AIA 2030 Challenge

First the facts. According to the Brookings Institute, about 50% of the buildings in which Americans live, work, and shop, will have been built after the year 2000. With an estimated need of 427 billion square feet of build space in 2030, we will need to construct 82 billion of that to replace existing buildings, and build 131 billion square feet of new space to meet the demand of our country for that fateful year. Interestingly, most of that space will be residential space (over 100 billion square feet), although, percentage-wise, the commercial and industrial sectors will have the most new space. Over 60 percent of the commercial and industrial space in place by 2030 is projected to be less than 30 years old. While these projections may seem overwhelming, they demonstrate that nearly half of what the built environment will be in less than 25 years doesn't even exist yet - providing current generations of Americans with a vital opportunity to reshape the future of all development in this country.

Enter the AIA. In December 2005, the Board of Directors of the AIA issued a Position Statement adopting what has become known as "The 2030 Challenge," a concept originally introduced by architect Ed Mazria, of Santa Fe, New Mexico to make all buildings "carbon neutral" by the year 2030. Carbon neutral means that the construction and operation of a structure releases zero carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by using no fossil-fuel-generated energy or the building operators will set off net emissions by purchasing certified carbon dioxide reductions elsewhere. The opening paragraph of the AIA Statements reads,

The AIA recognizes a growing body of evidence demonstrates that current planning, design, construction, and real estate practices contribute to patters of resource consumption that seriously jeopardize the future of the Earth's population. Architects need to accept responsibility for their role in creating the built environment and, consequently, believe we must alter our profession's actions and encourage our clients and the entire design and construction industry to join with us to change the course of the planet's future.

The 2030 Challenge starts today. It calls for a minimum 50% carbon reduction for new construction beginning immediately, 60% by 2010, 70% by 2015, 80% by 2020, 90% by 2025 and 100% or carbon neutral by 2030. The action by the AIA has been multiplied through 2006, with the challenge being adopted by organizations such as the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and a growing number of political entities and building industry organizations that represent an increasing consensus and understanding that the built environment is a key contributor to global warming and must be an active participant in the global effort to reduce greenhouse emissions - starting now.

To learn more, visit www.architecture2030.org, www.usgbc.org and www.aia.org.