Green Building and Climate Resilience
Abstract
This report summarized the most recent research on the likely impacts of climate change at various scales: regional, neighborhood, and site or building. The findings present a range of predicted future characteristics in the categories of temperature, precipitation, coastlines, air quality, pests, and fires. This report lists probable impacts so that design teams can set modified performance goals, diving deeper into project-specific changes at the building or neighborhood level, and selects strategies to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of each project.
This report identifies synergies between green building and resiliency and advances firsts in the field, including:
- Examining the implications of climate change for green building and identifying opportunities for resilience through the design, construction, and operation of buildings and communities
- Analyzing how individual LEED credits support regional adaptation needs, such as enhanced water conservation in arid climates and water-sensitive regions
- Demonstrating how consideration of climate resilience in buildings can increase the likelihood of achieving performance goals throughout the lifetime of a project
Faculty
Larissa Larsen
Students
Ph.D. candidate Nicholas Rajkovich; Kevin Bush (MUP'10), Koben Calhoun (M.U.P./Public Policy'12); Jared Enriquez (MUP'11); Clair Leighton (MUP/SNRE M.S.'10), Evan Mallen (BS'09; MUP'13), and Kevin McCoy (BMUS'01; MUP'11)
Reviewers
Alison G. Kwok, Ph.D., University of Oregon; Chris Pyke, Ph.D., and Sean McMahon, U.S. Green Building Council
Sponsors
U.S. Green Building Council; Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
About U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building certification program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more: usgbc.org
Download Report (PDF 3.1MB)
