New report outlines progress of 2030 Commitment

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/network.aia.org\/browse\/glossary\/entry?GlossaryKey=32d4dfcf-ba27-4705-8d93-6cef2baeda0c"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/pages\/6464938-the-aia-2030-commitment"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/6526864-aia-2030-commitment-by-the-numbers-report-"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA\u2019s 2030 Commitment is an actionable climate strategy that\ngives us a set of standards and goals for reaching net zero emissions in the\nbuilt environment by 2030. Since 2009, signatories of the 2030 Commitment create\na sustainability action plan for their firm with the help of AIA resources and\neducation, and are urged to report the predicted energy performance of all projects\nin their portfolio each year."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Doubling its signatories in the last five years, the AIA\n2030 Commitment continues to be a part of leading the built environment\nprofession in addressing the climate crisis with more than 56,000 AEC\nprofessionals represented among the 1100+ committed firms."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Reflecting 20,652 projects from 417 firms, a ten percent\nincrease from the year prior, a newly released By the Numbers report for the\n2021 reporting year measures how far architects have come in this initiative and\nshows how far there is to go."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In 2021, for the second year in a row, signatories of the\nAIA 2030 Commitment reported their "],[0,[0],1,"predicted\nenergy use intensity (pEUI)"],[0,[],0," data with an 80% reduction target. The\nprogram\u0027s target will go up to 90% in 2025 and to 100% full carbon neutrality,\nin 2030."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Key takeaways from the 2021 By the Numbers report include:"]]],[3,"ul",[[[0,[],0,"12,783 whole building projects totaling 3.1\nbillion gross square feet were reported in 2021 and achieved an average pEUI reduction\nof 50.3%."]],[[0,[],0,"\n5.5% of whole building gross square footage\nreported in 2021 met the 80% target, an increase from 4.3% in 2020. This\nrepresents 161,625,553 gross square feet and 748 projects."]],[[0,[],0,"In 2021, 2030 Commitment signatories reported\n505 all-electric buildings, up 67% from 2020."]],[[0,[],0,"276 whole building projects were reported as\nnet-zero in 2021, representing both 2.1% of projects and gross square footage.\n67,399,844 gross square feet were reported as net-zero in total in 2021."]]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cFrankly, one of the most interesting metrics is that we\u2019re\nonly tracking about a 50 percent reduction over our original baseline while the\ncurrent target is 80 percent,\u201d said 2030 Commitment Co-Chair Ashley Mulhall, AIA,\nHigh Performance and Sustainable Design Leader at Orcutt Winslow. \u201cWe\u2019ve\nplateaued as an industry and we\u2019ve been trying to get to the bottom of it and\nhelp firms get past that hurdle.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Citing the pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, and an uneven\npolitical landscape as major factors for the \u201c2021 slog\u201d, the overall 50.3%\npEUI reduction is slightly lower than the 51.3% reduction in 2020 but\nrepresents a strong overall trajectory, increasing from 35% in 2010."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere was an increase in signatories, which means a lot of\nfirms are just getting started and moving a bit slower, said Mulhall. \u201cBut we also\nneed to stop thinking of 80 percent as our target, and making movements towards\n100 percent net zero as the real target. That\u2019ll move the needle faster.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While overall numbers aren\u2019t exactly where the 2030\nCommitment initially hoped, there\u2019s major optimism that this trajectory is\npromising. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThis is like running a marathon,\u201d\nsaid 2030 Commitment Co-Chair Vanessa Hostick, AIA, Sustainable Design Leader\nat HOK. \u201cYou don\u2019t wake up and say \u2018I\u2019m going to run the Boston marathon\ntoday,\u2019 you start slow, you build your successes, you make some lifestyle\nchanges. You don\u2019t run 26 miles on the first day.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cYou train. There are changes that\nare hard when make this commitment, but we have a group of people here to help\nyou. Over time you start to hit the mark,\u201d said Hostick. \u201cPeople often say \u2018it\ntakes too long,\u2019 it doesn\u2019t, this process gets quicker over time. People say, \u2018it\u2019s\nexpensive,\u2019 it\u2019s not you just use what you have and build into it more later. People\nsay, \u2018well no one at my firm cares,\u2019 I promise you they\u2019ll care if you care. Do\nmore encouraging than yelling, you\u2019ll get there it takes time and it\u2019s not\nalways perfect.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Both Mulhall and Hostick encourage\nany firm, small, medium, or large, to "],[0,[1],1,"sign up for\nthe 2030 Commitment"],[0,[],0," as soon as they can. They encouraged any architect who\nmay be interested in participating to "],[0,[1],1,"connect with\nAIA"],[0,[],0," to learn more. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI don\u2019t think most architects\nrecognize how much of an impact they can have on climate change. We tend to\nfeel helpless, but the reality is architects can have a huge impact,\u201d said\nMulhall. \u201cOnce you start on that path the lift gets lighter. It gets simpler,\nand you really begin to make a difference.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While working to combat climate\nchange is the goal of the Commitment, Hostick believes there are multiple\nbenefits for firms who sign up. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere\u2019s an environmental impact\nfor signing up, by helping to understand your carbon footprint and there\u2019s a\nfinancial impact, adjusting to a zero-carbon plan will help you save in the\nlong term. No matter where your priorities lie there is something here to help\nyou get there, and there\u2019s a framework to get there,\u201d she said. "]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"\u0022There\u2019s an environmental impact\nfor signing up, by helping to understand your carbon footprint and there\u2019s a\nfinancial impact, adjusting to a zero-carbon plan will help you save in the\nlong term. No matter where your priorities lie there is something here to help\nyou get there, and there\u2019s a framework to get there.\u201d - Vanessa Hostick, AIA"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"There are myriad benefits to\njoining the 2030 Commitment--for you, your firm, and your clients. You\u2019ll gain\naccess to anonymous, confidential data from leading AIA firms\u2019 projects\nworldwide."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As a participant, you\u2019ll:"]]],[3,"ul",[[[0,[],0,"help clients save money by further integrating\nenergy analysis and metrics into your practice;"]],[[0,[],0,"boost your firm profile by developing new\nsustainability approaches and creating a firm culture that exemplifies\nsustainable design;"]],[[0,[],0,"be provided a tool that will allow you to benchmark\nenergy metrics, set targets, track progress, and validate your design approach\nfor energy savings;"]],[[0,[],0,"be part of a growing cadre of firms who are\nworking to combat climate change through education, energy modeling and\nadvocacy;"]],[[0,[],0,"be able to track your data and see your firm\u2019s\nimpact compared to firms in your region. "]]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Read the 2030 Commitment by the\nNumbers Report for a variety of valuable insights "],[0,[2],1,"here"],[0,[],0,"."]]]]}