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ALBION DISTRICT LIBRARY BY PERKINS + WILL IS A 2018 COTE TOP TEN RECIPIENT. IMAGE: DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY

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The Committee on the Environment (COTE®) is an AIA Knowledge Community working for architects, allied professionals, and the public to achieve climate action and climate justice through design. We believe that design excellence is the foundation of a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future. Our work promotes design strategies that empower all AIA members to realize the best social and environmental outcomes with the clients and the communities they serve.

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Getting carbon reductions in existing buildings

  • 1.  Getting carbon reductions in existing buildings

    Posted 12-20-2018 11:29 AM

    I'm starting this as a new thread because this is an important topic, and I'm re-posting Larry Strain's comment because it got swallowed up by the Girls Scouts discussion.

    The question is; how do we make the best effort on carbon reduction?

    Here's Larry:
    This is the critical question: How to upgrade our existing buildings to zero. According the  latest UN Global Status report, emissions from existing buildings are responsible for about 28% of global GHG emissions. Embodied emission from materials and construction are responsible for about 11%. 

    We are currently adding less than 2% to our building stock every year, so we can't build our way out of this with new net zero buildings, we need to fix what we already have. Another reason to upgrade existing buildings to zero is they have a much lower carbon footprint compared to building new net zero buildings.
    This is a hard thing to incentivize. Getting cities, universities and other entities with climate action plans, to recognize the importance of existing buildings and embodied carbon might be another path to make it happen.
    Besides envelope upgrades and adding PV's, I would add we should be converting existing buildings to all electric and eliminating on-site fossil fuels. This is another important strategy, especially in areas where the the grid is decarbonizing.
    Larry Strain, FAIA  LEED AP



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    Betsy del Monte, FAIA, LEED BD+C
    Cameron MacAllister Group/ SMU
    Dallas, TX
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