PSA-Dewberry, one of the nation’s leading design firms, has announced that the firm has adopted the 2030 Challenge, a global initiative aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels through sustainable strategies in building design.
The 2030 Challenge was created by Architecture 2030, a non-profit, independent organization established by architect Edward Mazria, AIA, in 2002. Architecture 2030’s mission is to transform the international building industry’s role as a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to one that serves instead as a central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis.
The challenge requires each new building project or major renovation to be designed to achieve an energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional or national average for that building type. For new building projects, this performance standard will increase to 60% in the year 2010. Every five years, the standard will increase by an additional 10% to achieve a standard of carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030.
According to Architecture 2030, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that buildings are responsible for nearly half (48%) of all greenhouse gas emissions annually, and that 76% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to the building sector. Mazria and his organization have pointed out that, as a result, architects and engineers are in a unique position to champion energy independence and improved air quality.
Tim Kraft, AIA, LEED AP, an associate principal with PSA-Dewberry, says that the firm plans to “share the 2030 Challenge with all of our clients and set an energy-efficiency target for every design project.”
Energy-efficient and high-performance design strategies have been integral to PSA-Dewberry’s design work for several years, notes Kraft. “At the Jack Evans Police Headquarters in Dallas, for which we completed design in 2002, we were able to cut energy cost by 43% through the use of energy-saving system components,” he says. The project was the first building constructed for the city of Dallas to earn a LEED® Silver rating.
“Our design process must be re-focused from designing objects on the landscape to letting the environment shape our buildings. Our designs emphasize passive solar and natural daylighting concepts that are supplemented with highly efficient mechanical and electrical systems,” says Kraft. “The re-focused design process provides our clients with high performance buildings that will greatly reduce their operating and maintenance cost over the life of the buildings.”
PSA-Dewberry provides Life Cycle Costing (LCC) reports to evaluate system options and substantiate cost savings to determine the true cost of each project. “When we began focusing more on sustainable design strategies several years ago, we were constantly challenging our clients to consider the benefits and long-term value,” says Randy Gibson, PE, president of PSA-Dewberry. “It was an educational process for them. Now, our clients are right in step with us on green design initiatives, and challenging us to optimize building performance through all facets of design. The building industry has made great strides on the issue, in both the public and the private sectors.”
The firm is currently designing the new Killeen Police Station in Killeen, Texas and the Western Illinois University Quad Cities Riverfront Campus in Moline, Illinois. Both projects utilize geothermal mechanical systems. Energy modeling calculations indicate the designs are achieving energy reductions greater than 40%. The award-winning Oakton Library, which recently opened in Fairfax County, Virginia, also incorporated highly efficient mechanical and electrical systems and was also designed to meet LEED certification guidelines.
