A.R.E. Members Commit to 2030 Challenge

May 11, 2009 — Several A.R.E. members have committed to implementing the 2030 Challenge, a challenge to the global architecture and building community to adopt GHG reduction targets for all their projects. A.R.E. members committing to implementation are:

Gensler

HKS

HOK Canada

Leo A. Daly

Little

Architecture 2030 asks that all firms, organizations and individuals choosing to adopt The 2030 Challenge commit to design all of their projects to meet the targets outlined by the initiative. This requires each new building project or major renovation to be designed to achieve an energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that project’s buildings type. For new building projects, this performance standard will increase to 60% of the regional (or country) average in the year 2010. Every five years the standard will increase by an additional 10%, achieving carbon-neutral buildings in the year 2030. Major renovations are only required to meet the 50% target throughout this timeline, but are encouraged to achieve the increased reductions.

• All new buildings, developments and major renovations shall be designed to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type.
  
  
• At a minimum, an equal amount of existing building area shall be renovated annually to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type.
  
  
• The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings shall be increased to:

60% in 2010
70% in 2015
80% in 2020
90% in 2025

• Carbon-neutral in 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy to operate).

Architecture 2030, a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization, was established in response to the global-warming crisis by architect Edward Mazria in 2002. 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the U.S. and global building sector from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis.