HDR Architecture Inc., a global A/E/C firm, recently signed the “Architecture 2030 Challenge,” an initiative designed to achieve a dramatic reduction in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by changing the way buildings and developments are planned, designed and constructed. The 2030 Challenge focuses on the building community because buildings are a major source of demand for the energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gas emissions.
“HDR has grown to become an influential, international design firm, and we must demonstrate bold leadership in response to growing environmental concerns,” says Merle Bachman, president of HDR Architecture. “Signing the 2030 Challenge represents a significant step for our projects and project staff, one that I am confident is the right next step forward.”
Specifically, the 2030 Challenge calls for the 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 50 percent of the regional (or country) average 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 50 percent of the regional (or country) average for that building type.
- The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings and major renovations shall be increased to: 60 percent in 2010; 70 percent in 2015; 80 percent in 2020; 90 percent in 2025; and carbon-neutral in 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG-emitting energy to operate).
These targets may be accomplished by implementing innovative sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable power and/or purchasing (20 percent maximum) renewable energy and/or certified renewable energy credits.
Signing the 2030 Challenge is one of a number of steps HDR has recently implemented to advance its sustainability efforts. In 2008, HDR released a Sustainability Vision Document, which was developed by a cross-company sustainable leadership team to describe HDR’s commitment to sustainability and the factors influencing the firm’s strategic direction. Last November, HDR released its Corporate Sustainability Report, which illustrates how the firm “walks the talk” regarding its environmental, social and economic impacts. The report can be accessed online at www.hdrgreen.com.
Architecture 2030 is a nonprofit, non-partisan and independent organization whose mission is to rapidly transform the U.S. and global building sector from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis. For more information regarding the 2030 Challenge, visit www.architecture2030.org.
