There is still too much of a disconnect between what is being learned through the analysis process and what translates to the design team during critical decision-making phases.
In the American Institute of Architects’ (AIAs') most recent “By the Numbers” 2030 Commitment report, the organization summarizes that while 77.4% of reported whole-building gross square feet (GSF) by signatories in 2020 has been energy-modeled, only 4.3% of this whole-building GSF meets the 80% predicted energy use intensity (pEUI) reduction target for 2020. In fact, the overall recorded pEUI reduction is only 51.3% for all projects recorded in the past year, which represents only marginal improvements over the energy performance required by building codes. While there seems to be consensus in the architecture and engineering industry that energy modeling has an important role in the path to high-performance buildings, it's clear from these numbers that the current methodologies for applying energy analysis in the design process need dramatic improvement in order to meet the industry's urgent call for climate response.
HGA, a large interdisciplinary firm, in collaboration with Cause, a sustainability consultancy, is striving to change this picture through the development and adoption of an energy analysis process that allows architects to take the lead in the early phases of design, opening a path for greater interdisciplinary dialogue about key sustainability strategies much earlier in the design process than is currently typical, and creating a common understanding of the factors that influence building performance across the entire project team.