The built environment faces unprecedented challenges with extreme weather events from heat waves to tornadoes and floods becoming more frequent and severe. Architecture plays a crucial role in adapting to these changes, ensuring that buildings are resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to current and future conditions. To explore how architectural firms are addressing these challenges, we sat down with the sustainability directors from JCJ Architecture and SGA to dive into strategies and insights into how the field is changing in the face of climate change.
In Part 1, we hear from Eric Haggstrom, Director of Sustainability at JCJ Architecture. As an employee-owned firm with multiple locations around the U.S., JCJ Architecture practices in 44 states with a focus on commercial and institutional projects.
Haggstrom shares JCJ's approach to integrating climate projections into building design, focusing on resilience in flood-prone areas such as New England. From stormwater management to sustainable materials, Haggstrom outlines the key considerations for designing buildings that can withstand the impacts of climate change.
As the old saying goes, “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” Design teams must incorporate climate forecasts as if they are current conditions to ensure buildings can adapt over the next 20-50 years. Staying informed with the latest models and projections from federal, state, and private research sources is crucial. While focusing on the absolute worst-case scenarios might not be necessary, we hone in on realistic predictions, understanding how global climate changes impact local conditions should happen early in the design process. For instance, coastal areas need to prepare for rising sea levels and increased flooding, while inland areas must manage increased rainfall. Studies indicate that traditional flood maps often underestimate flood risk, emphasizing the need for updated tools like federal and state flood prediction systems and university studies and databases.
Key considerations include using native vegetation, minimizing impervious surfaces, and integrating stormwater management systems. For example, the Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet Campus in Connecticut maintained over 75% of the site as open space, used native vegetation, and implemented rainwater gardens and preserved wetlands. The design also included 135 parking spaces under the building to minimize impervious surfaces. Sustainable features like wind turbines, solar panels, vegetated roofs, and rainwater harvesting contribute to resilience and sustainability.
In regions facing droughts, designing large, shaded walkways and outdoor learning spaces is crucial. In areas with increased heat waves, incorporating solar shading and light-colored roofing can reduce heat islands. Balancing these factors requires a tailored approach based on local climate conditions and the specific needs of the community.
Thorough dew point analysis is essential to prevent moisture accumulation in exterior envelopes, which can degrade insulation and lead to costly repairs. It’s standard practice for architects to perform this analysis for each project, accounting for local temperature and humidity variations. By comparing current and future climate conditions, we specify air-vapor barriers and insulation to mitigate potential damage and ensure buildings remain durable and resilient.
To ensure that our designs are prepared for climate change, we look at the 50 and 100-year climate projections and run side-by-side analyses of current and possible future conditions. This helps to mitigate the risk that rising temperatures will shift the dewpoint in the wall into areas where potential damage can occur.
New England is experiencing an increase in storm frequency and intensity due to climate change. As global temperatures rise, the atmosphere holds more water vapor, leading to heavier rainfall. For every degree Celsius increase in temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more water, potentially resulting in more rainfall. This trend suggests stronger storms and increased average rainfall in New England over the next century.
To address these challenges, we implement green stormwater management strategies. For buildings, we reduce the footprint and integrate features like green or blue roofs to store rainwater. On the site level, we minimize impermeable surfaces, use permeable pavements, and incorporate bioretention areas and swales. These strategies support the site's natural ability to handle storms and reduce the need for costly subsurface systems.
We incorporate future climate models by engaging in comprehensive discussions with our clients about the potential impacts of climate change. This involves using advanced tools and studies, such as those predicting flood zones and sea-level rise, to make informed decisions. By analyzing projections and integrating sustainable practices, we ensure that our buildings are designed to be resilient against future climate challenges. This approach includes preparing for increased rainfall, higher temperatures, and rising sea levels, especially in coastal and riverine areas, helping our clients understand and plan for the realistic scenarios their buildings may face in the next 20-50 years.
Key elements include the durability of the structure and the location and redundancy of building systems. Buildings must withstand severe weather without significant damage and maintain operational systems for power, water, and sanitation. For example, relocating critical systems from basements to rooftops enhances resilience. These measures ensure buildings can serve as refuges and support community resilience during crises. Schools, often part of town resilience plans, need to be ready to shelter people in place for decades.
Education is the first step. Most clients are not climate scientists, and it is the architect’s duty as a design professional to inform them of where we are and what our best models indicate for the future. Establishing a common vision helps align goals. Successful strategies include focusing on elements with measurable ROI, like increased insulation for higher temperatures. By highlighting the financial and operational benefits of resilient design, clients are more likely to invest in long-term solutions.
Waterfront and coastal properties face significant risks due to rising sea levels and flood plains. While the impacts of sea level rise are well-documented and modeled, these projects remain challenging. Critical resiliency infrastructure, such as generators and backup systems, must be elevated above potential flood levels, often necessitating the relocation of equipment from basements or grade levels to rooftops or mechanical penthouses.
This approach can result in taller buildings and underscores the importance of robust waterproofing and climate control systems. Instead of attempting to predict the exact future climate, our strategy focuses on mitigating risks based on the most probable scenarios and balancing cost against the risk tolerance of the client. Despite the inherent uncertainties, this approach ensures that our designs are resilient and adaptable.
Architecture firms must push for stronger regulations requiring better building envelopes, efficient mechanical systems, and reduced carbon emissions. Advocating for federal funding through initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act can drive widespread change. Ultimately, we, as architects, are responsible for the impact of our designs. It is our responsibility to design in a way that reduces our negative impacts on the climate.
Education is paramount. Architects should stay informed about the latest climate research and understand the specific risks and conditions of their project sites. Thorough knowledge enables better preparation and decision-making. Encouraging collaboration with climate scientists and leveraging data-driven insights can help architects design buildings that are resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to future climate conditions.
Eric Haggstrom, Director of Sustainability at JCJ Architecture, is an advocate for designing eco-conscious buildings that last. As conversations with his clients shift, he evaluates the rapidly changing weather and prepares his projects for flood plains rising 2-3 feet in the next 30 years. His goal is to integrate climate models into the background of each project, not looking just at the world as it is today, but how it might look in 20-50 years. New England clients, for example, are facing increased storms, and must be prepared to strategize against that.
