The 2030 Challenge is a program started by Edward Mazria and Architecture 2030 to make all new buildings and renovations produce no carbon emissions by 2030. This effort aims to prevent the very bad effects of climate change caused by buildings. Buildings, construction, and the way they are used create almost 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions each year. Because of this, there is a big chance to stop and reduce these emissions in this area to avoid global warming reaching a dangerous level. Instead of seeing this as a difficult problem, Architecture 2030, a non-profit group, works to solve climate change by using energy-efficient building plans and designs.

Targets defined

The following are the goals outlined by The 2030 Challenge:

• New buildings, developments, and major renovations must be designed to use 70% less energy from fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions compared to the average for similar buildings in the region or country.
• Each year, the same amount of existing building space as new construction must be renovated to meet the same 70% energy use standard for fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions as the average for that building type in the region or country.
• The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings must be increased to:

History

Edward Mazria, a well-known architect, author, researcher, and educator, highlighted the role of the building sector in addressing climate change after analyzing U.S. energy data in 2002. His study, conducted with his firm, revealed that buildings are the main source of emissions, responsible for 40% of U.S. energy use. In response, Edward Mazria, while working in Santa Fe, created and funded a research group called Architecture 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and structures. In 2006, he formed Architecture 2030 as a nonprofit organization and launched the 2030 Challenge.

Adopters

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was one of the first major groups in the building industry to support the 2030 Challenge. It also started the AIA 2030 Commitment to help achieve the goals of the 2030 Challenge and monitor progress toward a future with buildings that do not produce carbon emissions. In addition to the AIA, other professional groups, such as the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Governors Association, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Union Internationale des Architectes, have adopted the 2030 Challenge. Many other organizations, including 41 percent of U.S. architecture firms, have also joined the effort. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act required all new federal buildings to meet the energy efficiency standards outlined in the 2030 Challenge. The city of Seattle created the Seattle 2030 District, a group working together with both public and private sectors to develop high-performance buildings in the downtown area that meet the 2030 Challenge goals across the district. In Canada, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Ontario Association of Architects, and cities like Vancouver have also accepted the 2030 Challenge targets.

Approach

To meet the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the energy use of buildings is compared to the average energy use of similar buildings, called Baseline Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Previously, the Architecture 2030 organization used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Target Finder Tool to find energy data from a database. This tool standardized information based on building type, climate, size, and use. The Target Finder Tool then used energy data from the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) to set energy targets. When the EPA updated its tools from the 2003 CBECS data to the 2012 data, the benchmark EUIs changed. In response, Architecture 2030 introduced the Zero Tool, which helps designers and building owners track progress based on the 2012 CBECS data. The Zero Tool improves on the Target Finder by showing visual comparisons of building baselines, targets, and current performance, adjusted for climate, size, use, and schedules. These energy targets are reached through strategies like simple design changes that save energy without extra costs and using renewable energy for construction. The 2030 Palette provides a list of key ideas that guide the creation of low-carbon, adaptable buildings worldwide. Additionally, Architecture 2030 offers the AIA+2030 Online Series, an educational program that teaches design professionals how to build high-performance buildings to meet the 2030 Challenge goals.

AIA 2030 Commitment

The AIA 2030 Commitment aims to create a complete, data-based system for architecture, engineering, and consulting firms that are part of the 2030 Challenge. These firms use the system to share updates about their progress in reaching the 2030 goals. When firms sign the commitment, they agree to:

• Make a plan to help the environment for the whole company.
• Share how much energy each new building, big renovation, or inside project will use each year.

In 2014, the AIA started a project called Design Data Exchange to track progress of firms that joined the 2030 Commitment. In 2017, firms that participated reported 560 projects that met the challenge goals, with almost 1/4 of those projects reaching net zero energy use.

2030 Palette

The 2030 Palette is a free online tool that guides people on the rules, plans, and tools needed for sustainable design. It helps create environments that do not add carbon dioxide and can handle challenges. This tool is useful for different sizes of projects, from planning cities and regions to designing details of individual buildings.

AIA+2030 Series

The AIA+2030 series is a program designed to encourage more people to adopt the 2030 commitment. It was first started by AIA Seattle and is supported by Autodesk. The program is offered through AIAU, which is AIA's online learning website.

Other considerations

The 2030 Challenge uses technical building solutions to help reach carbon-neutral goals, but these alone are not enough. In the article "Buildings don’t use energy: people do," author Kathryn B.Janda from the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University explains that while the solutions proposed by the 2030 Challenge are very important, they cannot fully address the environmental harm caused by buildings. A new approach is needed to share knowledge about building use with people outside the fields of architecture, design, engineering, and building science. Even buildings with excellent passive design and renewable energy sources can cause problems if they are not managed properly. For example, green buildings used by companies with longer work hours may use more energy than planned. This increase in energy use, even as carbon goals decrease, is called the "divergence problem." To solve this, users must be involved in how buildings perform. To achieve a carbon-neutral future, small changes in each step of the process are needed.