Orange County integrated design firm is one of only 16 architects in U.S. to reach AIA 2030 energy reduction standard in 2018
(IRVINE, Calif.) September 4, 2019 — Integrated design firm LPA reduced fossil fuel energy use in its projects by an average of 70.2 percent in 2018, surpassing the AIA 2030 Commitment’s energy reduction goal in new and existing buildings, according to newly released data.
Of the 252 architecture firms participating in the program, only 16 achieved the benchmark standard, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) reports. The national average for participating firms was 46 percent, up from 44 percent the previous year.
LPA was able to reach the target across a broad range of projects, accounting for more than 5 million square feet of buildings and interior designs in 2018. With six offices in California and Texas, LPA is the largest firm meeting the 2030 Commitment’s 70 percent pEUI reduction standard.
“It is important to confront the issues on a substantial scale,” said LPA President Dan Heinfeld. “Institutionalizing energy efficiency and sustainability at large firms can make a difference.”
The AIA 2030 Commitment supports the 2030 Challenge, an industry initiative calling on firms to target a 100 percent reduction in fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in new buildings by 2030. The current standard calls for a 70 percent reduction in a project’s net energy use compared to a baseline standard. The target rises to 80 percent in 2020 and 90 percent in 2025, before reaching 100 percent in 2030.
LPA completed a wide range of projects across several sectors in the 2018 reporting period, including two six-story administration buildings for the County of Orange.
As an integrated firm, LPA takes a holistic approach to sustainable design, with engineers, landscape architects and interior designers. It has developed one of the largest portfolios of LEED Platinum and LEED Gold projects in the country.
“The AIA 2030 Challenge energy efficiency numbers are the latest results of our better process, which we began more than 12 years ago, in large part because we knew it was necessary to become a more sustainable firm,” Heinfeld said. “We put sustainability and energy efficiency at the forefront of our integrated process, looking for ways to create buildings that perform better.”
Click here to see the numbers, reported by the AIA.
About
Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and improve people’s lives. An integrated design firm with six locations in California and Texas, LPA’s team includes more than 430 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
