While environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance is increasingly becoming a focus in the design and construction industry, there remains quite a bit of confusion over the goals behind ESG and their impact on design firms. Some of the questions that seem to be percolating around ESG are: Is it about concern over profits? Is... Continue Reading →
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations are increasingly important to design firms for a variety of reasons. In this post, we will explore why ESG matters to design firms and how they can integrate these considerations into their projects and business practices. First, it's important to understand what ESG means. Environmental considerations relate to a... Continue Reading →
As 2022 winds down and we look back, the biggest story (other than the war in Ukraine) was the passage of the most historic climate law in US history, the Inflation Reduction Act (Act). The new law aims to transform the US economy to align with the global urgency of taking action to mitigate the... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, the US passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, with $369 billion in funding intended to cut climate pollution in half by 2030 (from 2005 levels). The private sector is also embracing capital-allocation strategies that take environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into account with their business practices. Over the next few... Continue Reading →
Now that we have a global agreement in place on climate change, which more definitively sets greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and timelines, all eyes are set on the question as to how each country, including the US, will achieve its commitments. For the US, legislation and executive agency action are two important pieces to... Continue Reading →
In May, the Biden Administration issued its Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk to establish a policy framework for maintaining the integrity of the US financial system as it relates to climate change. The Order was aimed at prioritizing climate change from an economic standpoint and raising the flag for the continued risks of physical... Continue Reading →
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) added to its current sustainable project exhibits by releasing its newest document, C204-2020, Sustainability Consultant Scope of Services. In addition, the AIA published an updated version of D503-2020, Guide for Sustainable Projects, which is available as a free download.The new C204 is for use by a sustainability consultant (architect... Continue Reading →
A recent article from David Roberts on Vox resurfaces the benefits of using mass timber (aka, “cross- laminated timber” (CLT)). Over the last century, the design and construction industry has leaned away from wood, especially for non-residential construction, and moved toward more manufactured materials, such as steel, concrete, and iron, in the name of safety.... Continue Reading →
Introduced recently in the U.S. Senate was a bipartisan bill: the Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2017. What this legislation would do is expand the definition of “energy property” in the tax code to include “equipment which receives, stores, and delivers energy using batteries, compressed air, pumped hydropower, hydrogen storage (including hydrolysis),... Continue Reading →
In January of 2015, the Obama Administration issued Executive Order 13690. The order was aimed at improving resilience to current and future flood risks and modified the 1977 Executive order 119888, which addressed flood plain development. Among other actions, the new order directed FEMA to develop a proposed amendment to 44 CFR part 9, “Floodplain... Continue Reading →
