The 2008 Autodesk/RIBA Executive Summary

•Architects are taking personal responsibility for the effects of the construction industry on the environment and are working toward change.

More than eight in ten architects in the United Kingdom (84%) recognise the impact of human involvement on global climate change. These architects are taking personal responsibility for the effects placed on the environment and
are working toward change. Beyond personal responsibility, nearly nine in ten architects (88%) agree they should practice sustainable design whenever possible, and over half (54%) surveyed believe architects are responsible for
developing and implementing solutions to the global issue of climate change.

Additionally, nearly half of all architects in the UK are confident the industry is headed in the right direction with regards to the environment (44%). To support this 52% of architects are ensuring the industry moves in the right direction by initiating discussions with clients about making buildings environmentally friendly and implementing standard operating
procedures to inform clients on building green (42%). Additionally, a number of architectural organisations are producing educational brochures on building green for their customers (16%).

• Regulatory requirements and client interest are the driving factors pushing architects to build green.
In the United Kingdom, regulatory requirements (75%) and client demand (70%) are the primary influencers pushing architects to build green. Architects believe client interest in green building, which is starting to take off, is being driven in majority by the reduced operating costs (53%) associated with sustainable design as well as reduced environmental
impacts (43%).

However, architects also highlight an opportunity to increase client implementation of green designs. Many architects admit they are typically the one to initiate the conversation about making building environmentally friendly (54%). In the UK, over half of all architects say their clients inquire about green design specifications on at least 50% of their projects, of the clients that do inquire; most actually go on to implement these practices (35%).

• Architects across all practice types are moving forward in the adoption of green design practices and are predicted to continue this trend in the future.

Architects recognise the importance of green design features and processes, which help them to meet client demands. Architects are making significant strides to meet customer requirements—most frequently through the use of salvaged, refurbished, recycled or reused building material products (64%), renewable on-site energy sources (59%) and retention tank for storm water runoff (56%). Additionally, architects are using design software to evaluate and explore alternative building materials to maximise energy performance and minimise environmental impact (41%) and to specify predict and evaluate solar heating (41%). In the next five years architects will rely heavily on the use of “green” or vegetated roof coverings (57%) and highly reflective roofing materials (52%) as well as using design software more often on projects to
specify material quantities and schedules to minimise waste during the construction process (40%).

In the UK, nearly all architects (91%) rely heavily on the use of computer– assisted design systems. Additionally, more than two in ten architects are beginning to incorporate the use of building information modelling (22%) into their practice. A third of architects (33%) are consulting with civil engineers to add value on at least 50% of their green building projects. A small group of architects (27%) are currently measuring the carbon footprints of their projects to increase sustainable design.

While not feasible in all cases, architects in the United Kingdom rate the top five practices that provide the best green building designs to be a renewable on-site energy source i.e. solar, wind, geothermal, low impact hydro, biomass, or biogas (19%), energy modelling/baseline analysis (19%), evaluation and exploration of alternative building materials to maximise energy performance and minimise environmental impact (17%), prediction and evaluation of the environmental impact and life cycle of the building materials (17%), and maximisation of interior solar lighting (6%).

Objective and Methodology

The Autodesk/RIBA 2008 Green Index reports on the practices and processes architects use that support the design of sustainable buildings. Autodesk has long been interested in the application of sustainable building design practices. Autodesk building information modelling (BIM) solutions, such as the Revit platform, support and interface with many of the practices and processes used by architects and engineers in the design of green buildings that respect the environment, conserve energy, and control costs.

Autodesk and RIBA commissioned this research to better understand what has been happening and what is likely to happen in the future in the practice of designing green buildings. The Autodesk/ RIBA Green Index was an online survey among 211 members of RIBA. The survey was fielded May 26th- June 13th, 2008.

Architect profile

Architects participating in the Autodesk/ RIBA Green Index come from a mix of design projects. The population with the greatest representation was that of architects working on single family homes (58%). However, architects from commercial (21%) institutional (19%), and industrial projects (2%) were also represented.

The number of projects the architects have been involved in greatly varies by firm. While half of architects (50%) were involved in 5-14 design projects, nearly three in ten architects (27%) were involved in fewer than 4 and two in ten architects (24%) were involved in 15 or more projects within the past year.

More than half of architects included in the survey are employed at medium size firms, with 52% being employed by firms with less than 50 employees. However, sole practitioners (16%) and large firms with 50 plus employees (32%) were also represented.

The majority of the architects surveyed for the Autodesk/RIBA Green Index survey have ten or more years of experience as an architect (78%) and eight in ten have received training or continuing education that focuses on green building (80%).

Comparison with US Results

When the same survey was conducted in the US, there were a number of interesting differences between the two sets of results which are outlined below:

• In the UK 84% of architects believed that global climate change was occurring as a result of human activity compared to 74% in the US.

• In the UK 88% of architects agree they should practice sustainable design whenever possible compared to 86% in the US.

• 54% of those surveyed in both the UK and US believe that architects should lead the way in developing solutions to combat climate change.

• In the UK 52% of architects initiate conversations with clients about making building environmentally friendly compared to 46% in the US.

• 67% of architects in the US believe the industry is headed in the right direction while in the UK only 44% agree with this statement.

• 25% of US organisations have produced a promotional brochure of building green compared to 16% in the UK.

• In the US client demand is the main factor influencing the likelihood of green design (70%) followed by regulatory demand (59%). In the UK this trend is reversed with 75% of architects citing regulatory demands as the main driver followed by client demand with 70%.

• 53% of UK architects believe client interest in green design is being driven by reduced operating costs compared to 64% in the US. 43% in the UK also believed reduced environmental impact was a factor compared to 27% in the US.

• In the US 47% of architects say their clients are enquiring about green design specification on 50% or more of their projects compared to 54% in the UK. Of these in the UK 35% go on to implement green practices compared to 31% in the US.

• In the UK architects are using design software to:

1. Evaluate and explore alternative building materials to maximise energy performance and minimise environmental impact (41%)
2. To specify, predict and evaluate solar heating 41%

In the US the most important factors were:

1. Energy modelling and baseline analysis (19%)
2. Evaluating and exploring alternative building materials to maximise energy performance and minimise environmental (9%)
3. Predict and evaluate HVAC operating costs (4%)

• In the UK the top five factors architects will most heavily on in the next
five years were:

1. The use of green or vegetated roof coverings (57%)
2. Highly reflective roof materials (52%)
3. Using design software more often on projects to specify material quantities and schedules to minimise waste during the construction process (40%)

However, in the US the factors architects will rely most heavily on include:

1. High-efficiency HVAC systems (87%)
2. Maximisation of interior solar lighting (71%)
3. Retention basins for runoff storm water (63%)

• In the UK 27% of architects measure their carbon footprint compared to 10% in the US.

• In the UK 33% of architects are consulting with civil engineers to add value to at least 50% of their projects compared to 35% in the US.
 
• Reliance on CAD was high across the board with 91% of UK firms citing reliance and 90% in the US.

• In the UK 22% of practices are beginning to implement BIM compared to 44% in the US.

Autodesk and RIBA Survey Results April 2008

1. Are you a practicing architect, involved in the design of residential, commercial, industrial, and/or institutional buildings?

% Based to total	Total
Yes	100
No	0

2. Which type of building design projects are you predominately involved with?

% Based to total	Total
Single-family homes	58
Commercial	21
Institutional	19
Industrial	2

3. Approximately how many different design or building projects were you involved with during the past 12 months?

% Based to total	Total
None	0
1 - 4	27
5-9	34
10-14	16
15-19	8
20-24	4
25 or more	12

4. What is your firm size (including all offices)?

% Based to total	Total
Sole practitioner	16
2-4	16
5-9	13
10-19	14
20-49	10
50-99	13
100 or more	19

5. In your opinion, rate how strongly you believe that global climate change (sometimes referred to as global warming) is actually occurring and is the result of human activities (such as burning fossil fuels). Please make your rating on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 means Not Actually Occurring/No Human Involvement and 5 means Actually Occurring/Caused by Human
Activities.

% Based to total	Total
1 Not actually	0
2	6
3	9
4	35
5 Actually occurring	49

6. Do you currently measure the carbon footprint of your projects?

% Based to total	Total
Yes	27
No	73

7. About what proportion of your projects included each of the following design specifications, characteristics, or processes? Give your best estimate. (Select one answer for each specification, characteristic, or process, for each period)

51% or greater	Current	Past	Future
Use of salvaged, refurbished, recycled, or reused building materials products	64	60	47
A renewable on-site energy source i.e. solar, wind, geothermal, low impact hydro, biomass, or biogas	59	46	34
Retention tank for storm-water runoff	56	52	32
Prediction and evaluation of the environmental impact and life cycle of the building materials (extraction, manufacture, transportation, construction, operation, and demolition)	53	44	36
“Green” or vegetated roof coverings	50	42	57
Highly reflective roofing materials	49	49	52
Continuous metering equipment to monitor lighting and heating/cooling systems	44	40	35
High-efficiency HVAC systems	39	50	26
Maximization of interior solar lighting	39	49	23

 

8. About what proportion of your projects used design software to do each of the following during the design process? Give your best estimate for each year. (Select one answer for each item, for each period)

51% or greater	Current	Past	Future
Evaluate and explore alternative building materials to maximise energy performance and minimise environmental impact	41	32	33
Predict and evaluate solar heating	41	33	34
Energy modelling/baseline analysis	36	31	31
Specify material quantities and schedules to minimise waste during construction process	29	22	40
Predict and evaluate HVAC operating costs	28	30	34

 

9. Of the 16 items on this list, please select the top five which you consider to be the most important features, evaluations, processes, or design principles in the design and development of green buildings.

51% or greater	Ranked 1st	Ranked 2nd
A renewable on-site energy source i.e. solar, wind, geothermal, low impact hydro, biomass, or biogas	19	13
Energy modelling/baseline analysis	19	8
Evaluate and explore alternative building materials to maximise energy performance and minimise environmental impact	17	19
Prediction and evaluation of the environmental impact and life cycle of the building materials (extraction, manufacture, transportation, construction, operation, and demolition)	17	10
Maximisation of interior solar lighting	6	6
High-efficiency HVAC systems	5	10
Use of salvaged, refurbished, recycled, or reused building materials products	5	4
Predict and evaluate solar heating	4	7
Predict and evaluate solar lighting	2	0
Retention tank for storm-water runoff	1	9
Continuous metering equipment to monitor lighting and heating/cooling systems	1	5
Specify material quantities and schedules to minimise waste during construction process	1	4
Predict and evaluate HVAC operating costs	1	4
“Green” or vegetated roof coverings	1	2
High-efficiency irrigation technology for grounds	0	0
Highly reflective roofing materials	0	0

 

10. Each of the following factors could influence your likelihood to design green buildings. From your perspective, which three are most likely to increase the extent of your green building practices and procedures? (Select three only)

% Based to total	Total
Regulatory requirements	75
Client deman	70
Rising energy costs	56
Personal sense of environmental responsibility	44
Government/industry incentives	30
Long-term return on investment	18

 

14. About what proportion of your clients inquired about “green” design specifications, characteristics, or processes in the past 12 months? Give your best estimate

% Based to total	Total
100%	7
90%	7
80%	11
70%	8
60%	8
50%	13
40%	6
30%	10
20%	12
10%	7
1-10%	9
None	2

 

15. About what proportion of your clients actually implemented “green” design specifications, characteristics, or processes in the past 12 months? Give your best estimate

% Based to total	Total
100%	3
90%	2
80%	6
70%	7
60%	4
50%	13
40%	6
30%	15
20%	9
10%	15
1-10%	14
None	6

16. What are the primary reasons you believe most of your clients are interested in green building? (Select two only)

% Based to total	Total
Reduced operating costs	53
Reduced environmental impacts	43
Public relations/marketing	40
Market demand	22
Other	17
Improved public and occupant health	6

17. To what extent do you agree with the following statements, where 5 is “strongly agree” and 1 is “strongly disagree.”

% Based to total	Total
Architects should practice sustainable design whenever possible.	88
Practicing sustainable design is one possible answer to the issue of global/warming/climate change.	70
Architects are responsible for developing and implementing solutions to the issue of climate change.	54
I am typically the one to initiate the conversation about making buildings environmental friendly to clients	52
Overall, when thinking about architecture and the environment, I feel the profession is headed in the right direction?	44
My organization is starting to implement standard operating procedure to inform clients on “building green”	42
My organization has produced an educational brochure/package on “building green” for clients	16

18. Do you or your firm use a computer-assisted design system?

% Based to total	Total
Yes	91
No	9

19. Do you or your firm use building information modelling (BIM)?

% Based to total	Total
Yes	22
No	78

20. On what percentage of projects do Civil Engineering consultants add value to your green building projects?

% Based to total	Total
100% of projects	2
76% to 99% of projects	6
51% to 75% of projects	12
26% to 50% of projects	13
11% to 25% of projects	12
1% to 10% of projects	24
Zero percent	30

21. Have you received any training or continuing education that focused on green buildings?

% Based to total	Total
Yes	80
No	20

22. How many years have you been an architect? (Select one)

% Based to total	Total
Four years or less	8
Five to nine years	14
Ten to fourteen years	14
15 or more years	64