In this AIA podcast, learn how architects in California are addressing environmental concerns through support of net-zero energy buildings and green legislation.

In this AIA Podcast, “Moving toward Zero-Net Energy Buildings,” Paul Poirier, AIA, of Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Poirier and David Architects, speaks to AIArchitect Contributing Editor Michael J. Crosbie, AIA, about net-zero energy buildings—structures that generate all the power they need to function on site. These buildings must maximize energy efficiency and envelope integrity in terms of lighting, heating, and cooling. Passive solar orientation can reduce heating loads, and passive cooling features (like operable windows) can curtail the need for energy-intensive mechanical systems altogether. “The watts you don’t need to generate are the low-lying fruit and the most cost effective to accomplish,” Poirier says. Active, renewable energy options can be photovoltaic panels, geothermal wells, and wind power generators. Perhaps the most important system any net-zero buildings require are energy monitoring dashboards that tell users exactly how the building is performing and how much energy it’s generating and using.

Last October, the AIA California Council Committee on the Environment organized a zero net energy building conference that included USGBC California chapters, The American Society of Landscape Architects, The American Planning Association, and state and local government agencies. The goal was to discuss ways they could all collaborate to make the construction of more zero net energy buildings feasible. As a result, The California Energy Commission and public utility commissions all adopted the goal of having residential buildings consume zero net energy by 2020 and all commercial buildings by 2030. Architects are also working with utility companies and the state to come up with incentive programs that will spur on more net-zero energy building.

In Poirier’s own community, Santa Barbara, nonprofits, design firms, and the local government are all examining ways to continue its development in a climate of fossil fuel scarcity. They currently have the most stringent energy efficiency building guidelines in California. He also outlines other California municipalities’ green energy performance requirements.