Jun 3, 2025 _ news

GBBN Takes Home Third EDRA CORE Award

The Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) has announced the Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) recipients for 2025. GBBN was recognized for our research study, “Green for Green: Developing the IRA Incentive Calculator for Equitable Climate Action,” which was conducted under the direction of GBBN’s Director of Research, Shan Jiang, Ph.D.

When introduced in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided significant funding for sustainable development in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries, with a particular focus on underserved and low-income communities. GBBN’s IRA Calculator was a product of cross-pollination among GBBN’s Research and Sustainability & Resilience teams. Developed with CMTA, the Calculator offers an evidence-based, user-friendly tool to estimate financial incentives for healthcare facilities, promote equitable development, affordable housing, environmental justice in disadvantaged communities.

While several of the provisions in the IRA are currently facing political headwinds, many incentives remain, including those for energy efficient commercial buildings and homes as well as renewable energy investments and electric appliances and equipment. Providing clients—including healthcare organizations—developers, and fellow architects with an intuitive tool, that, in the words of one EDRA CORE jury member, “bridges the gap between federal policy and practical implementation in sustainable design.”  

Additional jury comments include: “This study is well-aligned with its objectives. The selected project types, incentive categories, and eligibility across sectors are thoughtfully chosen to address real-world challenges faced by AEC professionals. Its open-access format and capacity for industry-wide benchmarking increase its long-term applicability and impact. Overall, the study demonstrates strong relevance, clear methodology, and a significant potential to influence sustainable design practice”

As signatories of the American Institute of Architects 2030 Commitment, we’ve pledged to design our projects to be net zero by 2030. Part of this commitment means sharing research, knowledge, and tools with the architecture, engineering, and construction community because we all have a vested interest in long-lived buildings that operate efficiently for their owners.

Thank you to EDRA and the jury for recognizing our work this year!

Read about our previous EDRA CORE Awards.
Read more about our IRA Calculator.
Read more about research at GBBN here.
Read more about sustainability, resilience, and well-being at GBBN here.