Narratives from Practice: Toward Carbon Neutrality

The 2007-2009 AIA Upjohn Research Initiative project, entitled Case Studies of Carbon Neutrality, addressed the impact of buildings on climate change, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) adoption of the 2030 Challenge, and the AIA’s Case Study Initiative. The project, led by the University of Oregon, developed narratives from project teams on the design and delivery process for carbon neutral buildings of six west coast projects: Orinda City Hall, Chartwell School, Tillamook Forest Center, Stephen Epler Hall, The Gerding Theater, and East Portland Community Center. Each narrative described the design intent, construction, and processes to operate the building. This paper describes the themes and lessons learned from the social interactions and communications between design team members, specifically investigating the relationship between architect and engineer. It is anticipated that practitioners will be able to apply lessons learned from these narratives to develop and improve successful integrated practices. At the University of Oregon, lessons learned from the narratives will be used in classes to frame new constructs of integrated practice.