It can be argued that evolutions in building strategy and building delivery are running parallel. But to make significant progress we need to shift to an integrated approach that coordinates stakeholders across the building life into the design process, and an advanced delivery strategy for a more holistic approach to transform America’s complex urban landscape.
The United States has yet to ratify the Kigali Amendment — an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to include the phasedown of HFC chemicals. Where does — and should — the U.S. go from here? What does it mean for manufacturing and the HVACR industry?
The cities of tomorrow will put new demands on our buildings. How do we prepare? A recent project to advance sustainable buildings and low-carbon communities underscores the importance of industry-academic collaboration in research and training.
When we consider strategies for bettering our energy productivity — or increasing GDP while reducing energy use, we cannot overlook the importance of improving industrial competitiveness and building energy footprint throughout the United States. And it’s a goal we should not ignore; energy productivity is inextricably linked to our economic growth and energy security, and
The dominant conception of “high performance” is at best ambiguous. The defining trajectory of the past century or more is toward a sustainability failure that cannot be remedied by incremental improvements. Rather, sustainable high performance requires breaking out of the traditional performance trajectory of buildings.
Accepting and implementing rapid change has become the norm across America. The growing depth of change in the building sector suggests that traditional resistance to change is not irreversible. Indeed, historical building industry practices are more likely the result of an information deficit than of things inherent to the market. Even knowledgeable building professionals remain
The increasing demand for water leads to growing energy consumption, which consequently affects climate. Fortunately, solutions exist today to help countries and municipalities worldwide save water and energy in water supply, wastewater treatment, and irrigation of farming areas.
Reaching a goal of doubling U.S. energy productivity by 2030 will require strong focus on improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings, which is attainable through the many proven technologies available today.
It’s clear: safety measures cost. And cost impacts the economy. So when economic growth levels are historically low, questions arise about safety. Do we really need all these regulations? Can we afford the safety measured we have imposed on ourselves? Should we instead pay more attention to cutting unnecessary costs and improving our productivity?