This Week’s News for LA’s Best Buildings
Southern California 'Cannot Afford Green Lawns' as Drought Forces Unprecedented Water Cuts
Millions of Southern California residents are bracing for less water and many brown lawns as drought and climate change leave a large swath of the region with a growing water shortage.
In a remarkable indication of drought severity, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a first-of-its-kind action limiting outdoor water use to one day a week for nearly 6 million residents.
How LA’s Energy Transition Could Shake Up the Southwest
The sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, at the border between sea and desert, depends upon a vast network of resources from across the western United States. More than any other entity, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) manages this network, pulling water from hundreds of miles north and east in vast canals and wiring electricity from as far away as Utah and Oregon.
US Light Bulb Standards Will Cut Utility Bills and Climate Emissions
Light bulb efficiency standards announced today by the Biden administration will phase out energy-wasting bulbs, significantly reducing many households’ electric bills and averting needless greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The rules from the Department of Energy (DOE) will ensure that commonly used light bulbs, including the iconic pear-shaped ones, meet an efficiency standard easily achieved by today’s LEDs.
Sustainability Takes Center Stage at ULI Conference
Industry leaders are championing the growth of sustainable cities and the goal of a net zero built environment but as leading firms continue to make strides, more progress is needed yet. During the recent ULI Spring Meeting, industry experts shared their experiences, best practices and goals for more sustainable buildings and cities.
Adaptive Reuse to Take on a Greater Role in LA Housing
Facing extreme demand to create more housing, the City of Los Angeles is considering leveraging adaptive reuse of existing, underused buildings to create as many as 100,000 more units in the coming years.
Karin Liljegren, FAIA, founder and principal, OMGIVNING, spoke about strategy to do so at ULI’s Spring Conference on Tuesday in San Diego in the session, “CRE to Multifamily: What Makes a Successful Conversion.”
Climate Change: The Technologies That Could Make All the Difference
Can technology save the day? And if so, which technology?
Climate experts on a United Nations panel recently expressed concern about the state of climate science, saying the past decade saw the highest average yearly greenhouse-gas emissions from human activities ever recorded. Countries, they said, must make major, rapid shifts away from fossil fuels if they have any hope of meeting goals laid out in the 2015 Paris Climate Accords.
Image via the Los Angeles Times