With federal funding to fight climate change in jeopardy, it may be architecture and landscape architecture firms, along with the associations that represent them, that will be increasingly counted upon to rise to the challenge of advancing the fight.
As of this writing, funds for greenhouse gas reduction remain frozen while court proceedings are ongoing. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) funding, encompassing initiatives like the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator and National Clean Investment Fund, cannot currently be accessed by recipients.
This means advocacy and innovation, oft initiated by firms in architecture and landscape architecture, is increasingly essential to fostering a resilient and sustainable tomorrow.
By incorporating sustainable principles at each stage of the design, the architecture profession has the ability to produce structures that endure and benefit their occupants. To address the ongoing climate crisis, architects can design carbon-positive, clean energy producing materials incorporating current materials and technology. They can advocate for building code and zoning regulations updates. They can design in biophilic elements such as greenery and organic materials to support occupants’ physical and mental well-being. And they can link residents and office workers with nature through the use of such elements as rooftop gardens, interior courtyards and green walls.
“Grassroots advocacy is more important than ever before, especially in the realm of architecture and design, where our actions can significantly influence a sustainable future,” says Michael Hayes, managing executive at TPG Architecture, a New York City-based architectural and design firm. “As designers, we are responsible for promoting the integration of climate-conscious solutions, whether it’s advocating for updates to building codes or championing materials that support both the environment and human well-being. Through grassroots efforts, we lead with sustainability in every project and conversation, shaping healthier, more resilient communities.”
New stone age
As noted, architects are in the forefront of exploring innovative building materials with the potential to substantially cut the carbon footprints of structures incorporating them.
London-based architectural firm Hawkins\Brown was commissioned by Albion Stone and Hutton Stone to design Brick From a Stone: Arch Revival, a pavilion featuring a pair of eye-catching vaulted hyperbolic arches displayed at Clerkenwell Design Week in London’s Clerkenwell district last week. Each arch is created from a single layer of stone bricks only 102 mm. thick, providing evidence of the product’s suitability as a load-bearing material. Clay-fired bricks used for centuries exact an enormous carbon toll, featuring as they do multiple raw materials that must be mixed, dried and heated to 2,912 degrees Fahrenheit.
But stone begins life as a zero-carbon material that doesn’t need making, and requires energy solely to mine and cut the material. Brick From a Stone: Arch Revival, boasts 66% less embodied carbon than identical structure constructed with clay-fired bricks.
Economic benefits
Landscape architects also have a role in propelling a greener future. Late last year, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) released a new brief on the economic benefits of landscape architecture and nature-based solutions. The brief revealed landscape architects boost economic value via their planning and design of nature-based solutions. Landscape architect’s work generates economic benefit in five key areas: Improved human health and livability, broadened investment and sustainable jobs, increased biodiversity, results beyond net-zero and more robust resilience.
Global policymakers are interested in ratcheting up investment in nature-based solutions, noted ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen. Before doing so, however, they seek to learn the tradeoff between the solutions’ costs and their economic benefits. As a result of the new brief released last November, quantitative evidence is available of the economic value landscape architects create through their design of the solutions.
For instance, nature-based solutions like rain gardens, bioswales and green roof effectively manage stormwater and can be built for 5 to 30% less and maintained for 25% less than conventional infrastructure. What’s more, every dollar invested in parks and green space can yield from $4 to $11 in tourism growth, enhanced property values and better community health.
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