design we create and every material, furniture, and fixture we specify,” Gensler states, adding that “minimizing embodied carbon has become a point of emphasis within our portfolio.”
A prime example can be found in Gensler’s design for the ongoing modernization of San Francisco International Airport’s 86,000-sf Terminal 1, which Gensler claims “represents the most ambitious, integrated sustainability strategy for the airport yet, as they continue to push for near net zero energy usage alongside significantly reduced material/carbon impacts.”
The building products chosen for that terminal include dynamic glazing and radiant ceiling panels in hold rooms, low-carbon steel, concrete, and interior finishes; installations of a ceiling skylight and floor openings to lower levels for natural daylighting; high-efficiency escalators and elevators; solar panels; fritted glass for glare reduction; and low-energy displacement ventilation.
The modernization, upon completion, is expected to earn LEED Gold certification.
ADAPTATION: Gensler’s report laments that, globally, there’s still too many poorly performing buildings, and the current retrofit rate is sluggish: in the U.S., only 2.2 billion sf, or 2% of total floor space, gets refurbished each year. So there’s plenty of opportunity to renovate buildings in ways the produce environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Gensler acknowledges the barriers to energy refurbishment of buildings: renovation cost, access to finance, rapid ROI, low energy prices, lack of technical solutions, lack of skilled labor, supply-chain fragmentation, and lack of awareness. But its report insists that the AEC industry must develop strategies to improve an existing building’s performance without needing to tear it down.
Take, for example, the adaptive reuse of the former Balcones Resources recycling warehouse in East Austin, Texas, for UpCycle, an 81,000-sf institutional-quality office building. Gensler’s design reuses 95 percent of the existing warehouse’s structure, even the building skin, which is turned inside out to reveal its natural finish. Even old elements such as exhaust fans were reused as decorative design features.
Gensler's master plan and concept design for a net-zero energy 52-townhouse neighborhood incorporates an autonomous vehicle network on the premises with solar panels and a rooftop hydroponic farm. Image: Gensler
ENERGY: The ultimate goal for new construction and renovation is to reduce the energy impact of buildings to zero, either by reducing consumption, creating new energy, or buying energy.
Gensler observes that conversations about energy reduction more frequently veer toward procurement of renewables, which becomes increasingly viable as energy grids in more markets accommodate and offer more renewable options.
The report points specifically to the 8,000-sf Sustainability Center at the University of California-Northridge, the first ZNE building in the state’s university system. It includes a 25-kW rooftop PV array coupled with a glazed overhead window, which eliminates the need for artificial light. All of the building’s hot water needs are met by solar thermal and hybrid hot water heat pumps. The installation of vacuum composting toilets reduces annual water use by 43,500 gallons. The building’s cladding is a cementitious panel system that’s repurposed from cement panels. Grey water is used for irrigation.
Gensler has also come up with a design concept for an Electric Vehicle Enclave that would be part of a new suburban housing model that supports community building through common courtyards, and assumes the ubiquity of automated vehicles in the future. This concept includes a year-round hydroponic farm.
WATER: The report includes a map that shows the cities and regions globally that are most vulnerable to coastal flooding. Possible solutions to mitigate that risk include canals that channel water away from the built environment to flood-proofed sites, and coastal dunes and dedicated wetlands that inhibit flooding and appropriately store both flood and fresh water. “The design of individual buildings must then be considered.”
Gensler’s ambitious Miami Waterway concept proposal explores how zoning codes and development policies could require existing communities at higher elevation points to acquire increased levels of residential and commercial density, thus creating heavily populated, commercially stable areas that are insulated from flooding.
Lower-lying areas would be zoned as parks and wetlands, effectively acting as buffer zones that protect the surrounding areas from water fluctuations. A man-made delta capable of integrating higher water levels into the urban fabric without threatening residents or businesses—including the transformation of streets into canals—would result in a transportation network that can serve the needs of a denser city while reducing individual vehicle usage.
INTELLIGENCE:
This solution foresees the broader application of sensor and network technologies. The next iteration of smart buildings will leverage advances in sensor technology alongside an increased number of IoT-enabled devices. The optimization of operations would include efficiency, responsiveness, and anticipation. Intelligent design would allow building occupants to have a more direct relationship to their building.
Johnson Controls’ 376,000-sf Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, which has earned both LEED Platinum and EDGE certifications, operates with assistance from myriad advanced technologies, including a Metasys Building Automation System, a Central Plant, and LED lighting with daylight dimming, occupancy sensors, and interior façade roller shade system. The building is also equipped with 21,528 sf of solar panels.
The headquarters, which opened in June 2017, is expected to generate 44% savings in overall energy consumption compared to the local market standard, reduce water usage by 42% via its grey water recycling and rooftop storm water recapture facilities, and reduce embodied energy in materials by 21% through the use of Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood-based building materials and the sourcing of locally supplied products.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jun 26, 2023
Electric vehicle chargers are top priority for corporate office renters
Businesses that rent office space view electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as a top priority. More than 40% of companies in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) are looking to include EV charging stations in future leases, according to JLL’s 2023 Responsible Real Estate study.
Laboratories | Jun 23, 2023
A New Jersey development represents the state’s largest-ever investment in life sciences and medical education
In New Brunswick, N.J., a life sciences development that’s now underway aims to bring together academics and researchers to work, learn, and experiment under one roof. HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange is an innovation district under development on a four-acre downtown site. At $731 million, HELIX, which will be built in three phases, represents New Jersey’s largest-ever investment in life sciences and medical education, according to a press statement.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 22, 2023
NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars release conceptual designs for ‘stadium of the future’
Designed by HOK, the Stadium of the Future intends to meet the evolving needs of all stadium stakeholders—which include the Jaguars, the annual Florida-Georgia college football game, the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, international sporting events, music festivals and tours, and the thousands of fans and guests who attend each event.
Architects | Jun 22, 2023
Keith Hempel named President of LPA Design Studios
LPA Design Studios today announced the promotion of Chief Design Officer Keith Hempel, FAIA, to president of the 58-year-old integrated design firm. Hempel, who joined LPA in 1995, has been an integral part of the firm’s growth, helping to develop an integrated design process that has produced industry-leading results.
Industrial Facilities | Jun 20, 2023
A new study presses for measuring embodied carbon in industrial buildings
The embodied carbon (EC) intensity in core and shell industrial buildings in the U.S. averages 23.0 kilograms per sf, according to a recent analysis of 26 whole building life-cycle assessments. That means a 300,000-sf warehouse would emit 6,890 megatons of carbon over its lifespan, or the equivalent of the carbon emitted by 1,530 gas-powered cars driven for one year. Those sobering estimates come from a new benchmark study, “Embodied Carbon U.S. Industrial Real Estate.”
Virtual Reality | Jun 16, 2023
Can a VR-enabled AEC Firm transform building projects?
With the aid of virtual reality and 3D visualization technologies, designers, consultants, and their clients can envision a place as though the project were in a later stage.
Mechanical Systems | Jun 16, 2023
Cogeneration: An efficient, reliable, sustainable alternative to traditional power generation
Cogeneration is more efficient than traditional power generation, reduces carbon emissions, has high returns on the initial investment, improves reliability, and offers a platform for additional renewable resources and energy storage for a facility. But what is cogeneration? And is it suitable for all facilities?
Office Buildings | Jun 15, 2023
An office building near DFW Airport is now home to two Alphabet companies
A five-minute drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the recently built 2999 Olympus is now home to two Alphabet companies: Verily, a life sciences business, and Wing, a drone delivery company. Verily and Wing occupy the top floor (32,000 sf and 4,000 sf, respectively) of the 10-story building, located in the lakeside, work-life-play development of Cypress Waters.
Transit Facilities | Jun 15, 2023
Arlington, Va., transit station will support zero emissions bus fleet
Arlington (Va.) Transit’s new operations and maintenance facility will support a transition of their current bus fleet to Zero Emissions Buses (ZEBs). The facility will reflect a modern industrial design with operational layouts to embrace a functional aesthetic. Intuitive entry points and wayfinding will include biophilic accents.
Urban Planning | Jun 15, 2023
Arizona limits housing projects in Phoenix area over groundwater supply concerns
Arizona will no longer grant certifications for new residential developments in Phoenix, it’s largest city, due to concerns over groundwater supply. The announcement indicates that the Phoenix area, currently the nation’s fastest-growing region in terms of population growth, will not be able to sustain its rapid growth because of limited freshwater resources.