This guest blog was written by Dylan Martello, Kai Starn, and Karla Butterfield of Steven Winter Associates     Takeaways From the Design Phase of this Transformative Sustainability Project in Massachusetts   Just outside of Boston sits the site of the future Northland Newton Development (NND)—a 1.1 million-square-foot residential community that will be an inspiring example of sustainability, energy efficiency, and occupant health at scale.   The developer of NND, Northland Investment Corp., has assembled a team of urban planners, architects, engineers, sustainability ..read more

This guest blog post was written by Graham S. Wright and originally published on phius.org on February 02, 2024.   Phius is seeking public comments on the new health and resilience-based, carbon-focused Phius REVIVE 2024 passive retrofit standard. To make wide-scale retrofitting of the existing building stock possible, we’ve spent the last several years formulating an innovative and adaptable passive retrofit standard. We’re happy to report that it is now ready for public review, and we invite your input.   There are a variety of challenges associated with energy and decarb ..read more

This blog was written by Tanya Barham, CEO at Community Energy Labs  Why Building Decarbonization Matters  Buildings account for 30-40 percent of the world’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. Schools are the largest energy consumers in the public sector, with HVAC accounting for 46 percent of their total energy costs. Additionally, energy is generally the second most pricey budget item for schools after staffing costs. The big question is: how can we heat and cool our schools (and other buildings) while using less energy, emitting less carbon, and spending less money? &nb ..read more

This blog was written by Tanya Barham, CEO at Community Energy Labs  Why Building Decarbonization Matters  Buildings account for 30-40 percent of the world’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. Schools are the largest energy consumers in the public sector, with HVAC accounting for 46 percent of their total energy costs. Additionally, energy is generally the second most pricey budget item for schools after staffing costs. The big question is: how can we heat and cool our schools (and other buildings) while using less energy, emitting less carbon, and spending less money? &nb ..read more

This blog was written by Maria Murphy, senior program manager at Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Designing commercial buildings to achieve net zero does not require a compromise on indoor air quality. For less efficient HVAC solutions, providing inhabitants with filtered indoor air can result in a significant spike in energy use. This escalation of energy use and operational cost typically stems from the increased fan energy required to provide building occupants with clean, ventilated air. However, recent studies show that this does not have to be the case. Very high efficiency dedicate ..read more

This blog was authored by Audrey McGarrell, Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC), Project Manager. Cool roofs and walls are passive cooling strategies that help reduce building energy use, mitigate the impacts of urban heat islands and extreme heat, and help address some of the inequities faced by underserved communities in urban areas. Getting to zero requires a variety of strategies and solutions, including those that boost a community’s resilience to climate impacts, particularly extreme heat. Materials that reflect sunlight, such as cool roofs and cool exterior walls, are cost-effective passive ..read more

This blog was authored by Emma Hines and was originally published here. Transitioning to modern all-electric HVAC systems in schools is a game-changer for student health and learning. As the school year comes to a close, students are celebrating their big wins, like mastering multiplication, memorizing world capitals, and making it to summer vacation. We have one more big win to celebrate too — school leaders and policymakers have been busy learning how modern HVAC systems can transform their school buildings. Here are the top four lessons we want to pass along from our new report HVAC Choices ..read more

With historic federal funding setting the stage, the seventh iteration of the Getting to Zero Forum was an opportunity to convene at a pivotal time, when there is more support and resources for decarbonizing the built environment than ever before. The passage of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has committed nearly $9 billion for consumer home energy rebate programs to promote electrification, bolster innovative climate-saving technologies, while also focusing on providing support for low-income consumers. The latest 2023 IPCC report also noted that technologies aimed to reduce emiss ..read more

Authored by Martin Kemp, Sustainability Product Manager at BRE Investors and owners in every major real estate market in the world are grappling with the risks and opportunities presented by climate change and the pressing need to decarbonize the built environment. It is clear that the opportunities surrounding net zero progress — and the growing, looming risks faced by owners and operators who fail to act — are only getting stronger, and now marks a critical time for the industry to look toward informed, science-backed resources to drive market-wide advancement of net zero efforts. As the sci ..read more

The 2023 Getting to Zero Forum, taking place May 10-12 in Minneapolis, MN, is proud to feature programming on some of the most in-demand topics within the built environment – learn about our highlighted offerings below. May 10 In-Person Workshop: An Interactive Journey to Building Essential Embodied Carbon Knowledge (3.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs) Embodied carbon is quickly becoming a crucial topic for designers and policymakers as the industry focuses on building decarbonization. This interactive workshop, sponsored by Breakthrough Energy, will take attendees on a journey to uncover strategies for red ..read more