Buildings & Design

  • Aerial shot of city buildings
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    Art Wager via Getty Images
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    DOE spurs new building energy codes with another $90M

    Construction-heavy states that lack the latest energy-efficiency codes are among the focus areas for this round of federal funding, a U.S. Department of Energy official said.

    By • Sept. 16, 2024
  • A cityscape of skyscrapers and commercial buildings around State Street Bridge in Chicago.
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    tunart via Getty Images
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    Retrofits more effective in cutting operational, embodied carbon emissions than new builds: study

    Notre Dame researchers analyzed over 1 million Chicago buildings. The team plans to measure buildings’ embodied carbon in most U.S. metropolitan areas by the end of 2025, a researcher said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 11, 2024
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendlineâž”
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • An aerial shot of modern office towers and Downtown Park in Bellevue, Washington on a sunny summer day.
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    halbergman via Getty Images
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    Washington hopes to advance clean building standards implementation with nearly $8M DOE grant

    The state’s Building Efficiency and Clean Operations Network project aims to train at least 60 fellows to provide energy services to building owners and operators.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 10, 2024
  • Aerial view of rooftops in a suburban neighborhood. A street curves through the houses.
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    Haizhan Zheng via Getty Images
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    30 neighborhood decarbonization pilots allowed under bill passed in California

    If the governor signs it, the legislation will let natural gas utilities planning to replace old gas pipelines decarbonize pilot areas instead.

    By • Sept. 4, 2024
  • The financial district in Boston, seen against the Boston Harbor at sunrise showcasing a mix of contemporary and historic buildings.
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    Marcio Silva via Getty Images
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    What to know about BERDO, Boston’s building performance standards law

    While many buildings already meet 2025 emissions limits, facility managers and owners should start planning now for how they’ll meet future requirements, city officials say.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 28, 2024
  • Large office buildings against a blue sky.
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    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    State, local building energy codes get makeovers with over $240M from US DOE

    Nineteen states and localities, including Seattle and New York City, got grants announced Tuesday by the Department of Energy. The agency encouraged more communities to apply by Sept. 13 for a second round of funding.

    By • Aug. 28, 2024
  • A person pushes a gurney with a person on it into a vehicle
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Cities assert tenants’ right to cooling in a warming world

    Grappling with fatal heat waves, local governments are passing laws that make landlords provide working air conditioning. Financial and other challenges remain, however.

    By • Aug. 27, 2024
  • Two people carry equipment into a building on a busy city sidewalk.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Will New York City make landlords provide air conditioning? Its climate chief is optimistic.

    Coordinating any such mandate with the city's building decarbonization law requirements could reduce the burden it might create for building owners, Rohit Aggarwala explained.

    By • Aug. 26, 2024
  • Window AC units in a large building from the outside.
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    Johan_Spinnell via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    An air conditioning law, the first in its region, changed tenants’ rights in this Maryland county

    Montgomery County began requiring landlords to provide AC in 2020 amid climate concerns and renter complaints. Despite a shaky start, officials say things are going smoothly now.

    By • Aug. 22, 2024
  • Three people speak with each other in front of a large multifamily building.
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    Kent J. Edwards/Reuters

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    Deep Dive

    Should tenants have a right to cooling? More cities say yes amid record heat.

    As rental cooling standards pop up around the country, experts warn that they aren’t a perfect solution to the rising danger of scorching temperatures.

    By • Aug. 20, 2024
  • People look up at bubbles floating across a city street.
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    Permission granted by Paul Kalbfleisch
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    Opinion

    Prioritize play to help your city thrive in a post-pandemic world

    More joyful public spaces can offer a path forward for cities as housing and work trends weaken their relationships with residents.

    By Paul Kalbfleisch • Aug. 13, 2024
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    EPA unveils labels for green construction materials

    Materials that earn the label will be listed in a central, publicly accessible registry, making it easier to identify and purchase them, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    By Julie Strupp • Aug. 12, 2024
  • A rendering of people playing sports in a recreation center with basketball hoops and an upper level. The building is made of wood and has large windows with sunlight streaming through.
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    Permission granted by Marvel, TYLin | Silman Structural Solutions, NYC Department of Design and Construction and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
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    Want more mass timber buildings in your city? This industry group could help.

    New York City, Boston and Atlanta have launched programs to spur mass timber construction, which proponents say can lower buildings’ embodied carbon. The Softwood Lumber Board wants to fund more of such efforts.

    By • Aug. 12, 2024
  • A plus shaped pool in the river in front of a city skyline. A path leads out to the pool from the riverbank.
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    Permission granted by Friends of + POOL
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    Floating pool in Manhattan’s East River gets a step closer to reality

    As climate change drives more heat waves, New York state and city officials unveiled the location of a multiuse swimming facility they hope will bring residents some relief.

    By • Updated Aug. 8, 2024
  • An interior of a lake source cooling system at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York
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    Retrieved from Cornell University on August 06, 2024
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    Thermal energy networks can slash water use in buildings, study shows

    With thermal energy networks poised to expand in coming years, water usage data must be standardized and publicly available, the Building Decarbonization Coalition said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 7, 2024
  • A view of the facades of commercial skyscrapers in Boston's bustling Copley Square
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    Elijah-Lovkoff via Getty Images
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    US cities sharpen focus on building performance standards to meet net-zero goals

    U.S. cities are turning to performance-based standards to meet climate goals after traditional energy-efficiency mandates fell short, a JLL report says.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 29, 2024
  • An aerial view of a climbing wall and stands in an urban park.
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    Retrieved from Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024
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    Let the games begin: A glimpse at Paris’ new Olympic venues

    Despite hosting 10,000 athletes competing in 329 medal events at the Summer Games, the city has seen the construction of only a few new sports facilities.

    By Zachary Phillips • July 26, 2024
  • A facade of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signage on the wall of its building
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    Joe Cicak via Getty Images
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    EPA announces nearly $160M to cut construction emissions

    Grant recipients will help disclose the environmental impacts of manufacturing construction materials as some cities eye ways to reduce buildings’ embodied carbon.

    By Matthew Thibault • July 24, 2024
  • Teal and orange color of NYC midtown view and the East river from Roosevelt Island
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    Tanaonte via Getty Images
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    Building performance standards are likely not preempted by federal law, attorney says

    Such policies are likely safe even after a federal appeals court struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new construction, said Daniel Carpenter-Gold, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center.

    By • Updated July 24, 2024
  • A view of the facade of New York City Hall and Manhattan Municipal Building in lower Manhattan, New York City.
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    Mark Zhu via Getty Images
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    600+ NYC facilities pledge to cut energy use as part of expanded demand response program

    The city also plans to install over 1,150 real-time meters in municipal buildings to help manage electricity use, according to its Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 23, 2024
  • A row of electric vehicle chargers is seen from one end with a dark red vehicle parked and plugged in to the nearest charger.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants

    The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.

    By • July 23, 2024
  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
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    franckreporter via Getty Images
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    New York wants tall commercial, multifamily buildings to test low-carbon heating retrofits

    Seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week. 

    By Nish Amarnath • July 22, 2024
  • Sun sets in the clouds over the Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River, which connects Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.
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    Long_Strange_Trip_01 via Getty Images
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    DOT rolls out $5B in bridge infrastructure grants

    The grants will fund 13 economically significant projects to address traffic and freight bottlenecks.

    By Colin Campbell • July 18, 2024
  • A person looks at a flooded highway with a partly submerged white pickup truck.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    FEMA tightens flood resilience rules for federally funded infrastructure

    Projects like schools, fire and police stations, sewers, roads and bridges will be affected by the new Federal Emergency Management Agency policy. 

    By Julie Strupp • July 15, 2024
  • An elevated shot of a street lined with high-rise buildings. One person walks across a crosswalk.
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    John Moore/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Seattle encourages office-to-residential conversions with new law

    The city's mayor said Seattle needs to take advantage of every tool available to fend off a housing shortage as downtown buildings sit empty.

    By • July 15, 2024