PARTNERSHIPS
PILLAR 6
Blueprint for Net Zero
Collaboration, conversation essential to creating framework for the future
Partnerships are evolving to meet accelerating sustainability needs
In countries prioritizing decarbonization, partnership-driven solutions have significant potential to advance sustainability in commercial building markets, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey Sustainability.
We’re already seeing the power of partnerships to make sustainability progress. Take for example the former Packard Motors Building at 787 11th Ave. in New York City. Renovation and expansion led by a collaboration among the developer, architect, real estate management firm and investors, has transformed the building into a 10-story life sciences and commercial hub. It is now counted among the assets of the LifeSci NYC initiative, an investment of $1 billion in the city’s life sciences industry led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Part of this building’s success story is also the relationship formed early on by the developer and its diverse tenants, which include Mount Sinai healthcare system, Jaguar/Land Rover, Pershing Square Capital Management and Dwight Capital.
HVAC and plumbing consultation and sourcing for the redevelopment was handled by Wallace Eannace, a Bell & Gossett representative, which helped ensure the building meets New York City Local Laws 97 and 154 requirements for reduction of fossil fuels use and emissions. At Wallace Eannace’s recommendation, highly energy-efficient Bell & Gossett pumps, drives and heat exchangers were specified and installed.
Smaller-scale partnerships, big results
Local partnerships are equally important in driving community impact and fostering sustainability. While often executed on a smaller scale, the results can be far-reaching. In Milwaukee, for instance, a $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will fund an initiative to build 25 net-zero energy ready homes. In partnership with the Environmental Collaboration Office, the plan champions making Milwaukee a safe, affordable and innovative place to live. As part of the homes, all electric appliances and highly efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems could be fueled by a single renewable energy system like solar panels, while portions of the home could be built off-site in climate-controlled environments. ECO Director Erick Shambarger describes the creation of net-zero energy homes as a “big, bold, audacious challenge,” which by and large can be used to sum up both the urgency and the importance of partnerships to help embark on projects of this magnitude.
“To meet ambitious climate goals, AIA must increasingly align with allied industry organizations of owners, contractors, manufacturers and other design professionals to tackle the complexities of sustainability, from meeting energy and carbon emissions reductions targets, to achieving climate adaptation and resilience, to addressing equity in the built environment of our communities.”
Kimberly Dowdell, 2024 AIA president
Partnerships of the future
Future success in achieving more sustainable built environments will depend on our ability to form larger, even closer partnerships that unite diverse project stakeholders around well-defined sustainability objectives. The AIA 2030 Commitment is one successful model of this. A national framework developed to guide firms toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2030, more than 1,350 firms have already joined, demonstrating the profession’s commitment to not only real change but to holding themselves accountable to tracking their progress.
Collaborations could also support each member in staying ahead of evolving regulations that are a must if we are to meet 2050 sustainability goals. “In public housing and private property management, firms are keenly aware of the need to reduce building emissions, but there’s one person spearheading the sustainability initiative to make sure they are complying with local codes,” said manufacturer FIA Inc. President Pratt. “A little bit of offense, a little bit of defense – you don't want to be called out for being a non-compliant, bad neighbor.”
Even so, acknowledging the potential hurdles that collaborative partnerships may face – such as regulation – is just as important, reiterating the importance of coming together from all sectors: “While there has been a lot of progress in some sectors, there needs to be more of a push from regulation to get toward true decarbonization,” suggested Xylem's Max Storto, lead innovation analyst at Xylem Innovation Labs. “You also have to worry about the laggards, not just support the leaders. And that's going to take some time.”
Adaptive reuse gains momentum
The partnerships of the future have high potential for managing the complexity of sustainable adaptive reuse. Adaptive reuse saw a significant increase in 2023 in the U.S., and that surge is expected to continue in the coming years, according to RentCafe’s Market Insights. However, though adaptive reuse and major retrofits can help minimize the impacts of demolition and new materials production, technical understanding of how to decarbonize reuse and retrofit projects can be a barrier. That’s where partnerships can provide a solution by providing the education and training integral to this movement.
“Three-billion-plus square feet of office space will be repurposed in the coming years,” said Chamberlain, former president of Building Owners and Managers Association. “We're going to be the learning laboratory. When people have problems to solve, they lean on their associations to find out how others are successfully tackling the issues.”
Deep technical understanding of decarbonization solutions held broadly across building industry partners is essential for meeting future decarbonization goals. Bell & Gossett is providing that technical know-how to for engineers, contractors, field technicians and other hydronic HVAC and plumbing professionals through its Little Red Schoolhouse, an education program that uses best practices in adult learning in classroom, mobile presentation and online settings.
Partnerships generate strategic collaboration and collective action. This is foundational within the industry as well as to industry-adjacent priorities, such as decreasing barriers to building workforce entry, and developing products and technologies that are sustainable alternatives to those in the market now.
Regarding the Little Red Schoolhouse, Bill Fischer, senior manager of training and education at Xylem, joined a recent ESCO HVAC podcast to discuss the benefits of industry education.
Another critical partnership:
Workforce education and training
“One of our industry’s greatest challenges is finding enough skilled and passionate people to design, build or renovate, operate and maintain zero carbon emissions, healthy and sustainable buildings,” said ASHRAE President Knight. “Global building stock will double to 5 trillion square feet by 2060. We’re going to need a very large and capable workforce.”
A combination of COVID-19, the Great Recession and an older generation that’s preparing to leave the industry is creating what BOMA’s Chamberlain sees as the No. 1 issue facing the built environment, affecting almost every sector of the workforce. According to the most recent Associated General Contractors workforce survey, 88% of construction firms are having a hard time finding workers to hire, and the National Center for Construction Education Research projects that 41% of the current construction workforce will retire by 2031. From the HVAC and plumbing side, there’s currently a shortage of 110,000 HVAC technicians, with about 25,000 technicians leaving their company each year.
Navigating these realities is complex but Chamberlain sees the potential for attracting new talent by embracing creative solutions and working within existing parameters. For instance, he noted: “We (BOMA) think that 529 funds should be broadened to career development, and we think that is going to bring people into jobs in real estate in a variety of ways that’s going to help that workforce.”
As a tax-advantaged college savings plan that can be used for qualified education expenses, this would open the door to propelling commercial real estate into the future.
Recently, BOMA also partnered with 14 different real estate groups to develop careersbuildingcommunities.org, an interactive career online tool that connects potential applicants to opportunities in anything from engineering, design, architecture and lending to property management, development, investment and construction.
From Chamberlain’s perspective, it’s not just about attracting talent but attracting them in the right way to tell the story of why these careers are so important and can be enticing to young people. Bell & Gossett is equally invested in this, partnering with ASHRAE to bring in new talent through its Young Engineer’s Program, and introducing its first-ever female offering at its renowned LRSH this year to help foster the education and advancement of female engineers, contractors and prospects in the field.
Workforce development partnerships among businesses, educational institutions, industry associations like ASHRAE and government like these are the engine that will continue to supply a diverse pipeline of people qualified to meet the evolving demands of building sustainably.
New educational offerings promote deeper understanding of pump systems, climate tech
The Hydraulic Institute (HI), an association of pump manufacturers and suppliers, recently announced the launch of its Hydraulic Institute University (HI U), an educational initiative that builds upon HI’s century-plus expertise on pumps and pump systems. As part of the new offering, HI U will offer hands-on training from introductory to advanced levels for pump system professionals. Other offerings at the academia level like the expansion of climate-specific degree programs at universities will help fuel the next generation of climate innovators.
Past, present and future:
Opportunities for the built environment
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“Collaboration is essential if we're going to meet the targets we've set and all those commitments we've made,” ASHRAE’s Knight said.
As we look toward the future and what the next 25 years may hold, it is clear that the road to get there is long and winding. Some players in the commercial building space are inherently skeptical, questioning the viability of many sustainability and decarbonization plans, while others are fervently optimistic, betting on a world that’s on the precipice of massive change yet still burdened by an infrastructure that’s decidedly stuck in the past.
However, what our research also uncovered is that the landscape is ripe with opportunities and innovations. Collaborations that are happening on education and training, with government partners and industry stakeholders, prove that there is not only a path forward but a collective willingness to do so. Smart technologies, digital tools and remote devices are coming out at a promising rate, meaning the next generation of workers, builders, architects, contractors and engineers will be more efficient, agile and poised for change.
Whatever the future may hold, the overwhelming conclusion is that the landscape – while still being defined – is one teeming with opportunity.