Date Posted: 04.19.2024
Mithun reduced net energy use in its projects by an average of 81% in 2023, surpassing the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2030 Commitment’s reduction goal for new and existing building renovations.
The firm’s 2023 Design Year portfolio includes 54 building designs totaling 6.6 million square feet. Fifty-six percent of the building area for this collection of projects met the minimum 80% reduction target. Net zero energy target projects include Summer Oaks affordable housing, a confidential prototype design, and The Industrial Commons Innovation Campus. Additional projects achieving or exceeding the 80% energy reduction target include Saggio Hills affordable housing, Enso Verde senior living community, UCLA Gayley Towers affordable student housing, San Francisco Carpenters Union Hall, UC Irvine Mesa Court Expansion student housing, and UC Santa Barbara San Benito student housing.
“Mithun’s integrated design team is committed to designing carbon neutral buildings and sites by the year 2030, sharing lessons learned and reporting progress annually to support achievement industry-wide,” said Mithun partner and sustainability leader Rich Franko FAIA. “The urgency of the climate crisis is clear. It’s important to keep raising the bar to address the challenges of today and the future.”
This year marks Mithun’s 14th year of reporting to the AIA’s Design Data Exchange (DDx), and the firm’s fifth year in a row exceeding 70% energy use reduction. Mithun also reported 2023 embodied carbon data for all projects to the AIA DDx.
TAKE ACTION
Learn more about related Mithun R+D studies like All-Electric Multifamily Housing ZNE, Campus Net Zero Energy and Carbon Neutral Framework, and Build Carbon Neutral 2.0. Explore the firm’s sustainable design approaches to reduce embodied carbon at “A Year of Embodied Carbon.”
The AIA 2030 Commitment is an actionable climate strategy that gives us a set of standards and goals for reaching zero emissions in the built environment. The focus is on using integrated design to eliminate the pollution and global warming emissions from fossil fuel energy sources in buildings, reducing the amount of energy that buildings need to operate, and offsetting that ideally low energy amount with new renewable energy generation sources from on-site PV or through off-site procurement. Join more than 1,300 architecture firms who have already made the commitment!
Special thanks to the Mithun Sustainability Integration team: Mike Fowler, Hilary Noll, Claire McConnell and Jason Wilkinson.
