Sustainable Design Blog

I was in attendance at the International Living Futures Institute’s (ILFI) Living Futures 2016 conference in Seattle the week of May 9, 2016.  It was an amazing gathering of leaders in sustainability.  

One of the keynote addresses was given by Ed Mazria, Founder and CEO of 2030 Architecture and of the 2030 Challenge. The imperative that he spoke about is that we reach zero net carbon emissions for all new buildings by 2030 and for ALL buildings by 2050.  He spoke about how not only is it important, but it's an absolutely necessity for the survival of our species.

Many see it as a bold plan, because it simply won't accept business as usual in the built environment, but not us, because we know for a fact that these goals are attainable, and they're just the things that motivate us every single day.

This got me thinking:  What do we need to be doing, as architects in Florida, to stay on track to meet the 2030 Challenge? 

It's a road already built:

2030 Architecture has a detailed plan to get us to net zero carbon emissions in the built environment.  Their web site states, “The Roadmap to Zero Emissions is a flexible plan that sets out the emissions reduction targets necessary in the building sector worldwide to avert dangerous and irreversible climate change, including the actions and financing instruments needed to reach the targets.”

The target of Architecture 2030 and of the COP21 held in Paris last December and just recently ratified, is to hold global temperature rise under 1.5% Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), and to avoid exceeding 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F) of temperature rise at all cost.  Any scenario of 2 degrees Celsius is uncontrollable, leading us to the point where it cannot be stopped.

Find the roadmap here

http://architecture2030.org/initiatives/roadmap-to-zero/

Calculating Our Goals:

The current 2030 goal in 2016 is 70% reduction of carbon emissions below the base line set for buildings in 2003.

I have done some research, with some help from some experts, (thanks TLC Engineering for Architecture  http://www.tlc-engineers.com) and this is how I think we need to meet the 2030 challenge TODAY, based on the requirements of the current Florida building code (FEC).  

• The 2014 Florida Building Code (FEC) is based on the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which in turn is based on ASHRAE STD 90.1-2010 (the new LEED v4 benchmark).
• The Architecture 2030 folks, working with the AIA 2030 Commitment, have determined that a building that meets the 2012 IECC can be expected to operate at 40% less energy than the 2030 Challenge baseline (coming from the 2003 CBEC survey of existing commercial buildings) building.  So, if a baseline building has an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 100 kbtu/sf/yr, then the 2014 FEC/2012 IECC code minimum building would be about 60 kbtu/sf/yr.

The current 2030 goal of a 70% reduction of the 100 kbtu/sf/yr baseline example means that a building that meets that goal would use no more than 30 kbtu/sf/yr (including energy cost reductions and any on- or near-site renewable production).

Plans:

So the short answer to my question is that in order to meet the current 2030 goal, a building would have to use 50% less energy than a minimally compliant 2014 FEC/2012 IECC building.

There you have it.  We know what we need to do.  Now we need to go out and do it.  

Why Carbon:

Sustainable building design requires a well balanced approach that takes many factors into consideration, not just energy use and carbon emissions, but I wanted to focus this blog on Carbon emissions to highlight its importance.  

You may remember Carlson Studio had its big year end party in celebration of COP21, and we did it on the day of the conference designated as “Buildings Day” December 3, 2015, because anything that has to do with saving our planet from irreversible distruction is something we celebrate. After all, this stuff is engrained in us.

Click here to receive a free green building consultation of your own:

To learn more about the International Living Future Institute, start here:

http://living-future.org/

To learn more about Buildings Day at COP21 start here:

http://web.unep.org/climatechange/buildingsday

NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE:

We have highlighted a number of LEED Certified buildings on our website. We have residential, commercial, non-profit, and more. However, this new project is the first and possibly the only floating, LEED certified building in The United States!

It's called Cottonwood Cove, and although we designed it here in Sarasota, Florida, it's located in Nevada.

Some other projects that you might find interesting:

• Other LEED Certified Structures We've Developed
• Non-Profit Projects
• Commercial Projects

COTTONWOOD COVE OVERVIEW:

There is a little project in our portfolio that you may not have noticed, but has an interesting story. 

Cottonwood Cove Marina is located in Seachlight NV, on Lake Mohave, and is a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The Cottonwood Cove project is a LEED-NC Gold Certified Facility.  It provides marine related services out on the water and is connect to the dock system of the marina.  It floats!  It is not set on piers or piles.  It is anchored like a boat is anchored, so it sits in one place and does not drift around.  Check out the project featured on the client’s web site, which can be found HERE. The project was certified in 2013. 

Starting from the waterline up, the project has a giant raft for a foundation system.  Similar to how floating docks are constructed, there is a multitude of pontoon floats that support a structural steel bar joist floor system.  The wall system and roof system are Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and some structural steel framing.  The SIPs were chosen because of the modular construction process and ability to fabricate the panels off site.  Another key component of the wall system was the weight.  This is the first and only project we have done that the weight of the walls and roof was a critical component of the design.  Because the raft foundation had to support the building, limiting the weight of the superstructure saved money in ways that are not typical.   The geometry of the building design takes into account the capabilities and limitations of the SIP wall and roof panels to provide an efficient and beautifully functional design solution.  The ability to fabricate building components off site, assemble the building at the shore line and then move it into place, all helped to reduce the environmental impact of the construction process on the lake itself.  

Those familiar with LEED know there is a site prerequisite for Construction Activity Pollution prevention.  In our case, we did have a small piece of land that was part of our defined “project site” under LEED, and we were able to use green marina standards and marina pollution control standards to comply with the prerequisite.  Interestingly, after we were certified, LEED set out a new rule that does not allow projects to be built on water any longer.  They must be permanent structure on land now.  That is why this may be the only LEED certified project on the water.

Challenges: The location itself had many challenges.  The site is located about 2-1/2 hours south of Las Vegas, and is south of the Hoover Dam.  The client was fully committed to the idea, which is always the best way. The entire design team was on board.   The National Park Services was on board.  We did have difficulty finding an experienced contractor that was interested in doing such a small project at such a remote location.

The climate was also a bit of a challenge, and an opportunity.  The dry desert climate is much different than the sub-tropical climate of Florida.  There was almost no rainfall, and no humidity.  That made a cistern impossible, but does allow the building to utilize operable windows for passive cooling.  With LEED, energy savings is energy savings.  How the savings are achieved are adapted to the climate in which the project exists.  We have now done green buildings in Northern climates, sub-tropical climates and Desert climates, and enjoy the opportunities and challenges different climates present to the projects.

A REAL SUCCESS:

With a dedicated team of Owner’s, the National Park Service, architects and engineers, a contractor willing to learn, and an experienced LEED administrator (Ausonio) the project has been a big success and received a good deal of press, both on TV and in print.

To see more details, take a look at this one of many examples of our world class, sustainable architecture work.

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