Are We Building Sustainably? Show Me the Evidence, Peter Locke - Forum Magazine, AIA Seattle

Sustainability in Architecture: it seems that every industry publication has done that article, if not that entire issue.

So why another?

I feel there is still a considerable gap between the issues at hand and what is being built. Even with many thought leaders, supportive public policies, seminars, and conferences offered here in the Pacific Northwest, we still have precious few built examples of measurably sustainable design. For example, only a handful of local projects meet the 2030 Challenge. Since climate change and global warming are happening at an ever greater pace, I believe it is time for a paradigm shift in the way we do business.

Too often I hear from owners and principals, “Of course we are sustainable — it’s embedded in our practice.” Well, call me a sceptic, but let me see the evidence. How many of those buildings meet the 2030 Challenge? How many of them have been third-party certified as green? Tom Paladino asks why, if there are 30,000 LEED accredited professionals, are there only 2000 LEED buildings? It seems that we are making the motions but are not delivering the product.

In order to bring about the change that most of us recognize as being paramount, we will need to step up our game and push the envelope of sustainable design. Architects are well suited to that challenge. The tools to guide us are out there. New tools are being developed by other architects and consultants; hopefully you have found some in this publication.

As you take on your next project, consider how sustainability plays into it from the start. Establish firm sustainability goals at the outset by requiring answers to the difficult questions, use established measurements to validate the design, and evaluate and score the completed project against the original goals.

Architects have one of the most important roles to play in the ongoing struggle against global warming and its effects. We can’t afford to continue with business as usual. It is incumbent on all of us to create designs that measurably address these issues with rigor and intent.

For more from this issue, download PDF or for more issues of Forum Magazine visit http://www.aiaseattle.org/forum.