This article originally appeared in the December 2017 issue of School Planning & Management magazine and is posted in its entirety with permission.
Can you imagine the day when your school building is producing as much energy as it needs? Can you envision that your next school won’t create pollution as it operates? What if your school facility was a significant tool that prepared students for jobs that previous generations couldn’t even imagine? Intelligent buildings are the future!
Buildings are the foremost cause of greenhouse gases (GHG) due to the materials they require and the energy they demand. Architecture 2030—a non-profit organization focused on rapidly transforming the global-built environment from the major contributor of GHG emissions to a central part of the solution to the climate crisis— issued The 2030 Challenge, to drastically reduce the growth rate of GHG emissions. Building and architecture professionals, as well as leaders from a myriad of industries and government entities, are responding. The stage has been set for low-carbon buildings; and schools with sustainability and high-performance attributes are increasingly common place. Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings, while still the exception, are anticipated to become the new normal we can all embrace.