Insights


Turning Risk into Opportunity

对不起,此内容只适用于美式英文

With frequent hurricanes causing damage in the east and south and seasonal wildfires burning across the west, the American coasts grab most of the headlines when it comes to catastrophic weather events. Those of us in the middle of the country may not feel urgency to address climate change but this is a false sense of security.

In the Midwest and inland parts of the Southeast, the effects of climate change are indeed less obvious and more abstract but concerning, nonetheless. The region may not get hurricanes and fires, but that doesn’t mean climate change isn’t negatively affecting our quality of life or hindering our businesses. More intense and frequent heat waves, increased humidity, and degraded water and air quality threaten the region. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, over 20 million Midwesterners breath air so polluted that it fails to meet national air quality standards. This is expected to worsen as temperatures increase. The frequency of major heat waves in the Midwest has increased over the last six decades. Extreme rainfall and flooding have also increased during the last century, and these trends are expected to continue across the entire region. In the Midwest, when it rains, it will – more and more frequently – pour.

As an architect and sustainability consultant who has worked at both design firms and environmental non-profits over the last 20 years, I’ve had countless conversations with business leaders—in healthcare, academia, the arts, real estate, and non-profit organizations—who understand the urgency to act. At GBBN, we work with our clients to implement positive change that mutually benefits the health of their people and the environment in a way that makes business sense for their organizations.

Over 20 million Midwesterners breath air so polluted that it fails to meet national air quality standards.

We carefully consider our clients’ budgets as we look for opportunities to create better buildings that are more comfortable, efficient, and resilient to withstand these more frequent and more extreme weather events. We strive to design spaces that enhance the well-being of the building occupants’ daily lives today and in the future. We also see opportunities in our own business operations to make smart business decisions that meet our broader sustainability goals. GBBN is involved in several initiatives to help increase awareness and take action towards creating a sustainable and resilient region:

American Institute of Architects 2030 Commitment Signatory
The built environment is responsible for 75% of annual, global, greenhouse gas emissions; buildings alone account for 39%. By signing the AIA’s 2030 Commitment, GBBN has agreed to design its buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030. We report the energy performance of our projects to the AIA’s Design Data Exchange annually, so we can continue to build and leverage energy benchmarks that help our clients plan for the future.

SAP CoverSustainability Action Plan
GBBN’s Sustainability Action Plan describes how we are refining our processes so we can continue to deliver long-lasting, low maintenance, resilient, and healthy buildings. This living document, updated annually helps us set goals, prioritize initiatives, and guides our internal and external engagements related to Design, Metrics, Community Engagement, Training and Education, and Firm Operations. We also share some of the analytical tools we use to inform design decisions. Ongoing analysis and thoughtful iteration help us make informed decisions about our clients’ sustainability priorities.

AIA Framework for DesignAIA Framework for Design Excellence
Throughout our work, we use the AIA Framework for Design Excellence to help guide us toward a zero-carbon world that is equitable and resilient for everyone. It is comprised of 10 design principles including Integrations, Equitable Communities, Ecosystems, Water, Economy, Energy, Well-being, Resources, Change, and Discovery.  This adaptable framework helps us look beyond simple energy or water metrics to harness design to impact cities and lives.

CIN_2030Cincinnati 2030 District Member and Professional Partner
2030 Districts are a national model for urban sustainability. GBBN is a Member and Professional Partner in Cincinnati’s 2030 District and other 2030 Districts where our US offices are located.

Joining 2030 districts signals our commitment to reduce our energy use, water consumption, and emissions from transportation 50% by 2030. As a Professional Partner, we will also help other members meet these goals in their buildings by sharing our expertise. Being good sustainability partners for our clients means staying abreast of best practices and tracking new innovations so we can deliver long-lasting, healthy buildings.

2021 Design Issues Series: GBBN’s Environmental Justice Symposium
GBBN’s annual Design Issues Series (DIS) engages our US offices in Cincinnati, Louisville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Pittsburgh to tackle design issues impacting our work and communities. Our 2021 DIS topic focuses on the connection between sustainability and social equity.

In January, GBBN convened The Environmental Justice Symposium. With five panels over two days, we brought together sustainability advocates, city planners, developers, policy experts, designers, and the mayors of Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, to discuss the question: “How do we build the more just, more sustainable world to which we aspire?”

 

Our engagement in these initiatives and more in the year ahead allows GBBN continue to be a thoughtful, strategic, partner to our clients and help them make informed decisions about their own organization’s performance goals. The effects of climate change in our region will continue to pose risks the operations of our buildings and organizations throughout the Midwest. A new year brings renewed hope for the future and new opportunities to set goals, act, and positively impact people by building a healthy, sustainable, equitable, and resilient world. We invite you to join us and share your sustainability goals for 2021.

 

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Tiffany Broyles Yost is Director of Sustainability and Resilience at GBBN where she provides strategic leadership for sustainable design across the firm’s portfolio of projects, manages the research of the firm’s Sustainability Action Network, and spearheads educational initiatives related to environmental design and resilience. Prior to joining GBBN, Tiffany led sustainable design teams at Arup and Thornton Tomasetti. She has also served as the Director of Programs at the Urban Green Council (New York Chapter of USGBC), where she created mission based educational programs to promote the adoption of sustainable policies and practices for the New York area green building community.