What AIA’s 2030 Numbers Are Telling Us
For more than a decade, AIA’s 2030 Commitment has built one of the most valuable datasets in our industry: thousands of projects designed with energy and carbon in mind from day one. This year’s By the Numbers report is a milestone worth celebrating.
Let's dive into this year’s report and our key takeaways.
Energy modeling isn’t moving the needle yet
About two-thirds of registered projects used energy modeling, with no net impact on pEUI. That time and cost pays off when modeling is used to rank the measures that deliver the most savings within budget.
The baseline is the story
Projects that use energy modeling are replacing the CBECS 2003 baseline with baselines their firms set themselves. Those baselines are often lower and more realistic, which makes the reported savings look smaller. It’s a reminder that “percent better than CBECS” no longer tells us much. AIA is calling for more modeling and stronger QA/QC on baselines, and we agree. We need a better way to talk about building performance.
Collaboration is the strategy
We know that focusing on priority systems early in concept design produces better buildings. That means energy and carbon are design elements from the start, not an engineering afterthought. Project delivery can’t be sequential. It has to be team-driven.
So what is needed?
This is the big one. Thousands of projects designed to meet the 2030 goals have yet to produce impact at scale. Design-phase predictions are a starting point. What the industry needs now are long-term, well-documented examples of buildings measured in operation, which show what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Where ProspectSV fits
We’re bringing real-world performance data and implementation guidance so the next wave of building technologies can make an impact, with more data coming soon.
The 2030 Commitment has shown the profession can design for performance. The next step is proving it in operation, together.
What do you think (or some call to action)? I’d like to hear in the comments.
Read the report: AIA 2030 Commitment By the Numbers | The American Institute of Architects