The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA’s) 2014 progress report for its 2030 Commitment found the number of projects reported as part of that initiative is increasing, but only a small percentage of them met the 60 percent target for 2014.
The report also states nearly half of energy-modeled projects met or came close to targets; therefore, AIA says that methodology represents the greatest opportunity for architects to meet energy goals.
“As an architect, the only way 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. “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 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Fellow, Kim Shinn.
