Buildings of the Future Energy Self-Sufficient, Carbon Neutral

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 29, 2006 (ENS) - Buildings that use no energy from external power grids, are carbon neutral, and can be built and operated at fair market values may sound like dream buildings today, but the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is working towards making that dream a reality. The Council announced today that it is forming an alliance of global companies to ensure that by 2050 all new buildings meet these standards.

The two companies that are in on the ground floor of this effort are United Technologies Corp., the world's largest supplier of capital goods including elevators, cooling and heating and on-site power systems to the commercial building industry, and Lafarge Group, the world leader in building materials including cement, concrete, aggregates, gypsum and roofing.

WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson said today, "Being smarter and more efficient about how we use energy in buildings will help us conserve energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change."

Businessman Bjorn Stigson of Sweden was appointed president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 1995. (Photo courtesy WBCSD)

"We believe this initiative can provide extremely cost-effective solutions, Stigson said. "It will also set the course for self-sufficient and environmentally sound buildings in which future generations will live, work and be entertained."

Based in Geneva, the WBSCD is a coalition of some 180 international companies from 35 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. They share a commitment to sustainable development, encompassing economic growth, ecological balance and social progress.

Buildings today account for 40 percent of energy consumption in developed countries according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an association of industrial democracies.

Lafarge Chairman Bertrand Collomb (Photo courtesy ASMP)

It is possible to transform the way buildings are conceived, constructed, operated and dismantled by 2050, Stigson and his partners believe.

Lafarge Chairman Bertrand Collomb said, "Lafarge has been leading efforts in energy efficiency and sustainable construction in the building materials sector for a number of years, not only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions during the production process but also by developing materials that contribute to making buildings more energy efficient."

"In this context, Lafarge has been collaborating with leading architects to promote sustainable construction as illustrated by our partnership with French architect Jacques Ferrier, which led to the development of the Hypergreen concept," Collomb explained. "This multi-use tower building, designed for the world's mega-cities, is highly energy self-sufficient thanks to the use of the latest construction methods and technologies."

Lafarge, headquartered in Paris, has four businesses - cement, aggregates and concrete, roofing, and gypsum. The company employs 80,000 people in 75 countries and posted sales of $16 billion in 2005. It is the only construction materials company to be listed on the 2006 "100 Global Most Sustainable Corporations in the World."

Jan van Dokkum is president of UTC Power, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a $318 billion manufacturer of high technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. (Photo courtesy CBIA)

"This can be done by incorporating renewable energy sources into a building's design, optimizing energy efficiency of support systems, and taking advantage of geographic and culturally acceptable building practices," Dokkum said.

"Additionally, this aim is enhanced by using the cradle to cradle concept of producing, using and later re-using building materials," said Dokkum "This vision of energy and carbon neutral designs is a necessary evolution we need to embrace to achieve sustainability for buildings."

United Technologies, based in Hartford, Connecticut reported $43 billion in 2005 revenues. UTC employs 220,000 people worldwide and provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. The company is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes and was one of 20 U.S. based companies to be listed on the 2006 "100 Global Most Sustainable Corporations in the World."

Built in the late 1990s, New York's 4 Times Square, developed by the Durst Organization, was the first major commercial application of building-integrated photovoltaics in the United States. (Photo courtesy NYSERDA)

The first report will document existing green building successes and setbacks. The second phase will identify the full range of present and future opportunities, and the third will present a unified industry strategy for realizing those opportunities by 2050.

Each report will take one year to complete and involve hearings and conferences with building contractors and suppliers, sustainability experts, government representatives, regulators, utility officials and others.

Green buildings already are erected in various parts of the world but current cost structure prevents widespread adoption by general contractors.

The project will build on these examples, aligning costs and benefits in the building equation and by working in close collaboration with architects, builders, suppliers and building owners to promote a more sustainable approach to construction.