Our goal is to promote broader awareness about the environmental impact that buildings have on the world, and contribute to conversations about the leadership role that the architecture, engineering and construction industries can play in global efforts to answer the challenges posed by climate change.
We believe that every Gensler project should contribute to our world by enhancing the experience of people who use the places, spaces and communities that we design. We also believe every project is an opportunity to make a positive impact on our environment.
Impact by Design 2017 is Gensler’s second annual publication analyzing the sustainable performance of our work. In it, we provide a comprehensive look at the energy performance and the carbon impact of our design work, a broad analysis of how new innovations in design, engineering, and technology are improving the sustainable footprint of the global built environment, and recently completed projects that exemplify sustainable design in action, while noting specific strategies or design aspects that have made noticeable differences.
How Buildings
Impact the
Environment
Understanding the
challenges and
opportunities ahead
-
Energy Use
by Sector -
Scales of
Impact -
Design
Process
Energy Use by Sector
Buildings are a major end-use in global energy markets and need to be a strong component of any countryʼs plan to save energy.
Buildings are a major end-use in global energy markets and need to be a strong component of any countryʼs plan to save energy.
There are significant opportunities for impact at every scale, from the individual and office to the scale of entire districts, neighborhoods, and cities.
Incorporating sustainable goals and milestones at every step of the design process is key to achieving performance gains.
Measuring
Our Impact
An analysis of the energy
performance of Gensler’s
2016 project portfolio
-
Project
Performance -
Building
Projects -
Interior
Projects
Project Performance
Gensler’s 2016 projects are designed to offset 11 million metric tons of CO2 every year, representing a 50 percent energy savings compared to CBECS 2003. The industry average performance for 2016 was a 42 percent improvement over baseline according to the AIA’s most recent published report.
Gensler’s 2016 projects are designed to offset 11 million metric tons of CO2 every year, representing a 50 percent energy savings compared to CBECS 2003. The industry average performance for 2016 was a 42 percent improvement over baseline according to the AIA’s most recent published report.
The designed Energy Use Intensity (EUI) average for our 2016 portfolio represents a 51 percent improvement over US average energy performance. EUI is a measure of energy use that represents an estimated number based on a building’s design and energy model. EUI is measured in kBTUs per square foot per year.
The designed Lighting Power Density (LPD) average for our 2016 portfolio represents a 19 percent improvement over ASHRAE 90.1- 2007 standards. LPD is a calculation of the installed lighting power of an interior environment, and is measured in watts per square foot.
Guide to
Making an
Impact
Strategies shaping
the future of
sustainable design
At every scale, we must be at once pragmatic and visionary to achieve meaningful change. These analyses are a first step in those discussions, helping to identify "low hanging fruit"—strategies that are underutilized despite high ROI and impact, and should be implemented today—alongside those to watch in the future as ROI timelines shift faster along with technical and design innovation.
City/District
At the city/district scale, strategies with some of the most opportunity to make an impact are:
- Light colored concrete or permeable paving
- Increase tree canopy shading
- District cooling plant efficiency
- Robust public transportation networks
- Ecodistricts (tactical sustainable developments aimed at reducing their collective sustainable footprint)
Buildings
At the building scale, strategies with some of the most opportunity to make an impact are:
- LED lighting
- Solar water heating
- Heat Recovery Chillers (capture waste heat and converts to chilled water building cooling.)
- Real-Time Performance Modeling
- Solar Chimney (designed stacks that organize a building to induce cool air induction and hot air exhaust to offset internal heat gains)
Interiors
For interior environments, strategies with some of the most opportunity to make an impact are:
- Demand Dimming
- Energy Star Appliance
- Task Lighting
- Ceiling Fans
- Real-Time Performance Modeling
- Demand Response (For example, smart appliances can adjust ventilation patterns during non-working hours)
- Disaggregation (structural panels that are pre- fabricated with appropriate insulation and vapor barrier technologies)
Sustainability
in Action
Gensler projects that
push the boundaries of
sustainable performance
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