Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | September 18, 2023 | wbjournal.com announced the Framework for Design Excellence, largely in recognition of what it called the climate emergency. e principles of the framework, AIA said, foster net-zero carbon emissions buildings that are healthy for people and the environ- ment, and resilient. ere's a huge opportunity for the industry to curb climate change. Buildings are responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions generated by building operations, building materials, and construction itself, according to New Mexico-based nonprofit researcher Architecture 2030. e goal of the organization is to eliminate all carbon emissions from the built environment in order to help meet the loy goal of the 2015 Paris Agree- ment: to hold global temperatures to no higher than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels to avert environ- mental catastrophe. Training the next generation In the world of academia, much of the conversation has settled on de-car- bonization of buildings, said Shichao Liu, assistant professor of civil, environ- mental and architectural engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. WPI is teaching aspiring architects and engineers the skills to build for climate change, and with a passion for art and design, they are driven by the charge. "ey can build something to change the world," Liu said. Decarbonization of buildings, Liu said, involves using materials not pro- ducing much carbon during production – such as reclaimed materials and natu- ral materials that don't need to be man- ufactured – and looking at the emissions involved in harvesting and transporting those materials to a building site. e other important focus is resilien- cy. With climate change, a major empha- sis is placed on designing for heatwaves and related blackouts, flooding, and wildfires, Liu said. Passive building de- sign, which includes natural heating and cooling methods for energy efficiency, complements proactive measures, such as use of flame retardant materials in a city building and backup power systems for cooling during blackouts. To learn more, contact: Peter Staiti SVP, Commercial Lending Center Manager 100 Front Street, Worcester, MA | 508.769.5725 Peter.Staiti@RocklandTrust.com Member FDIC Wholesale/Distribution Facility $750,000 Northborough, MA Hotel Acquisition $5,700,000 Auburn, MA Multi-Family Investment Real Estate $1,325,000 Fitchburg, MA Industrial Investment Real Estate $13,500,000 Auburn, MA Industrial Development $4,000,000 Worcester, MA Convenience Store & Real Estate Acquisition $337,500 Worcester, MA Two-Family Residential Investment Real Estate $360,000 Worcester, MA Liquor Store $300,000 Westborough, MA A Local Partner, Financing Businesses Across Worcester County Call us for your Life Science and Office Moving and Storage Solutions SERVICES INCLUDE • Office Moving • Residential Moving • Long Distance Move • Corporate Relocation • Trash Removal • Flood & Fire Restoration • Senior Moving • Portable Storage • Warehouse Storage • Final Mile Delivery • Long-Term Storage • Short-Term Storage • Packing & Unpacking • International Moving F O C U S ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION Continued from previous page Shichao Liu, assistant professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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