Sustainability E-News
Making an Impact on Carbon
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From The Editor
Carbon emissions and embodied carbon are certainly in the news a lot, especially as they relate to new construction. But as Architecture 2030 senior fellow Carl Elefante writes in the article below, a critical area we need to focus on is existing buildings. We've reported in the past on how the durability of masonry buildings makes them good candidates for renovation, and I've written on how deep energy retrofits of historic masonry buildings are possible, if sometimes complex. Looking at our existing building stock is a key, if not undervalued, component of achieving carbon reductions in the building sector. Another area that is beginning to get some notice is the underlying assumptions about climate that energy models and energy codes are based on. How does drought affect the assumptions for low-carbon energy generation? Are the current climate zones appropriate for a building designed to last 75 or 100 years? You can read more about this topic in the first article below.
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Christine "Tina" Subasic, PE, LEED AP
CSubasicPE@gmail.com
NOTE: Inclusion in this newsletter is not an endorsement of the products and materials featured, nor have these products been evaluated by TMS or the editor. Furthermore, the views expressed in the articles featured are those of the article authors.
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GREEN BUILDING NEWS
The focus on reducing carbon emissions continues, with ASHRAE and others promoting carbon-cutting solutions. ~Tina
Can (and should) we use climate projection data in energy modeling?
BUILDING ENCLOSURE ONLINE
Despite evidence of changing climate, in the United States it is still common for building project teams to reference U.S. climate normals derived from three consecutive decades of historic data for broad-based climate analyses and to utilize typical meteorological year datasets for building energy modeling exercises. But is this the right approach? Read more.
CarbonPositive: Retrofitting renewal and transformation
ARCHITECT MAGAZINE
With building codes changing across the United States, Architecture 2030 senior fellow Carl Elefante explains why architects should focus on eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings in this article. Even if every new building designed from today forward meets the zero-carbon operations standard, buildings and cities will continue emitting more carbon pollution than industry, agriculture, or transportation. To reach zero emissions, we must eliminate the existing carbon footprint of the building sector and transform the performance of existing buildings.
ASHRAE announces 2023 Decarbonization Conference for the Built Environment
ASHRAE
ASHRAE announced the 2023 Decarbonization Conference for the Built Environment, an industry-wide conference that will address all aspects of design, construction, commissioning, and operation of the built environment. The conference will be held October 25-27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The conference will focus on educating attendees on methods to decrease carbon emissions, both embodied and operational, in order to reduce the impact of buildings on the climate crisis. The conference program will address current and future governmental policies and regulations for which engineers, architects, owners, and operators need to be aware of to address environmentally-responsible building requirements. For updates on the conference visit the conference website.
New plugin for Revit offers carbon-cutting solutions
THE ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER
Autodesk Revit users have the option to use a new plugin, the Tally Climate Action Tool, or tallyCAT, to evaluate available materials based on their estimated lifetime carbon footprint and then gain insight into how to mitigate carbon for projects. The library of materials, along with environmental product declarations, comes from the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator. Read more here.
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CODES and STANDARDS NEWS
As we reported last month, USGBC has plans to begin work on LEED v5 in the coming year. In the meantime, LEED v4 needs updating, especially in the area of energy performance. You can read more about that and submit comments at the link below. ~Tina
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Share your comments on the LEED v4 energy requirement changes
USGBC
USGBC is updating the energy requirements of LEED v4, aligning them with the rigor of LEED v4.1 and focusing on the big picture of climate change and carbon emissions. Among the changes proposed are higher thresholds for the energy performance prerequisite and credit and requirements for calculating greenhouse gas emissions like those found in LEED v4.1. These changes will follow the LEED development process, and a public comment period is now open through Jan. 13, 2023.
Government proposes Federal contractors and their suppliers disclose GHG emissions
GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE
The Federal government is proposing the Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule, which will require major Federal contractors publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate related financial risks and set emissions reduction targets. The implications of this reach far beyond Federal contractors impacting nearly every sector of the US economy. As contractors calculate their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions they must include upstream and downstream emissions (such as GHG emission data from its landlords to calculate its own Scope 3 GHG emissions). Read more.
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GREEN BUSINESS NEWS
Net zero pledge standards released for businesses
GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE
Much has been written in the media about the UN Climate Conference (COP27), most of it focusing on the agreement to provide reparations or more correctly stated, on providing “loss and damage” funding in the future for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. But the biggest takeaway for businesses in the U.S., today and into the future, is the release of standards for Net Zero emission pledges by non-state actors. The growth in pledges has been accompanied by a proliferation of criteria and benchmarks to set Net Zero commitments with varying levels of robustness. Read more.
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EDUCATIONAL NEWS
Need CEUs before the year ends? Check out the TMS education hub! ~Tina
On-demand learning available from TMS
TMS is a great resource for masonry education to meet your continuing education requirements. Over 50 on-demand courses are available on the TMS Masonry Education Hub, including courses on strength design of masonry, existing masonry assessment and repair, resilience, and more! Special pricing is available for TMS members.
14th North American Masonry Conference
THE MASONRY SOCIETY
The 14th North American Masonry Conference (14NAMC) will be held June 11-14, 2023, in the heart of historic Old Market in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, at the Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District. The conference will be jointly hosted by the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the Nebraska Masonry Alliance (NMA), and sponsored by The Masonry Society (TMS). For more information, visit the conference website.
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