{"id":10597,"date":"2016-11-04T01:14:55","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T05:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/building-the-change-are-those-4-walls-around-you-to-blame\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T01:16:33","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T05:16:33","slug":"building-the-change-are-those-4-walls-around-you-to-blame","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/building-the-change-are-those-4-walls-around-you-to-blame\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the change: Are those 4 walls around you to blame?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why are we talking about buildings? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the energy we consume\u00a0and most of the carbon dioxide we release in the burning of fossil fuels ultimately comes from\u00a0the way buildings are conceived and territories are occupied[1]<\/a>.\u201d This was the opening speech for the recent Architecture congress in July \u201916, which hosted architecture\u2019s most prominent and leading designer, builders and thinkers such as Rem Koolhaas (OMA), Bjarke Ingels (BIG), Winy Maas (MVRDV) and more. This focus on architects and builders may be a surprise to many, as mainstream media and public awareness tend to focus heavily on agriculture or on the transportation industry.<\/p>\n

\"us-co2-emissions-by-sector-2012-v2-0\"<\/a>
\n\"us-energy-consumption-by-sector-2012-v2-0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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What is the industry facing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As architectural firms and building companies increase their focus on Sustainable or \u201cGreen\u201d architecture, they are making a conscious decision to tackle climate change issues. As demand increases for comfortable indoor environmental quality, energy demands for building sector is expected to sharply rise[2]<\/a>, which makes sustainable design an even more challenging task.<\/p>\n

On the other side, these companies are also catering to a shifting trend in demand and external guidance to the industry. On the consumer side more and more clients such as household owners, commercial companies and industrial players are, for various reasons and incentives, asking for \u201cGreener\u201d buildings. On the external guidance side, the incentives may come in the form of new regulation put in place to push corporations to change behaviors, such as the Kyoto Protocol enforcing nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This trend essentially creates new markets, which introduces opportunities for growth in projects, new materials development and new design methodologies.<\/p>\n

Are buildings changing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As mentioned, leading firms have taken on the task both in the short term processes of planning and building and in the long term process of using. Many new projects are applying to and receiving LEED certifications, which is a building certification system to provide verification of improved energy efficiency performance. It is estimated that in 2015-2018 LEED certified buildings will save over 2 Billion US dollars in operating costs (including energy, maintenance, waste and water savings.)[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

A case example right here on 性视界 campus is the 性视界 Law School\u2019s Wasserstein Hall, Caspersen Student Center, Clinical Wing building (WCC), which has received the LEED-NC Gold certification. Some of the project\u2019s highlights include: 95% of construction waste was recycled, a rainwater capture system, sensors to shut off ventilation when windows are open and Carbon Dioxide sensors adjusting ventilation according to room occupancy[4]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How are firms changing? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Architectural firms\u2019 way of working has changed in the last few decades and new expertise is being brought into the design process. In an interview with architect Frank Gehry, he talks about the important collaboration between designers and the people innovating technology. Gehry\u2019s firm worked closely with a company that makes concrete substitute, which reduces carbon footprint by 50%.[5]<\/a> This holds great potential as the concrete industry produces an estimated 5% of global man made carbon dioxide emissions.[6]<\/a> Projects\u2019 priorities are also changing and communication with clients throughout the whole process constantly highlights sustainability issues, the benefits and challenges. Additionally, firms are developing greater accountability, for example MVRDV prominently show that their design methodology includes Sustainable Design as an important pillar.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

How can we do better? <\/strong><\/p>\n

In my experience, architectural design and building industry, are not among the fastest to pivot and adopt new technologies. To this end, many are calling and working towards greater external incentives and forcing mechanisms to accelerate impact on the planet\u2019s health through building, such as increased regulations, monetary incentives and public awareness.<\/p>\n

I strongly advocate for internal changes to architectural design firms and their processes as well. We need deeper expertise embedded within the process rather than simply consulted with. We need to incorporate LEED experts (or other standards) within the process and also in client communication. We also need to bring in operational efficiency experts to look at even broader topics such as sustainable procurement, efficient transport of materials and many more. This calls for a conceptual change in who we view as a part of the industry, which should be whoever can contribute to the solution.\u00a0(793 words.)<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Luis Fern\u00e1ndez-Galiano at the IV INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE CONGRESS\u2028Baluarte de Pamplona, June and July 2016<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> A Study on the LEED Energy Simulation Process Using BIM, Han-Soo Ryu 1 and Kyung-Soon Park, Sustainability<\/em> 2016, 8<\/em>(2), 138<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> U.S. Green Building Council site: http:\/\/leed.usgbc.org<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> 性视界 University Sustainability site: https:\/\/green.harvard.edu<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> PBS interview, Architect Frank Gehry talks LEED and the future of green building, by Abby Leonard, June 14, 2010<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> The cement sustainability initiative \u2013 our agenda for action, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), July 2002<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> MVRDV\u2019s website: https:\/\/www.mvrdv.nl\/en\/about\/Design_Philosophy\/Sustainable_Design<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know: The biggest effect on climate change could come from how we design and use our buildings?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2364,"featured_media":10598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[279,1616,1218,271,998,37,109,55],"class_list":["post-10597","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-buildings","category-climate-change","category-design","category-information-technology","category-innovation","category-operational-efficiency","category-technology"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/climate-change-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nBuilding the change: Are those 4 walls around you to blame? - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/building-the-change-are-those-4-walls-around-you-to-blame\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building the change: Are those 4 walls around you to blame? 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