On to 2021…

Written By George Kontaroudis

The year is almost over, and it has been a difficult one for us all.

However, there are some notable bright spots. In the past few months, more than ever before, there is evidence that the environmental movement may begin to get the attention it deserves. This is especially true with regard to the Sunrise Movement, which made specific demands of the Biden administration that so far are being met. We reported a few times on The Great Reset, a proposal initiated by the World Economic Forum outlining the opportunity that humanity has right now to shift to an economy that is more sustainable in environmental terms. Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret argue in the book that was published last summer that such a shift not only makes sense for the future of humanity, but also makes great economic sense.   

Al Gore recently wrote an inspiring opinion piece for the New York Times in which he explains why he is optimistic about the future. This is encouraging to see a public figure so embedded in this crisis and its difficult battles who says that the problems “however profound, are all solvable”. No doubt he will be present at the climate summit early next year in the United States, which is a positive sign that action is imminent.

Unfortunately, we also must continue to sound the alarm, because drastic action needs to be taken right now. A recent report by the Climate Action Tracker points out that although we are in striking distance of meeting the Paris Agreement of 2℃ with an aspiration of 1.5℃, we are currently at 1.1℃ of global temperature increase.   

As we all know architecture plays a huge role in global CO2 emissions, with almost a third of total emissions associated with the construction and occupation of buildings. The good news is that energy codes work! Although floor area has increased by more than 15% in the US in the past 10 years, carbon emissions associated with buildings have dropped, which is something to be proud of, as our collective work as architects has made that possible. This can be attributed to lower energy use intensity (EUI) in new buildings, energy retrofits as well as renewables in the electricity grid. Lets keep it up, and reinforce our efforts, for if there has ever been a time in history for architects to help solve a great problem it is now.   

I would like to end this year’s newsletter with a collection of beautiful carbon-neutral buildings from around the world curated by Dezeen for inspiration, as well as 7 hotels that are kind to the planet curated by Architizer. Take a look at these forward-thinking designs (the articles include links for a more in-depth look), one of which includes a floating office building in Rotterdam that will use a water-based heat exchange system. Another uses hempcrete because of its great ability sequester carbon.

I wish everyone a safe and restorative holiday break.

Source: Dezeen and Architizer

Source: Dezeen and Architizer

George Kontaroudis
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