Climate change is not a fashionable topic in certain quarters these days, but it cannot be ignored and will only get worse unless those who can do something about it take action.
Since two-fifths of energy use in the U.S. can be attributed to buildings (including multifamily structures), the responsible parties in this case are building owners, facilities managers, property developers, architects, engineers, builders, and contractors. In other words, you and your professional colleagues.
SEE ALSO: Take BD+C’s free Passive House continuing education course, "Building Passively"
PRESUMABLY, YOU’RE ALREADY DOING YOUR BIT
Maybe your firm has signed up for the AIA 2030 Commitment to eliminate carbon emissions in the buildings you design by 2030. Or you’re shooting higher and higher on your LEED for Homes projects. Or you’re certifying your apartment property with GreenPoint, or with the NAHB National Green Building Program. All commendable, but not enough. In general, those efforts will only yield an average energy savings of 20-25% over “conventional” construction, i.e., meeting minimum building energy code requirements. To make a real dent in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we need to be in the 50-75% range of energy savings for new construction.
MAY I SUGGEST A FRESH APPROACH?
If you haven’t looked seriously at “passive house” design and construction, you should. OK, I know. You’ve already got an image in your mind of a bearded guy in lederhosen holding a stein of beer, standing in front of a cute little cottage in the Bavarian Alps.
Passive house design and construction is anything but that; in fact, it started right here in the good ol’ USA. Passive house uses systems and building products you use every day. It employs techniques that are familiar to the construction trades. Most important, it relies on solid building science: Orient the building correctly to the sun. Seal it tight to halt air leaks that sap energy. Insulate the walls and roof to a “super” level. Use high-performance windows and doors.
Eliminate thermal bridges. Do these things right and you can save 80-90% on heat energy, 50% on cooling energy, for an average 50-70% total energy savings. That’s what you can get when you build “passively.”
PASSIVE HOUSE HAS SPECIAL APPLICATION TO MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS.
In addition to the energy savings (which are hardly trivial), apartment and condominium buildings built to passive house standards use quiet, low-volume air circulation systems that filter indoor air and enhance occupant comfort. That’s a nice payoff for doing the right thing.
To learn more about passive house (and gain 1.0 AIA HSW Learning Units or Professional Development Hours), go to BDCnetwork.com/building-passively-aia-course.
I hope “passive house” will be the start of a whole new professional adventure for you.
Related Stories
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Nov 27, 2013
Exclusive survey: Revenues increased at nearly half of AEC firms in 2013
Forty-six percent of the respondents to an exclusive BD+C survey of AEC professionals reported that revenues had increased this year compared to 2012, with another 24.2% saying cash flow had stayed the same.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 15, 2013
Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive
The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors.
| Nov 15, 2013
Metal makes its mark on interior spaces
Beyond its long-standing role as a preferred material for a building’s structure and roof, metal is making its mark on interior spaces as well.