Environmental Design + Construction editorial

In a world where the paramount design problem has evolved towards climate change and global warming, the practice of architecture and construction has transformed dramatically. This context has elevated the need for Owners, Architects and Contractors to collaborate in the pursuit of cost effective, durable, comfortable, energy efficient and most importantly productive rather than consumptive building environments. This level of evaluation and interdisciplinary thinking has become a requirement for all members of the design team, including the owners and contractors.

Architects need the mutual support of our consultant colleagues and contractors that we depend upon early in the process to achieve the ambitions and requirements of our clients. The laws of physics remain the same as they did before “green building” became a term, and we still have to do the math in our design processes. As an industry, we must be as comfortable discussing and understanding performance metrics such as btu/sf/year or cfm/sf of shell, as we are with the mileage of our cars, the cost per square foot of construction, or the percentage of fee that is required to do a good job. It’s essential, and becoming fluent is not easy. Our small architecture practice has built relationships with many design and construction firms, both large and small, throughout North America, but primarily in the Northeast. These relationships offer not only access to some of the best minds in green architecture and energy efficiency, but a network of friends and colleagues to learn from and with.

This coming March in Boston, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Building Energy Conference and Trade Show (see ad on facing page) will take place. This is the 33rd annual gathering where you can meet and talk with people who are committed to forging lifelong relationships of mutual support to advance the green building movement. The structure of the workshops and sessions provide a forum to look at topics in depth in an applied manner, and you will be encouraged to ask questions and refine the evolving understanding of these emerging issues. NESEA’s membership is engaged in thinking about what’s on the horizon and the bigger meaning of our practices. You will have the opportunity to learn the difference and meaning of various performance metrics, be provided with case studies supported with actual data, and be surrounded with people who care deeply about what they practice.

--Thomas RC Hartman, AIA