Commercial Buildings Initiative

Approach & Scope

Elements of CBI

CBI is much more than just a research and development program. The goal is to transform the commercial buildings sector into one that routinely builds zero-energy buildings for every type of use—office towers (both client-owned and leased), industrial facilities, shopping malls, hospitals, schools, government facilities and the like.

The technology to build zero-energy commercial buildings exists today, but is expensive, and requires expertise that only a few players have. To make these buildings as common as conventional buildings are today will require a profound transformation in how everyone works—clients, architects and engineers, construction firms, financing institutions, the facilities managers and operational staffs who operate and maintain the completed buildings, and the teachers who train those who work in all of these vocations.

Three activities will take place within each area:

• Innovation—research and develop new technologies, market mechanisms, and policies
• Demonstration— prove that technologies, market mechanisms, and policies work prior to wide-spread deployment
• Deployment—design, develop, evaluate deployment programs for proven technologies, market mechanisms, and policies that are effective but underutilized

The participation of various industry and stakeholder groups as listed below will be key. These include:

• Architecture and engineering (A&E) firms
• Banks and financial institutions
• Clients, commercial tenants
• Construction firms
• Facilities management and operations
• Real estate firms
• Researchers from national laboratories and universities
• Policymakers, and federal, state and local agencies
• Technology and materials suppliers

CBI's plan is to work in five areas:

1. Financing
2. Technology
3. Design and construction
4. Operation
5. Policy

Who is doing this? How will it evolve?

There is currently no one taking this all-inclusive, comprehensive approach.

Programs exist that identify a zero-energy goal (i.e., the U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Buildings year 2025 goal; ASHRAE's high-performance buildings goal by 2020; American Institute of Architects 2030 Challenge), however, they lack the necessary means to transform the marketplace as a whole. In order to be successful, a variety of institutions need to be involved.

This initiative represents a collaboration of six institutions:

• Alliance to Save Energy
• American Institute of Architects
• American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• US Green Building Council
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development

CBI expects to expand the list of partners on this page substantially as it develops.