All photos courtesy of archimania.
Last May, ILFI was thrilled to share that archimania’s office achieved dual Zero Energy and Zero Carbon certification. Jacob Davis, AIA, LEED AP, and Senior Associate with archimania explains their project’s approach to addressing carbon, both in their building and the community at large:
“By upcycling the existing concrete and terrazzo floor, steel structure, and exterior masonry, while incorporating new materials with high recycled content and/or locally sourced, we were able to reduce the embodied carbon by 67% from a conventional new build. By reducing the operational energy demand with a geothermal HVAC system, lighting controls, and daylight harvesting, the 50kW rooftop solar array more than offset the power demand. Collectively, archimania’s investment in energy-saving strategies has produced a net return on investment in less than 10 years – defying conventional developer logic. As we look ahead, the research-driven process and data being produced provide insight into how sustainable strategies can be scaled across a wide range of building sizes and typologies in both existing and new construction. We are currently expanding our case study and proof-of-concept to understand the impact that these results could have along a 2-mile “Carbon Neutral Corridor,” with a projected impact equal to removing 8,000 cars off the street annually or powering 4,000 homes each year.”
In a video about the project, we’re reminded that “in order to meet 2050 emissions target, 75% of the existing building stock, or 54 billion square feet, needs to be renovated and retrofitted.” ILFI currently has over 20 million square feet of project space pursuing Zero Carbon certification, so we’re looking for many more partners in this effort. For some strategies to address embodied carbon in your next project, see Inonge Mubita’s piece in this month’s trim tab. Contact sales@living-future.org for more information on our programs and commit to taking action to address carbon emissions in your next project by pursuing ZC, Core or Living Building Challenge certification. Visit Declare to see the new generation of labels that include embodied carbon information so that you can select the best products for health and carbon. To see the other projects that were recently certified at our annual Living Future event, visit our May trimtab.
