Our Shared Challenge

http://architecture2030.org

Just a reminder to continue to review your Architecture 2030 Challenge plans as we progress to that year.  Follow the links below for an example plan.  Use the link to the right to learn more about the 2030 Challenge, subscribe to their Newsletter, or to Adopt the Challenge now.

Residential example (Las Vegas, NV):
http://www.architecture2030.org/index.php?id=229&proj_id=129 and http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44535.pdf

Commercial Example:
http://www.architecture2030.org/index.php?id=229&proj_id=101 and
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/32157.pdf and http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2000/2100zion.html

Campus example (Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA):
http://www.cwu.edu/~facility/sustainability/docs/Carbon%20Reduction%20Report.pdf
and http://www.cwu.edu/sites/cts.cwu.edu.admissions/files/centralmap.html

An excerpt from the Architecture 2030 Challenge site:

"As of 2010, the total U.S. building stock is approximately 275 billion square feet.  During normal economic times, we tear down approximately 1.75 billion square feet of buildings each year.  Every year, we renovate approximately 5 billion square feet. Every year, we build new approximately 5 billion square feet.

Herein lies the hope.  By the year 2035, approximately three-quarters (75%) of the built environment will be either new or renovated.  This transformation over the next [23] years represents a historic opportunity for the architecture and building community to avoid dangerous climate change." 

As a Sustainable Building Adviser and Owner of Back to Terra, my goal is to help educate not only the clients I work with, be it building owners, developers, contractors and design teams, but the public in general, to realize the vital role each of them play in reaching the goal of change and turning over this building stock, without being detrimental to the planet and our future generations.  Buildings use nearly 49% of the energy produced in the United States to be constructed and operated and 75% of the electricity produced in the US just to operate.  Those percentages are even higher globally.  

My personal vision is that there will be more renovation of existing buildings than new construction and that both building transitions will include a greater amount of reused or renewable materials, products with greater recycled content and nearly exclusive use of local materials.

Here is a great example of a city community doing great things toward the 2030 Challenge goals:  http://2030district.org/seattle/district-member-resources