Our community is better equipped to decarbonize our built environment than ever before, with data-driven knowledge, new technologies, proven solutions, and a growing consensus that climate justice is social justice. With greater access, broad community commitment, and resource availability, the path to cutting dangerous climate pollution from our built environment is clearer, better defined, and attainable.

While demand response has been around for decades, allowing utility companies to mitigate peak demand and generate revenue for buildings, we are seeing more opportunities for interactive demand management, resident participation, and electrification-enabling technologies. Battery storage, EV charging, and smart, connected devices are becoming more affordable thanks to growing technology options, consumer demand, incentives, and tax credits, presenting new opportunities for building owners and residents to participate in grid services and reduce loads, saving money and carbon.

This session will explore the challenges to, opportunities for, and results from accelerating cross-generational engagement in the pursuit of decarbonization.

After identifying some major generational differences, we will explore how BR+A accommodates these differences in our work.  We will look at communication styles, in-office engagement and remote working, project management, work schedules, and benefit programs. We will also look deeply at strategies related to employee retention, task assignment, and persity and inclusion.

Some of the most efficient building envelope design strategies for reducing operational carbon involve increasing the enclosure assemblies’ thermal performance and requiring highly airtight systems. However, we are only starting to understand the trade-offs between operational and embodied decarbonization. To evaluate the trade-offs, this session will directly compare wall assemblies in a high-performance new construction building and wall assemblies in common existing building typologies.