International Challenges
Posted : September 30, 2008 by Chien Si, Category: Sustainability
This problem of making a sustainable world is one of the most challenging that the world has ever faced. Although a number of people still actually debate whether CO2 comes from anthropogenic sources, I accept that humans are indeed having an impact. Making the change to a more sustainable built world is going to take a number of adjustments, and the technology for making these changes is just beginning to emerge. I have a unique position at IES, being the first United States based engineer to work for the firm, and it’s my personal view that we won’t see real solutions until the architectural community starts to take on board solving the following general issues:
1) Understanding passive design - I’ve met a lot of people who don’t think passive design applies to their work because they live in climates that are hot and humid, but even the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) does not entirely agree, see RP-1313 for those of you who are interested. Good passive design means having the right ratio of exposed thermal mass to internal load, for starters, which implies learning how to design buildings with no acoustic ceiling tiles, or with brick/stone/cement walls, and other design implications that affect the whole design team. Designing a good passive building is the key pathway to meeting the 2030 challenge, and should be the first great thrust for the architectural industry.
2) Bringing energy modelling into the earliest stages of the design process - I began working in energy modelling in the days many years ago when we were using text-based software programs, and those, though outdated, still existed 5 years ago! That gives you an idea of how far behind the industry is in leveraging this technology effectively. The industry needs tools that are quick on their feet, and architects need answers that they can understand. This is why IES is pushing so hard today, to make it both faster and easier to complete the cycle of drawing your models, receiving feedback, making changes, and moving on to a new iteration. If you can grasp how to use the tools for that cycle, and you understand good passive design, then you are well on your way.
3) Understanding the world around us. No one is going to make an impact unless you know everything that you can about your utility. What sort of power are you receiving from your utility? What is the fuel mix of your utility? How are utilities meeting their base load? Do you belong to an ISO market? What is their peaker plant fuel(s)? As a consumer, can you answer these questions? Do you know what they mean? I challenge you to figure that out and reply to my post. If you have no idea where to start, then start by Googling EPA eGrid…
4) Smart grid technology. Engineers and architects who stay on top of this will be the best long-term planners and design the best buildings. Right now, the sensors are too expensive, but this is the way I think the industry is headed. Unless someone figures out how to develop a super-clean, abundant form of energy, the smart grid is going to be the easiest way to manage emissions from the utility sector. In my opinion, it is going to be the fastest-growing region for emerging technologies in the utility industry.
Well, that is my first post. These are the themes that I will regularly cover – I guess at the moment we are only looking at issues one and two in the majority of the AEC industry right now. Let’s continue to get much better here, but also begin to understand 3 and 4 too. Signing off from San Francisco, CA.
Chien-Si Harriman
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