Architectural Digest Reviews the Architecture Industry's Response to Climate Change

Architectural Digest took a close look at the impact of the building and construction sector on climate change and what the architecture industry is doing to make a difference.

The article contains insights from leading industry experts, including AIA President Jane Frederick, Bjarke Ingels of BIG, and ZED Managing Director, Stephanie Horowitz.

In her interview for the article, Horowitz highlighted the importance of thinking ahead and designing and building today’s homes and buildings in alignment with the upcoming benchmarks for climate change. She also pointed out that it was not only new construction that needed to be addressed. “The new homes that we design and build are the low-hanging fruit. The challenge is the existing housing,” Horowitz said.

According to the AIA, 82% of the commercial buildings in the U.S. were built before 2000 - before the modernization of building energy codes for design and construction.

Full article is linked below.

MORE: ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

ZED CONTINUES TO LEAD THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

According to the newly released 2018 Summary of the AIA 2030 Commitment report, ZeroEnergy Design is one of only 16 firms nationwide to achieve 70% or greater predicted EUI savings across their entire architectural portfolio in 2018.

The AIA 2030 Commitment program supports the AIA 2030 challenge, which calls for all new construction and major renovations to be carbon neutral by the year 2030 and provides architects, engineers, and owners a global platform to demonstrate action against climate change through energy-efficient design. Every year, the 2030 signatories track and report their annual progress against increasingly aggressive energy reduction targets.

This year, ZED reported an impressive 92.6% reduction in pEUI savings across its entire architectural portfolio, achieving the targeted 70% carbon reduction for the ninth consecutive year.

The 2030 Commitment currently has 549 active signatories, out of which 252 firms submitted portfolios in 2018 on projects totaling almost three billion square feet across 92 countries. Together, these projects accounted for an overall pEUI reduction equivalent to avoiding 17.7 million tons of CO2 emissions as well as operating savings of greater than $3.3 billion over the baseline equivalent.

Click on the link below to read the new full report.

MORE: 2018 AIA 2030 SUMMARY

Architect Stephanie Horowitz to Present Net Positive Project at BSA COTE Event

Stephanie Horowitz AIA, Managing Director at ZeroEnergy Design, will present a net positive LEED Platinum certified project case study at a BSA COTE event on Wednesday June 19, 2019.

WHERE: Boston Society of Architects
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston, MA
WHEN: June 19, 2019, 6pm - 8pm
COST: Free & Open to the Public

Stephanie recently completed a term on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee of the Environment (COTE) Advisory Group. COTE serves nationwide as the community and voice of AIA architects on sustainable design and aims to advance, disseminate, and advocate design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment.

Mark Doughty, President of Thoughtforms Corporation, was the contractor and collaborated on the project. Mark will co-present the case study to the COTE audience.

Two LU/HSW AIA credits are available.

MORE: COTE NET POSITIVE PRESENTATION

ZeroEnergy Design Submits 2018 Data for AIA 2030

ZeroEnergy Design recently submitted project data for 2018 to the AIA 2030 Design Data Exchange, reporting an impressive 92.6% reduction in pEUI savings across its architectural portfolio. Last year, ZED reported an 88.7% reduction and was one of the only 10 firms nationwide that achieved the AIA 2030 goal of 70% pEUI savings across their entire design portfolio.

The AIA 2030 Commitment program supports the AIA 2030 challenge, which calls for all new buildings, developments, and major renovations to be carbon-neutral by the year 2030, and offers architects a way to publicly show their dedication and track their progress.

Since 2010, architectural firms in the Commitment have been tracking and evaluating the performance of their design projects over each calendar year. The data, collected via the 2030 Design Data Exchange (DDx), includes the type of building, area, baseline energy performance, and predicted energy performance. In 2017, 2030 Commitment participants saved 17.8 million metric tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the carbon that would be sequestered by 21 million acres of forest.

ZED’s continued commitment to sustainable design and energy efficiency is reflected in its excellent year over year performance. This is the ninth consecutive year the firm has achieved the targeted 70% carbon reduction.

The 2018 Summary is expected to be released during the summer of 2019. In the interim, the 2017 report is available.

MORE: THE 2017 SUMMARY OF THE AIA 2030 COMMITMENT

Stephanie Horowitz Moderates AIA New England Passive House Panel

At the up-coming AIA New England 2016 Regional Conference, ZeroEnergy Design's Stephanie Horowitz will be moderating the panel:  PASSIVE HOUSE AND MAINE - How did a small rural state become a national design leader in energy efficiency?

The workshop panel will focus explore architects and builders in Maine as early adopters of the German energy efficiency standard, and their holistic architecture that raises technical performance to the same level as aesthetic design.

MORE:  AIA NE CONFERENCE