Net-zero energy buildings are the exception rather than the norm. But this design firm is hoping to change that.
is part of a sprawling complex of government service buildings, the largest concentration of federal agencies outside of Washington D.C. The building has been repurposed several times; it was previously a World War II munitions plant and most recently an aging National Archives and Records Administration warehouse.
For now, these kinds of net-zero energy buildings are the exception rather than the norm. But the design firm behind Building 48 is hoping to change that. “Architects have a big impact on the planet,” says CannonDesign's sustainability director, Eric Corey Freed.
But Freed says that the greatest benefits the company sees are by repurposing and retrofitting old buildings. “If you can transform an existing building into what you need it to be today, it's far more sustainable than building a new one,” he says. Often, people will get excited about new buildings, but they come at a steep cost, including for the environment. For example, reusing the existing building for the Department of the Interior Business Center saved the equivalent carbon needed to drive an average caror power 3,300 homes for a single year.
“Sustainability is not just something that reduces operation cost, but also enhances people's experience of the building,” says Freed. “I'm not selling clients on sustainability. I'm really selling them on the outcomes and benefits that sustainability provides.”TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
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