Why in the world am I writing this book? Because I believe that architects must lead building design into our unknown climate future. We achieve leadership through engaging our processes, designing better buildings, and demanding environmental performance. I have been an academic since 2006, when I first began teaching. New to this universe, I found it intimidating yet inspiring. I was previously involved with the U.S. Green Building Council’s local chapter in Nebraska and worked briefly at Leo A. Daly.
One big disconnect we observed existed between the architect’s wish to design a more sustainable building and the knowledge required to do so. We don’t mean to suggest that anyone we’ve worked with is incompetent, of course, but this point is to identify that often our efforts to do what we think is right for the environment are at odds with our knowledge about what exactly we seek to achieve. An early example is the LEED rating system, plagued by criticism over its point system, which nonetheless moved the building industry toward greater sustainability, by awarding comparable points for often-disparate impacts on the environment. This phenomenon to quantify sustainability continues in other forms; another example is the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored Solar Decathlon national design/ build competition, where the technological value of the houses produced has greater value than their architectural quality. These efforts to measure and count something are important, though they can interfere with our ability to see the true value that design offers our built environment. This book is our attempt to connect the values of architectural design and measurable energy performance to improve the sustainability of our built environment.