Accelerating the 2030 Challenge to 2021

Architecture 2030’s namesake target year to achieve carbon-neutral buildings is now deemed too late by CEO and founder Edward Mazria and COO Vincent Martinez.

The 2030 Challenge

To focus the building sector on energy reduction, Architecture 2030 issued the 2030 Challenge: achievable energy reduction targets for new and old construction. All our programs are geared to meeting or exceeding these targets. The 2030 Challenge offers a practical path to carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. Through its increasingly wide adoption, the 2030 Challenge is demonstrating how we can transform buildings from being the problem to being the solution.

The 2030 Challenge for Planning

Amplifying the original Challenge, the 2030 Challenge for Planning addresses energy reduction at the broader scale of districts and cities, expanding the building-by-building strategy. This Challenge adds reduction targets for water consumption and CO2 emissions from transportation, and provides property owners and stakeholders with the metrics to guide their actions.

2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon

The 2030 Challenge for Products addresses energy reductions 
at the smallest scale: building products. The embodied carbon 
from materials such as cement, and from the manufacturing and transportation of products, are not reflected in buildings’ operational energy emissions. The 2030 Challenge for Products sets reduction targets for embodied carbon and thereby allows architects to make informed decisions when specifying building materials.