The Planning Lady

Book Review

In a late 2024 Booked on Planning podcast episode, we cover the transformative world of high-performance buildings with experts Robert Sroufe, Craig Stevenson, and Beth Eckenrode. As the authors of “The Power of Existing Buildings,” they illuminate the path to revolutionizing urban environments by reimagining existing structures as sustainable powerhouses. Their deep dive book prioritizes passive systems, followed by enhancing active systems, and incorporate renewables, all while challenging the prohibitive cost myth often associated with building redevelopment.

The book begins by examining the fundamental principles behind high-performance architecture, emphasizing a holistic approach that values long-term benefits and occupant health over initial costs. The book dismantles traditional perceptions of building expenses, drawing an analogy to car buying, where operational performance is often overshadowed by upfront savings. By rethinking this paradigm, building owners can achieve significant energy efficiency, cost reductions, and improved indoor environmental quality.

Pittsburgh emerges as a beacon of innovation in sustainable building practices, showcasing how integrative design and data science are reshaping accountability within the industry. This paradigm shift moves from punitive measures to incentive-driven models, encouraging collaboration between institutions like Carnegie Mellon University and industry leaders. Our podcast conversation underscored the importance of education in fostering sustainable change, inspiring future generations to rethink urban design and embrace sustainability as a core principle.

A crucial part of the book focuses on performance accountability in the building industry. The authors highlight the need to address root causes of discomfort rather than merely treating symptoms, advocating for systems that allow occupants to engage more effectively with their environments. By connecting thermal and air barriers, a higher indoor environmental quality can be achieved, which not only enhances occupant well-being but also provides substantial returns on investment through improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

The book stresses the critical role of integrative design in maximizing building performance, particularly in existing structures. Challenges like the lack of feedback loops in environmental progress are explored, with data science being touted as a potential solution to inform building performance. The authors advocate for a shift from incremental improvements to a mindset of maximizing potential, ensuring that every aspect of building design and performance is optimized for long-term sustainability. Key to this approach is building scale and efficiency strategies. Larger buildings can be more manageable in terms of energy performance. For example, the building envelope is less critical due to the surface-to-volume ratio.

The book also explores trends in building performance and accountability, emphasizing the shift from punitive measures to reward-based incentives for high-performing initiatives. Pittsburgh is highlighted as a case study, demonstrating how collaborations with institutions like the Rocky Mountain Institute and Carnegie Mellon University have propelled the city to the forefront of sustainable building design. This proactive approach underscores Pittsburgh’s leadership in sustainability, driven by its academic institutions and business community.