Beginning in 2021, LMN Architects began writing and publishing a ‘Path to Zero Carbon’ blog series to corral and explore carbon emissions in architecture with an eye toward clarity for practitioners. I sat down with Kjell Anderson, FAIA, director of sustainable design at LMN Architects, and a primary voice behind the series, to learn more about its purpose and potential.
Kira Gould: To begin, why and how did you and LMN start the ‘Path to Zero Carbon’ series?
Kjell Anderson: First, while we were designing an efficient all-electric, mass timber building, the carbon accounting showed it was nearly zero…until we looked at the embodied carbon of MEP systems, landscape, complete interiors, refrigerants, and other oft-excluded sources. We realized that we needed to expand our carbon expertise beyond operational energy, structure, and enclosure.
This helped us realize that no buildings, despite the many claims, are anywhere near zero carbon. These claims are all based on very limited scopes. And claims of zero carbon damage the real progress that is being made in smaller stages.
Second, we are in the middle of a radical energy transition that the built environment is a critical part of: electrification, demand response, energy generation, vehicle charging, right-sizing, resilience, and low-carbon construction materials.
Lastly, our profession is drowning in whitepapers and intellectual resources. Even as a full-time sustainability professional, I can’t read even a small fraction of them. So we determined that we needed a basic course that references the more detailed studies, a pragmatic resource for professionals that make decisions on billions of square feet a year in projects but who have no basic education in the energy transition.
The culture of sharing has changed as well. LMN made this freely available to all, despite the large investment, because no one can get to zero carbon unless we are all there together as a team
Courtesy LMN Architects/© Tim Griffith
The University of Washington Founders Hall uses an efficient envelope, all-electric systems powered with mostly renewable energy, and mass timber structure. Typical carbon accounting suggests this is near zero carbon, but excludes a majority of the remaining GHG sources, however. This led us to investigate how to reach a truly carbon neutral built environment.
KG: Can architecture even be carbon neutral at all?
KA: Not currently. There are only a few carbon neutral construction products, buildings are connected to a dirty grid, transportation systems are not carbon neutral…and there are numerous systems that the built environment is intrinsically a part of that require investment and improvement. Huge progress has been made, so we can get closer each year, but we’re part of a linked worldwide community where no one wins unless we all do. I told a group of students recently that I may never work on a carbon neutral building, but they will.
Courtesy LMN Architects.
KG: Thinking about the business community, the clients of the built environment community: What do you think about how some large companies appear to be dialing down their net zero claims and goals?
KA: It’s short-sighted that they are dropping their commitments. To some extent, though, I think this is part of a natural correction. Many companies hastily committed to zero in the last few years based on cheap carbon offsets and some duplicity. Now that the real work has begun, they’re realizing how tough it is, and I think it’s becoming clearer to the public that voluntary carbon offsets are not a credible way to reach zero. The real work is still going on behind the scenes in some cases, and is incremental, by companies that are working toward near term targets, with active and funded initiatives to reduce their own GHG. Greenhushing is also a real thing, where for political or humility reasons entities are not announcing their sustainability efforts or wins.
What is also interesting to me is that if you look at the data, you realize that the political rhetoric is not connected to reality. The top state for renewable energy use is South Dakota, with Kansas, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Montana in the top 10. The top state for solar, wind, and battery deployments in 2024 was Texas. This is because renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy ever deployed. Insurance, as well, has to acknowledge the realities of climate-fueled disasters and is reacting despite political rhetoric.
KG: I think that’s a great point. As someone from and living in “the middle” of the country (Kansas, in fact), I think we need to be mindful of how energy and resilience are not as political as partisan framing suggests.
One thing I have admired about this series is that you presented each topic as open-ended and evolving. Can you talk about why that structure was important for this topic?
KA: We are drowning in guides and papers, as I mentioned, but there hasn’t been a guide that is continually updated and can be relied on year after year with relevant, current, organized information. We are in a radical energy transformation, and the facts and figures that point to how our industry engages with the energy transition are evolving monthly. This series is intended to follow the evolution and lead the industry during the transition.
Courtesy LMN Architects.
KG: What kind of feedback did you get from members of the built environment community as you began posting the installments?
KA: We were surprised and gratified by the positive response. The AEC industry are practitioners, and we need basic information on the energy transition plus just-in-time guidance on pragmatic aspects of how to get it done. While text and linked references are primary, the series is told graphically with captions as well, so skimming provides the most critical information. The series was created and reviewed by practitioners, so we’ve integrated what’s relevant and what’s necessary. The organization of the series also makes finding the best information available easy. Working on envelope design? Consult the envelope section. Hundreds of links to organizations and studies provide more detailed information.
KG: How has the series been used and effected change so far?
We’ve heard from numerous architects, engineers, academics, building owners and developers that it provides an important grounding in carbon topics. Most architects now understand Energy Use Intensity, but carbon is much more complicated. More than 50 professionals have asked for a digital copy, and several are doing book clubs with it at their firms. It’s included or referenced in several guides, courses, and syllabi now, and will be featured in the book “Teaching Carbon Neutral Design in North America”. Several podcasts and magazines are interested in the topic, and I’ve heard from many people that have read the series and are thankful for such a clear guide. It has helped make connections with some of our clients, too.
KG: How would you like to grow and expand the series?
KA: The series needs updates, as it’s now 18 months old. Book clubs have been providing suggested updates, as have many others, but beyond LMN there’s no infrastructure to regularly update it as originally envisioned. It’s been presented nationally and received international interest as well, but without updates it will soon become out of date. Having a continually up to date series provide the most relevant information from year to year would be invaluable to the profession.
KG: What do you envision as the next phase of this work?
KA: First, more exposure of the series will broaden the AEC industry in becoming conversant in carbon topics, which helps our clients understand and make future-aligned decisions. Keeping it updated with the most relevant content is also critical. We’ve envisioned a strategy of having the super users and technical experts update the post content and links bi-annually, which would make it even better. This builds the community and allows a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the AEC industry during this time of radical change.
KG: Is there a big next move with the series?
KA: This series is focused on educating the AEC industry; a parallel series idea would be sharing more broadly with the public the vision of how the built environment will respond to and support the energy transition over the next few decades so people understand the role of EVs, heat pumps, demand response water heaters, low-carbon construction materials, and other everyday items that impact their lives as part of this transition.
Kjell Anderson, FAIA, LEED Fellow, practices architecture and serves as a Principal and the Director of Sustainable Design at LMN Architects, working with all of LMN’s clients to set and exceed sustainable design goals. He wrote the first architect-centered book on energy modeling and co-authored AIA’s first policy statement on climate change.. He founded the Seattle Hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum, served on the AIA National COTE and currently serves on the Washington State Building Code Council.
The ‘Path to Zero Carbon’ series was written and illustrated by LMN Architects, including Kjell Anderson, FAIA, Jenn Chen, Justin Schwartzhoff, Chris Savage, Huma Timurbanga, and Andrew Gustin, with dozens of reviewers and contributors.
