50 to 50 is a product of the AIA
Sustainability Discussion Group (SDiG) in response to the
Institute's commitment to the 2030 Challenge. COTE asked SDiG to
introduce the tool to COTE members.
50 to 50 is intended to be an informative
and easily accessible reference to provide a basic
understanding of the 50 initial strategies and tools available to
help our membership get to 50 percent carbon reduction - the first
step in the 2030 Challenge. The assumption is that the list
of 50 will continue to grow and to be refined as we discover new
and better ways of reducing carbon and as the emissions
reduction targets progress to greater percentage reductions over
time.
The current format was developed to provide basic information
about the 50 topics, applications and emerging trends, and some
links for more information. Always intended to be searchable
and interactive, the next step in the evolution of 50 to 50 will be
to "repackage" it so that it can make this transition to become
a web-based resource for users of all levels of
sophistication.
50 to 50 evolves from Frank Lloyd Wright's Tree of Life as a
conceptual framework. The base of the tree contains the
foundation and "grounding" root structure. In it is the basis for
50 to 50: The COTE Ten Measures of Sustainable Design. From
this the tree grows into three primary trunks: new buildings,
existing buildings, and communities. These trunks spread into
branches: Site, Skin, Structure, Space, System, and Support. These
branches evolve into the leaves of the tree of life, the 50
principles. It is intended that from these leaves any number
of "blossoms" would sprout: These would grow/change/modify over
time, and vary project to project and region to region. These
"blossoms" become specific sustainable strategies, techniques, and
approaches that designers could apply to a specific design
project.
The idea is that a designer could connect anywhere on the tree,
at one of the COTE measures, or at one of the branches, or even on
one of the leaves, given a broad topical area, or a specific design
idea. Once a connection is made, several interconnected elements
would be revealed or illuminated, establishing a dynamic interface,
and linking opportunities holistically. This would allow for
both individual or singular design investigation, as well as
establishing "connections" for more integrated and holistic design
inquiry. One could enter at either a broad conceptual level or
a focused specific level and engage sustainable design thinking and
exploration. 50 to 50 is intended to have both breadth and
depth and ultimately become a key, dynamic "tool" for carbon
reduction and zero energy design.
50 to 50 is presently a good encyclopedia of
principles, and we are now working toward evolving these principles
into more tools, techniques, and strategies, and would like this to
become web-based and interactive.
