Accelerating the 2030 Challenge to 2021
Architecture 2030’s namesake target year to achieve carbon-neutral buildings is now deemed too late by CEO and founder Edward Mazria and COO Vincent Martinez.
2030 Challenge
All new buildings, developments, and major renovations shall be carbon-neutral by 2030.
The 2030 Challenge:
The urban built environment is responsible for 75% of annual global GHG emissions: buildings alone account for 39%. Eliminating these emissions is the key to addressing climate change and meeting Paris Climate Agreement targets.
To accomplish this, Architecture 2030 issued The 2030 Challenge in 2006 asking the global architecture and building community to adopt the following targets:
- All new buildings, developments and major renovations shall be designed to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 70% below the regional (or country) average/median 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 70% of the regional (or country) average/median for that building type.
- The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings and major renovations shall be increased to:
- 80% in 2020
- 90% in 2025
- Carbon-neutral in 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy to operate).
These targets may be met by implementing innovative sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable energy, and/or purchasing (20% maximum) off-site renewable energy.
Meeting the 2030 Challenge
The 2030 Challenge can be met by following these steps:
- Establish an EUI baseline and target using the Zero Tool.
- Apply low/no cost passive design strategies to achieve maximum energy efficiency. Visit out the 2030 Palette for ideas.
- Integrate energy efficient technology and systems.
- Incorporate on-site and/or off-site renewable energy to meet the remaining energy demands.*
- Engage in iterative energy modeling throughout the entire design process to understand the interactive effects of various design decisions and to assess progress towards meeting the EUI target.
The 2030 Commitment
To support the 2030 Challenge, the American Institute of Architects created the 2030 Commitment Program, aimed at transforming the practice of architecture to respond to the climate crisis in a way that is holistic, firm-wide, project-based, and data-driven. Over 400 A/E/P firms have adopted the 2030 Commitment, and firms from all over the country have been tracking and reporting projects since 2010, with over 2.7 billion ft2 of project work reported in 2016 alone.
Join the 2030 Commitment today and become part of a growing network of designers striving to meet the 2030 Challenge targets. Commitment signatories gain access to a host of online tools, educational resources, and mentorship opportunities to support success.
The AIA+2030 Series
The AIA+2030 Online Series is an educational program aimed at providing design professionals with the high-performance building knowledge necessary to meet the 2030 Challenge targets. Sponsored by Autodesk and delivered through AIAU, the AIA’s online education portal, the highly-rated Online Series is based on the successful AIA+2030 Professional Series that has been offered to over 30% of AIA’s membership in 25 markets throughout the United States.
New 2030 Commitment Signatories get the first course of the AIA+2030 Online Series for free, so join today!
Impact of the 2030 Challenge
The targets set out in the 2030 Challenge have been adopted and is being implemented by 80% of the top 10 and 65% of the top 20 architecture/engineering/planning firms in the U.S. In addition, the AIA, ASHRAE, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the federal government, and many other organizations and state and local governments and agencies have adopted the Challenge. In Canada, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Ontario Association of Architects and cities such as Vancouver have also adopted the Challenge targets.
The 2030 Challenge is widely adopted in the US and globally by individuals, professional organizations, and governments. It has been adopted into federal, state, and local government legislation and has become standard practice in most leading A/E/C firms. As a result, Architecture 2030 has shifted from counting and recording adopters to asking professional firms to report on their progress in meeting the 2030 Challenge targets through the AIA 2030 Commitment.
2030 Challenge for Planning
Targets that address building energy consumption, transportation emissions, and water consumption for new buildings and major renovations.
New Buildings
All new buildings, developments, and major renovations shall be carbon-neutral, use half as much water and emit half as much transportation emissions by 2030:
The built environment is the major source of global demand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases (GHG). Planning decisions not only affect building energy consumptions and GHG emissions, but transportation energy consumption and water use as well, both of which have large environmental implications.
Architecture 2030 has issued the 2030 Challenge for Planning asking the global architecture and planning community to adopt the following targets:
- All new and renovated developments / neighborhoods / towns / cities / regions immediately adopt and implement a 70% reduction standard below the regional average/median for fossil-fuel operating energy consumption for new and renovated buildings and infrastructure. The fossil-fuel reduction standard shall be increased to:
- 80% in 2020
- 90% in 2025
- Carbon-neutral in 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy to operate or construct)
- These targets may be accomplished by implementing innovative sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable power and/or purchasing renewable energy (20% maximum).
- All new buildings and major renovations within developments / neighborhoods / towns / cities / regions also immediately adopt and implement a 50% reduction standard below the regional average/median for:
- CO2 emissions from transportation
- Water consumption
Major Renovations
All existing buildings shall cut fossil fuel energy and water consumption, and transportation emissions, by 50% by 2030:
The Impact of the 2030 Challenge for Planning
The 2030 Challenge for Planning was adopted as the goal set for the 2030 Districts Network, which Architecture 2030 helped form. This independent organization, with a membership of 18 high performance urban building districts across North America, is led by local building industry leaders in the private sector that unite around a shared vision for sustainability and economic growth – aligning with local community groups and government to achieve significant energy, water, and emissions reductions within our commercial cores.
2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon
The embodied carbon emissions from all new buildings, infrastructure, and associated materials must be reduced by 65% by 2030, and zero by 2040.
The 2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon:
Globally we must phase out fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the built environment by 2050 in order to stay “well below 2 ℃ – preferably 1.5 ℃ – warming above pre-industrial levels”, but new research from the IPCC, the UN, and the scientific community stresses the critical importance of a 2030 milestone: if we do not achieve a 65% reduction in total global emissions by 2030 we will have lost the opportunity to meet the 1.5/2 ℃ warming threshold and climate change will become irreversible. The immediate focus for embodied carbon reductions must therefore be on the next decade.
Annually, the embodied carbon of building structure, substructure, and enclosures are responsible for 11% of global GHG emissions and 28% of global building sector emissions. Eliminating these emissions is key to addressing climate change and meeting Paris Climate Agreement targets.
To accomplish this, Architecture 2030 issued the 2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon asking the global architecture and building community to adopt the following targets:
The embodied carbon emissions from all buildings, infrastructure, and associated materials shall immediately meet a maximum global warming potential (GWP) of 40% below the industry average today. The GWP reduction shall be increased to:
- 45% or better in 2025
- 65% or better in 2030
- Zero GWP by 2040
Interested in adopting the 2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon? Contact us:
About Architecture 2030
We are a non-profit organization established in 2002. Architecture 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the built environment from the major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a central part of the solution to the climate and energy crisis.