By: Jesse Walton, AIA and David Arkin, AIA
THE PROGRAM
Kicking off the new year as Co-Chairs of the AIA 2030 Working Group, we are filled with hope by the progress made by signatories of the AIA 2030 Commitment and how our collective work is redefining what good architecture can do for the planet.
You may be thinking, “How is this possible? Aren’t these folks reading the news about climate change and how 2023 was the warmest year on record?” Yes, of course we are. But we are also keenly aware of the progress architects are making and the specific measurable signs of hope amongst the disastrous headlines.
The AIA 2030 Commitment has surpassed 1,300 signatory firms. In 2023, approximately 33% of the signatories reported their predicted project data, culminating in 23,276 projects and equaling over 3.8 billion square-feet of built work. This level of self-reflection, third party reporting, and dedication to address energy and carbon in architectural design didn’t exist at this scale prior to the 2030 Commitment’s launch in 2008. In this fact alone, we see hope.
At the same time, the past two reporting years have yielded a downturn in overall pEUI reductions, plateauing around 50% and a reduction in projects reporting energy modeling. We need to reverse these quickly to meet the overall goal of net zero emissions within the next six years. Increases in participation and reporting are needed, and we invite every COTE member to confirm their firm is reporting and push towards the AIA 2030 Commitment goals.
THE NUMBERS
Projects reporting embodied carbon have seen a thirteen-fold increase in the last two years alone: 291 projects were reported in 2020 while 3,818 projects were reported in 2022! This is an exponentially amazing growth in firms quantifying embodied carbon on their projects. We also see hope in the growth of carbon emissions simulation tools, new statewide requirements to reduce embodied carbon, as well as the AIA’s participation in the ECHO project working towards a multidisciplinary alignment on how we report embodied carbon in the built environment.
The number of all-electric buildings reported to the AIA more than doubled between 2020 and 2022. We believe this growth outlines our industry’s new understanding: the only way to achieve zero operational carbon is by going all-electric as the grid turns toward renewables. This significant increase of all-electric buildings is yet another measurable sign of hope.
Renewable energy reporting has also more than doubled in the past two years with 775 projects (145 million square-feet) in 2020 and 1,718 projects (335 million square-feet) in 2022. These increases are yet another sign of hope. With costs of PV panels plummeting, more energy codes requiring renewable energy, and renewables surpassing coal and nuclear electricity generation in 2022, it is not surprising that we are seeing this kind of growth in renewable energy.
THE PLATFORM
2030 Design Data Exchange (DDx) updates in 2023 are good news as well. The AIA, with investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), have allowed signatory firms to more easily calculate fuel source/operational carbon metrics (based on average emissions ratesand avoided emissions rates using eGrid Regions) which is the same calculation methodology that is used in the widely adopted Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM).
The 2030 DDx “Research Tab” is back, which allows AIA 2030 Commitment signatories to compare their submitted portfolios to the national dataset using a series of filters including Project Use Type, Climate Zone, Project Phase, etc. This much-requested feature allows all signatories to compare their progress against their peers anonymously.
Through additional funding from the IRA and collaborating with the Department of Energy (DOE)/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), future 2030 DDx updates will include the ability to link projects in design in the DDx to future projects in operation in ESPM. This will allow 2030 Commitment signatory firms to connect pEUI and actual operational energy use data in the DDx and ESPM. This collaboration between the AIA and DOE/LBNL is hopeful as it illustrates a partnership between federal government agencies, engineers, and architects all participating in calculating operational carbon emissions towards a lower carbon future.
CONCLUSION
We cannot think of a more exciting time to be involved with the AIA 2030 Working Group as we witness our industry’s continued progress in adopting low carbon design practices and collaborating on quantifying the AEC industries’ carbon impact to address climate change. We are in a state of climate emergency and the AIA 2030 Commitment continues to make a measurable impact on low carbon architecture and progress towards a more hopeful future.
To all our AIA 2030 Commitment Signatories please make sure to submit your data to the DDx by the reporting deadline March 31st, 2024. We look forward to seeing the continued progress you all are making. To our peers volunteering with AIA COTE both regionally and nationally, thank you for your continued partnership on climate action and your advocacy for firms to participate in the AIA 2030 Commitment. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at 2030Commitment@aia.org.
Gratitude to COTE Chair Michelle Amt for inviting us to share this progress with the COTE Community, and for her article on ‘Radical Transparency’ discussing the value of sharing knowledge towards these goals, inspiring all firms to commit to them, and report their progress.