Please Note: We have listed this article course The Role of Design in Building Decarbonization: Calling Upon Architects + Engineers as a flipbook on this page .It is for those interested in auditing the course/lesson. Please enroll in the course or get a Platinum membership and access all our courses at your leisure. This way you can report this course for Continuing Education (CE) or need a certificate. Enrolled students must take and pass the short quiz in order to earn CE credits. In addition, this course needs to be self-reported. Self-reporting information will be accessible once you complete the Quiz.
Architects and engineers play a significant role in building decarbonization. They are responsible for designing, constructing, and retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Using systems thinking, they can design buildings that use sustainable materials, technologies such as renewable energy sources such solar panels and wind turbines, and site orientation to maximize the use of the natural environment to create a healthy, comfortable interior for building inhabitants. By applying environmental sustainability principles at the design stage, architects and engineers have an impact on embodied emissions from building construction to operational emissions due to energy consumption. The process requires collaboration between architects, engineers, and other stakeholders during the planning and design stage, and success can lead to a significant reduction of the built environment’s carbon footprint.
What you will learn
- Describe how systems thinking affects building design
- Explain the importance of building site selection from a long-term carbon emissions perspective
- Discuss the principle of adaptive reuse of buildings
- Explain the concept of integrative building design
- Discuss different approaches to designing energy-efficient buildings, including passive design and integrated renewable energy systems
- Describe some of the high-tech innovations in building design incorporating innovative new materials and other elements that increase energy efficiency
- Explain Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in building design
- Explore the role of BIM and BEM in designing energy-efficient buildings
