This Week's News for LA’s Best Buildings
What if We Didn't Build a Single Building in 2022?
In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gowanus, a 100-year-old metal foundry has been transformed into a state-of-the-art performing arts center. Dating back to 1901, the old warehouse had a quintessentially industrial, albeit worn-down, frame and precious longleaf pine timber from forests that were wiped in the building boom of the 1900s. Now, the neighborhood has one less blighted building and one more cultural destination.
Around the Halls: Built Environment Issues That Could Define 2022
For the nation’s infrastructure and built environment, 2021 felt like a year of extremes. Extreme weather events such as Hurricane Ida, western wildfires, and recently, the Kentucky tornados made the effects of climate change harder to ignore. Housing prices and rents rose precipitously, driven by strong demand, pandemic-related supply constraints, and policy choices. The digital divide persisted, separating children from school and workers from jobs.
ARUP Report on Building Decarbonization & Affordable Housing
With buildings responsible for 43 percent of carbon emissions in Los Angeles, reaching the ambitious climate goals set by the City will require significant building electrification. However, with energy saving programs targeted at single-family homes and market-rate housing, the benefits often fail to reach low-income residents or those in multi-family buildings.
DOE Opens Path to Cut Energy Waste from Gas Furnaces, Water Heaters, Boilers
The Biden administration took a key step late Monday toward updating efficiency standards for gas furnaces, water heaters, and boilers—a move that could save consumers money and cut planet-warming emissions. In a final rule, the Department of Energy (DOE) undid a Trump administration action that had blocked its ability to significantly improve efficiency standards for these products, which are the highest energy users in many homes and buildings.
Making Eco-Friendly Homes: Upgrades to Weather a Drought
Climate-driven drought is making the once unthinkable foreseeable. Amid water shortages, your faucets could run dry, as has been a possibility in Marin County, California. Violate mandatory water restrictions and you might face steep fines or even a cutoff of service.
With the western United States in the grip of an extreme drought, rivers and reservoirs are at record lows and some water utility districts in California have asked residents to curtail consumption by as much as 40%. A 2019 study found regions across the nation could face water shortages in the coming decades in part due to climate change.
Conservationists Create a Vast Home on the Eco-Range for Wildlife North of Los Angeles
When Zachary Principe wants to introduce people to one of his favorite vistas, he takes them to the top of Bear Mountain, a sky island in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles where California condors roost in the boughs of sugar pines.
The mountaintop 6,805 feet above sea level is a refuge for mountain lions, mule deer and bobcats and is only about a two-hour drive from 18 million people in Southern California. “But it’s off-limits to development,” said Principe, project manager for the nonprofit Nature Conservancy, “because we bought the place.”
LABBC’s Midnight Mission Holiday Drive
This holiday season, the LABBC challenges you to chose hope for the holidays by donating to The Midnight Mission. Each year, each day, and each hour, The Midnight Mission is delivering life-changing services to Los Angeles community members who are currently experiencing homelessness and providing a pathway to self-sufficiency.
In exchange for your donation, the LABBC offers you a chance to win a memorable experience donated by one of our esteemed staff or partners.
Image by Naho Kubota via CO Adaptive