As an architect, do you think of routine maintenance and periodic upgrading of buildings as design? It is. In fact, over the next generation of architectural practice, maintaining and upgrading buildings will be one of the greatest challenges facing the clients and communities we serve and one of the most important contributions our profession will make to sustainability, resiliency, and climate action.
Appreciating these truths starts with understanding the tremendous avalanche of buildings that have been created over the last several decades. The United States experienced an historic explosion of population and economic growth after World War II. In the 25 years between 1945 and 1970, the building stock in the US doubled. After 1970, the building stock doubled, again. Economic projections predict the next doubling by 2060.
For our profession, it is all too easy to focus only on our role in designing the next generation of new buildings. It promises to be a demanding and rewarding job. Our faith in the power of design propels us to imagine a bright future that expresses our utopian visions.
But, it is crucial that architects appreciate all dimensions of the impacts of the growth our nation has witnessed and will continue to experience in coming decades. It has only been a dozen years since our profession started paying close attention to our contribution to rapidly escalating climate disruption. A very, very small proportion of today’s buildings perform at required levels; the current number of zero-net carbon (ZNC) buildings is immeasurably tiny.
While leading architects are doing inspiring work in designing buildings that use little or no fossil fuels to operate them (the COTE Top Ten Awards are the best demonstration), far too little progress is being made in reducing current levels of greenhouse gas release. Today’s levels are catastrophic. Existing buildings must be weaned from their addiction to fossil fuels and quickly. As I write these words, our profession does not have a clear path forward to achieve this urgent imperative. Architects must find opportunities to leverage every intervention in existing buildings, no matter how routine and mundane they may seem. In this context, the importance of repairs and modifications to existing buildings take on great significance.
Industry estimates predict that four in five buildings will need roof replacements over the next forty years. (That’s a safe bet!) Should architects leave it to roofing contractors? No! Roof replacements present real design challenges and substantial opportunities to transform building performance.
For many existing structures, adding insulation to the roof is the single greatest opportunity to improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Switching from low- to high-albedo roof surfaces can significantly reduce heat island effect, a factor that has raised average annual temperatures in American cities by more than ten degrees Fahrenheit over the past century. Many roof replacement projects also seize the opportunity to install renewable energy technologies and vegetative roofing. Both strategies actively reduce the causes and impacts of climate disruption.
As the profession charged with shaping and reshaping the built environment, architects must hold ourselves accountable for the holistic stewardship of the building stock and embrace the opportunities to make an impact across the full spectrum of actions required to fulfill this charge. There are no unimportant projects or irrelevant interventions.