As the 2030
Challenge deadline approaches, people are beginning to question if
global carbon-neutrality is a feasible reality. But the question should
not be whether we can build one carbon-neutral building, as many
individual buildings have reached this goal, but rather the question
should be whether we will build a carbon-neutral community. What drives
the built environment’s impact on the world and climate change
ultimately comes down to the knowledge of each architect and their
willingness to push the limits of design.
Despite schools and practices claiming to have used sustainable
building techniques since the 1970s, there are still less than 1000
net-zero energy buildings in the world today (
http://www.enob.info/en/net-zero-energy-buildings/map/).
As emerging professionals, this led us to a few questions. What were
architects taught in school that equipped them with the proper knowledge
and motivation to design for carbon-neutrality? What are architects
being taught in practice to continue this knowledge and build
innovation? What is preventing this knowledge from being implemented on a
global scale? What are the gaps of knowledge within our field that
could be explored to reach the goals of the 2030 Challenge?
Instead of examining the buildings, we are testing the architects,
engineers, and contractors. This will allow us to get a better idea of
what is currently practiced, and what we need to accomplish to reach our
goals. We have developed a short survey, which takes 10-15 minutes to
complete, as a launching point to begin a discussion about what may or
may not be holding us back from carbon-neutrality. The results of the
survey will be shared publicly, and will contribute to a base of
knowledge for further research studies. The results will be presented at
various national conferences this year. We hope the survey results will
show any generational gaps, the changing mindset of emerging
professionals like ourselves, and areas of future development and
research. Please take the time to fill out the survey, as it will help
better our architectural practice as a whole.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BCDQQZY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Heather
Nelson and Sophia Duluk met while completing their Master of
Architecture degrees at the University of Oregon where they both focused
their degrees in sustainable technology. They co-authored the
“Comparison of Solar Evaluation Tools: From Learning to Practice” and
presented their findings at the 2013 American Solar Energy Conference.
Heather Nelson is currently working at RTKL in Washington, D.C. Sophia
Duluk is currently working for EHDD in San Francisco. The survey sprung
from both their professional experiences and their experience at the
University of Oregon. They have teamed up with Hyojin Kim, a PhD student
at the Catholic University of America, whose research also revolves
around current practices in architecture. Heather, Sophia, and Hyojin
have been accepted to present their survey findings at the Gulf Coast
Green Conference in Houston, Texas in June. Heather, Sophia, and Hyojin
have been accepted to present the findings of the survey at the 2014
Gulf Coast Green Conference in Houston, Texas, in June.