Architects and engineers participating in the AIA’s 2030 Commitment are reporting the greatest reduction in predicted energy use (pEUI) in the program’s 10-year history.

“This year marks a critical inflection point for the program and climate action,” said 2020 AIA president Jane Frederick, FAIA. “This report outlines a vision for the coming years, which is anchored in community advocacy, adoption of on-site and off-site renewable energy sources, and increased attention to embodied carbon.”

The report—2030 by the Numbers: The 2019 Summary of the AIA 2030 Commitment—amalgamates predicted energy use data in buildings from 311 companies participating in the 2030 Commitment and analyzes design phase data from more than 20,300 projects. Architects, engineers, and building owners involved in the projects achieved a 49 percent overall pEUI reduction. The reduction is equivalent to avoiding 20.2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. Other notable data included in the report:

• 241 whole building projects designed to be net-zero energy.
• 69 percent increase in firms meeting the 70 percent pEUI reduction since 2018.
• 27 large and small companies met 2030 Commitment targets.

As participants continue to improve reducing carbon emissions, AIA is upgrading its Design Data Exchange (DDx) platform to streamline the project reporting process and to improve user experience. The new platform will support optional data points—including embodied carbon and off-site renewables—that will deliver expanded insights into building performance.

AIA is also continuing its efforts to drive climate action in the built environment following its landmark initiative last year. Earlier this year, AIA released its Climate Action Plan and Architect’s Policy Platform, which outline AIA’s goals for carbon reduction and climate action policy initiatives respectively.

Complete details of the AIA 2030 Commitment program can be found on AIA’s website.