Is Demand Set to Grow for Architects Specialized in Green Roof Design and Renovation?
CategoriesArchitecture

Is Demand Set to Grow for Architects Specialized in Green Roof Design and Renovation?

Architizer is thrilled to announce the winners of the 11th Annual A+Awards! Interested in participating next season? Sign up for key information about the 12th Annual A+Awards, set to launch this fall.

Rooftops have traditionally been the domain of mechanical equipment, line-drying laundry and the occasional playground for kids. Panoramic views and good weather make the perfect setting for sunset drinks (bars, restaurants and hotels got it right!), but expansive areas of residential building rooftops remain underused around the world. These spaces are waiting to be transformed into pleasant outdoor environments — and not necessarily for lucrative purposes. The benefits of transforming rooftops extend not only to residents but to entire cities at large.

Aerial views of roof terraces. Photo by CHUTTERSNAP via Unsplash

Roof terraces aerial view. Photo by CHUTTERSNAP via Unsplash.

In densely populated areas where scant land is available, underused roofs offer the opportunity to expand green urban areas, promoting urban biodiversity, improving the well-being of city dwellers and reducing negative environmental impact. With green roof technology, rooftops no longer accumulate heat during the day, creating the so-dreaded heat island effect. Instead, they retain rainwater and capture CO2 and pollutants. Turning rooftops into pleasant outdoor spaces accessible to building residents is an effective use of otherwise wasted built space and offers the opportunity to replace lost habitats.

Improving the Quality of Life for City Dwellers

Architects, developers, builders, landscape architects/designers and product manufacturers are the ideal team to create cohesive, functional and sustainable buildings that improve city dwellers’ quality of life. Architectural examples worldwide demonstrate that the effort to counter the overpopulation of urban areas and the scant green spaces is global. They differ, however, in the architectural vocabulary, which, in each case, facilitates the integration of buildings into their specific context, taking into account cultural, climatic and economic factors.

90-unit housing development in Saint-Ouen, France by Atelier du Pont

90-unit housing development in Saint-Ouen, France, by Atelier du Pont. Photo by Takuji Shimmura. 

Take, for example, Atelier du Pont  90-unit mixed-use building in Saint-Ouen, near Paris, France, which draws inspiration from the city’s industrial heritage. The project offers private open spaces at various levels and a shared community garden, a gathering spot for the building’s residents.

The building’s overall massing of staggered concrete “boxes” maximizes natural daylight, while brightly colored metal balconies provide private outdoor spaces. On the sixth floor, a community garden offers open space for residents to grow their own organic vegetables and socialize. As open spaces in cities dwindle, rooftops and terraces open a world of opportunities.

Avalon Bay Urban Housing Landscape by Todd Rader + Amy Crews Architecture Landscape Architecture LLC

Avalon Bay Urban Housing Landscape by Todd Rader + Amy Crews Architecture Landscape Architecture LLC, New York City, NY

Meanwhile, our next case study brings us to the New York City, where Todd Rader + Amy Crews designed the landscapes at Avalon Bowery Place in the heart of the concrete jungle, where scant land is available. The new landscapes root the project in the urban context and provide open space for the building’s residents and the neighborhood.

The project includes three landscapes at the ground level and two on building rooftops. While the ground-level landscapes unify the complex through visual connection and material selection, the roof terraces are physically isolated landscapes in the sky, where they enjoy sunny exposure and participate in the aerial archipelago formed by the landscape of city rooftops.

Nieuw Bergen development in Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Nieuw Bergen by MVRDV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Finally, let’s take a look at The Nieuw Bergen — a multi-unit housing development in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Its design responds to an urban strategy tool that the architects, MVRDV, have been developing and implementing in cities on the way to sustainable densification. This strategy establishes environmentally friendly and dynamic living conditions for residents. The sloped roofs maximize sunlight for the buildings and the public spaces at street level, resulting in significant energy savings. The diverse roofscape of solar panels and greenery complement the area’s architectural character of new and existing buildings.

So, given all of the clear urban benefits demonstrated by the private initiatives explored in these examples, what would it look like to implement green roof design at an urban scale? Well, one European city has already recognized the broader benefits of mandating this architectural upgrade and is exploring ways to provide impetus for designers to incorporate green roofs in their plans.

Barcelona Living Terrace Roofs and Green Roofs Initiative

Following the example of other European cities, Barcelona has been promoting environmentally conscious initiatives, offering sustainable solutions to reduce pollution and increase access to green areas (internationally, Barcelona’s popular superblock concept has received a lot of coverage). Now, the Living Roofs and Green Covers initiative highlights the social and environmental benefits of green roofs and, since 2017, has been the platform to launch the Green Roof Competitions to promote the creation of green rooftops in privately owned residential buildings.

Initiatives like this one are paramount to raising environmental awareness. According to the Guide to Living Terrace Roofs and Green Roofs published by the City of Barcelona in 2014, it is estimated that 67% of the surface area of roofs in Barcelona (1,764.4 hectares) could be landscaped. If this could ever be achieved, the temperature in the city would drop by approximately two degrees, the green area per resident would more than double and the levels of air pollution would be considerably lower.

The Expansion of the Green Roof Market

The surface area that city building roofs cover is vast, and the social and environmental benefits of greening these surfaces are considerable. Building owners invest in green roofs, designers dream up the plans, and city authorities play a major role in spreading the practice. Choosing between living in the suburbs close to nature and living in the city near work is no longer necessary. Building residents are looking for homes with outdoor access, especially since the pandemic.

Aware of the increasingly popular demand, the real estate industry sees multi-unit residential buildings with partially or entirely planted rooftops as an architectural trend that adapts to a contemporary lifestyle. But how fast is the green roof market expanding? Studies indicate that the global green roof market has been steadily growing at a rate of 17% since 2020 and is expected to grow at this same rate through 2027. Limitations for this growth? Unfavorable climate conditions and maintenance requirements.

Architizer is thrilled to announce the winners of the 11th Annual A+Awards! Interested in participating next season? Sign up for key information about the 12th Annual A+Awards, set to launch this fall.

Reference

Demand Response Technology: Key to Decarbonizing Multifamily
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Demand Response Technology: Key to Decarbonizing Multifamily

As municipal and state regulations targeting carbon emissions in buildings slowly come online, multifamily building emissions are becoming most critical. These codes challenge owners, designers, facilities engineers, and even tenants to meet net zero commitments. Unfortunately, multifamily properties pose difficult obstacles to retrofitting with clean technologies and energy upgrades, given their split incentive between owners and tenants. One key is demand response technology, which lets homeowners and tenants voluntarily reduce energy use during grid emergencies.

For example, more than 30,000 New York City building owners must undertake energy transition upgrades to prepare for the city’s groundbreaking Local Law 97. The law propels New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act of 2019, which hopes to cut the city’s carbon emissions by 40% over the next 6 years. Starting in January 2024, these larger buildings must comply with mandatory greenhouse gas limits or face steep fines. Multifamily properties face the strictest rulings, as they comprise the largest energy consumption and overall contributions to carbon emissions.

Most of these buildings fail to comply with the new limits as they currently stand. Emissions reductions can only be achieved through building efficiency upgrades, like insulation; electrification of HVAC systems; and integration of smart home devices like thermostats. These properties demand research and widespread implementation initiatives as we head closer to 2024. First, owners and management companies must educate their tenants on the necessary changes and encourage them to play an active role in their building’s energy transition.

Demand response technology offers split incentives

How can multifamily properties overcome split incentives for making energy consumption changes and meeting emissions regulations? The primary answer lies with DR platforms, which provide financial incentives to both building owners and tenants. When electricity usage across a community spikes, utility companies are often forced to turn to polluting, fossil fuel–powered “peaker plants” to meet the excess demand. This leads to a mass increase in both carbon emissions and the cost of producing electricity–as well as local pollution.

image of smartphones showing energy management/demand response app - photoDemand response (DR) technology and pricing programs have proven to reduce energy consumption during peak periods, benefiting both local utility and the environment. Some DR programs allow utilities and grid operators to directly tap into participating customer assets, like energy storage systems, to use stored energy to support the grid. Other programs use customer engagement tactics, like alerts via app to encourage the resident to voluntarily reduce energy use themselves to help lower the peak.

Tenants and owners can receive direct cash payments from utility companies for participating. Most often, residents shift their energy consumption during peak demand times. This could be as simple as turning off a few lights or raising thermostats by a few degrees during warmer weather. These simple actions—multiplied across a city or region—add up! Collectively, they balance the strain on the grid and reduce the need for utilities to resort to peaker plants.

Automation makes it easy

Demand response technology can activate smart home devices deployed at scale in apartments, condos, and co-ops, to automatically adjust energy consumption during a grid event: thus creating “virtual power plants” (VPPs). Groups of residents living in the same building, or even spread across an entire utility territory, using the same DR platform represent a potentially significant amount of flexible energy use. When called upon to support the grid during times of high demand, their combined load reduction could offset several tons of CO2 emissions, or even negate the need for a utility to fire up a peaker plant. Utility companies benefit by cutting costs and emissions.

DR technologies also allow utility companies and building owners to compile data. Dashboards show how and when buildings are using energy, which can then be used to understand how energy is being used, further adjust schedules, and assess impact of reducing or shifting energy use. Access to data is instrumental for buildings and utility companies to understand existing emissions levels, manage energy usage, and maintain or achieve compliance after emission caps are instituted.

 

modern affordable housing project - exterior photo

 

How can multifamily properties participate in DR?

To help building owners get started with these DR technologies, rebates (most recently via the Inflation Reduction Act) can support investments in energy efficient capital improvements with smart load management. Tax incentives and rebates provide owners with a more accessible path to lower energy costs for themselves and residents, and reduce carbon emissions building-wide. Building owners can also take advantage of regional programs that provide financing for upgrading buildings. In New York for example, owners can participate in this local funding facility to accelerate VPP projects and overall decarbonization.

As climate laws similar to Local Law 97 pop up across the country, multifamily properties are adopting necessary DR technologies and encouraging changes among residents. The appliances and tools that multifamily buildings will need to meet emissions rulings and other climate laws are available now. Ultimately, owners must take control of their energy usage and include residents on the journey to a cleaner future, for their building and community.

The author:

Jeff Hendler serves as CEO and co-founder of Logical Buildings,

Reference

Builder Training & Consumer Demand Are Key To Getting to Zero
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Builder Training & Consumer Demand Are Key To Getting to Zero

For the world to meet its climate goals, we all need to play a part in transforming the built environment to zero energy and zero carbon. That’s why we at EEBA (Energy & Environmental  Building Alliance ) are setting our sights on making Zero Energy and Zero Carbon homes attainable and available for everyone through zero energy home builder training and consumer engagement. 

Zero Energy Home Builder Training on the Path to Zero

To do this, we have substantially increased educational content, training and professional designations to support builders who are on the path to zero energy and zero carbon home construction.  Check out the Intro to EEBA and more at the  EEBA Academy which features more than 250 hours of on-demand education including the Net Zero Building Professional designation.  To learn more, sign up to receive alerts about our weekly Webinar Series, and our EEBA High Performance Home Summit

Building Demand for Zero Energy Homes

We also continue to cast our net broadly through our expanded partnerships with  Team Zero. Together we are building demand for zero energy homes by arming consumers with the information, programs, and local professional resources needed for them to plan their own path to zero.     

List Your Zero Energy Homes on the North American Inventory of Zero Energy Homes

If you are on the EEBA or Team Zero mailing list, you will be receiving this free Zero Energy Project Newsletter 10 times per year. All EEBA builders and designers who have designed or built a zero energy home are invited to list their zero homes in Team Zero’s Inventory of Zero Energy Homes, and be sure your business is listed in the Zero Energy Project’s Directory of Zero Energy Building Professionals.

 

About the Author:

Aaron Smith | EEBAAaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) which represents a community of over 50,000 builders and their stakeholders across North America that are truly the early adopters and innovators in driving sustainable transformation of the homebuilding industry.

Aaron has over 25 years of experience in home construction, building products, sustainability and non-profit board leadership. Aaron can be reached at aaron@eeba.org

 

Reference

New material could lead to wound dressings that deliver medication on demand
CategoriesSustainable News

New material could lead to wound dressings that deliver medication on demand

Spotted: Researchers at Brown University have developed a material that responds to the presence of bacteria by releasing encapsulated medication. Although still in the research stages, the material could lead to the development of wound dressings that deliver medication only when it is needed. This, in turn, could reduce the use of antibiotics and the growth of antibiotic-resistant infections.

The new material is in the form of a hydrogel, a polymer that is sensitive to a class of enzymes called β-lactamases, that are released by a number of harmful bacteria. In the presence of β-lactamases the hydrogel’s polymer network breaks down, releasing the therapeutic nanoparticles inside.

Hydrogels are already used in wound dressings, and ‘smart’ hydrogels can be used to speed up or slow down the release of medication depending on factors such as temperature and pH. The Brown team hopes to continue developing its hydrogel and eventually test it in a clinical setting.

“We’ve developed a bacteria-triggered, smart drug-delivery system,” said Anita Shukla, an associate professor in Brown’s School of Engineering who led the material’s development. “Our hypothesis is that technologies like this, which reduce the amount of drug that’s required for effective treatment, can also reduce both side effects and the potential for resistance.”

Given the urgency of finding solutions to the issue of AMR, it is no wonder that Springwise has seen a number of innovations in this area. Recent developments have included the use of rapid gene sequencing to find areas with high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and biomaterials that are naturally antibacterial. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Website: brown.edu

Contact: brown.edu/about/contact-us

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