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e-FFICIENCY NEWS: Can you briefly tell our readers about AIA’s mission, how it has evolved over the years and how this mission relates to energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings? McEntee: We pride ourselves as being the voice of the architectural profession and the resource for its members in service to society. For the past 150 years, AIA members have worked to create healthy, safe, and well-designed structures and communities. In recent years, as society has paid closer attention to the threat of global warming and the environmental and economic benefits of energy-efficient practices, we have embraced these principles and incorporated them into our public policy positions. We believe that architects must be environmentally responsible and advocate for the sustainable use of resources. To this end, we encourage energy conservation as it relates to the built environment and support governmental and private sector programs and incentives in an effort to promote sustainable architecture. And as we prepare for the new Congress, our legislative agenda includes a number of issues related to energy efficiency in both federal and commercial buildings and we look forward to working with Congress and the related federal agencies to see our agenda carried out. e-FFICIENCY NEWS: Last year, AIA adopted policies designed to achieve a minimum reduction of 50 percent in the consumption level of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by 2010. Have there been any significant developments, changes or challenges to this vision? McEntee: Yes, we have a strong commitment to protecting the built environment as buildings are a major emitter of greenhouse gasses. To address this, our Board of Directors approved a resolution promoting high-performance building design with a goal of reaching a 50 percent fossil fuel reduction in buildings by 2010 and carbon neutral buildings by 2030. We understand that it is impossible to achieve this goal alone; thus we are currently working with a number of other concerned groups and encouraging them to adopt what some have called the “2030 Challenge.” The U.S. Conference of Mayors was the first group to join on and together, we have developed a “Sustainability 2030” toolkit which provides information to cities and towns on how to promote sustainable and energy- efficient buildings in their communities. We encourage anyone who is interested in green buildings to check out the toolkit on The American Institute of Architects website. It provides tons of information on a variety of topics relating to efficient buildings, including the benefits of sustainable buildings, how to develop a green building program in your own city, best practice examples, and examples of what other cities are doing to promote energy efficient buildings. We also feel the federal government should encourage energy efficiency. In order to do this, we are working with Congress to create legislation that would direct all federal agencies to require that any building constructed or significantly renovated after 2010 use 50 percent less energy compared to similar building from 2005. The government established energy reduction targets in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. We supported these provisions; however, we feel that even larger reductions are not only possible, but necessary. So we will work with Congress to address this issue and continue to encourage other groups to join our coalition as building energy-efficient buildings makes sense for the environment, the economy, and America in general. e-FFICIENCY NEWS: People usually assume that transportation is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, and yet the built environment accounts for nearly half of energy use in the country. What kind of potential is there to bring these numbers down, either through government policy or by working with organizations like ASHRAE or the US Green Building Council? McEntee: You’re right that buildings are a major part of the energy picture here in the U.S. and around the world, and we believe that a lot more can be done to reduce energy consumption in the built environment. The fact is, the technology and the tools to bring energy use down are already out there; we just need to do more to educate designers, builders, owners and the public about how to use those tools. So we are working with government agencies and private sector partners like DOE and EPA on energy design guides such as the Advanced Energy Design Guides. We are also working to provide resources to various stakeholders, like our Green Cities Toolkit and our “50 to 50” program. We also are working with partners in the architecture educational field on model sustainability curricula for collegiate design students. But no single profession or organization can do it alone, which is why we’re working to build coalitions with a number of groups. ASHRAE and USGBC are major players in that, but there are lots of other groups as well, including the Alliance to Save Energy. What has impressed me is the breadth and diversity of people – from mayors to building owners to product manufacturers – who are interested in this issue and have expressed a desire to work with us to make buildings greener. e-FFICIENCY NEWS: The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included several tax provisions for the built environment. Has the fact that many of these provisions are only available for two years (2006 & 2007) presented a problem and, if so, what would AIA like to see happen regarding these provisions? McEntee: The tax provisions in the EPAct were a great step, but their short shelf life is a problem. The energy-efficiency tax deductions, for example, apply only to buildings put into service before the end of 2007 which means that designs on the boards today most likely won’t be able to take advantage of them. So we’ve been working to get the tax provisions extended, ideally permanently but at least until 2013, to give designers and owners a real shot at taking advantage of them. Congress just extended the deductions until the end of 2008; this is a good start, but we need to do more. When you consider the savings in both costs and energy use by making buildings more efficient, the upfront cost to the government really isn’t that much. We’d also like to see the deduction deepened from its current $1.80 per square foot to $2.25 per square foot. Our members will be taking that message to Capitol Hill when they come to Washington for our grassroots lobbying day in February. e-FFICIENCY NEWS: When it comes to the initial cost of energy-efficiency improvements or construction versus the potential return on investment, how do you convince a builder that the decision is worthwhile? McEntee: The best way to do that is to show that upfront energy improvements lead to reduced life-cycle costs. For example, we cosponsored a study by Greg Kats at Capital E last fall that showed green, high-performance schools cost less than two percent more to build than conventional schools, but have financial benefits that are 20 times that. We’re now working with Greg on a similar study for federal buildings. The bottom line is that if you can show that its cost-effective people will buy into it. e-FFICIENCY NEWS: Typically, architects are involved on the front end of the building process. However, implementing energy efficiency requires a holistic approach to building design and use, including construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance. What role do architects play in the “energy efficiency equation” of a building? McEntee: I think that’s a very good point, that true energy efficiency doesn’t just involve what happens on the drawing boards, but is affected by every step of the process. I think the first thing you have to do is to use an integrated approach to make sure that everybody is at the table from the start – the designers, the engineers, the contractors and the owners – so that everyone buys into the sustainability goals. The second thing is to maximize the use of technology, like BIM [building information modeling], that enables you to predict how the building will perform once built. Third, you need to make sure that commissioning takes place, so you can measure how planned energy savings really stack up. Fourth is training for the Operation and Maintenance team, so they understand how to use the technology that you’ve put into place. I think that the architect plays a central role in all of this, since they are essentially the ‘corporate memory’ of the design and act as the owner’s advocate throughout every stage of the process. But ultimately it gets back to the issue you raised in the previous question: if the owner is convinced that an upfront investment in energy efficiency carries benefits down the road, they will be committed to making sure the technology works so that they can realize that benefit. That’s why we are building coalitions with the stakeholders in every part of the design, construction and operations process, so that the solutions represent everyone’s interest and expertise. |
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Christine McEntee is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of The American Institute of Architects (AIA). This month she speaks with e-FFICIENCY News about AIA’s goal to create carbon neutral buildings, extend tax deductions for the built environment, and integrate the design, construction and maintenance of our country’s buildings.