101 Second Street SE
Meeting Room B
Rochester, MN 55904
Description
According to the New Buildings Institute there are 562 verified Net Zero Energy (NZE) buildings in the United States as of May 2019 which is ten-fold increase since the organization began tracking projects in 2012. Meanwhile the US Energy Information Administration reports that in 2012 there were over 5.6 million commercial buildings in the US, a number that is expected to increase 39% over the next 30 years. For every NZE building in the US there are approximately 10,000 standard commercial buildings. Improving the energy performance of these buildings by just 5% has the same impact as 500 Net Zero Buildings.
We should certainly continue to design and build Net Zero Energy buildings, but Architects also need to apply these principles to projects that aren’t going to qualify for any sustainability awards. Even a modest improvement in these projects can have a truly significant impact over the life of the building and our overall energy footprint as a society.
So why aren’t we designing better performing buildings? What are the barriers preventing us from capturing these improvements? What strategies can we employ to overcome these barriers?
As part of the DMC Sustainability Series Rochester, in partnership with USGBC, please join us for this important discussion led by Seth Behrends, AIA, Project Architect at HGA Architects and Engineers.
Healthy snacks will be provided; feel free to bring a lunch.