Sustainability News

WJW and the AIA 2030 Commitment

Happy Earth Day! It's a good time to provide an update about our progress towards our sustainability goals! WJW signed on to the AIA 2030 commitment two years ago and we recently reported our numbers for projects completed in 2024. Signing on to the commitment toward net zero emissions required that we create a Sustainability Action Plan and report the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) reduction percentage for our projects each year through 2030.

For new construction projects completed in 2022, our total EUI reduction was 42%. For 2023, it was nearly 57% (compare that to the national average of 50% and the Illinois average of 48%). For 2024, our number was significantly lower: 27%. This was because we decided to include moderate rehab projects with envelope improvements. Because many of the buildings for such projects were built decades ago, we have to work with existing conditions that make EUI reduction more challenging. However, keep in mind that mod rehabs, such as our Buena Vista Townhomes or Churchview projects, do make older buildings much more energy efficient! We felt it was important to include these projects in our reporting to give a complete picture of the work we do.

All of the projects we have reported on so far were designed before joining the AIA 2030 commitment. Going forward, the EUI reduction numbers will go up as we incorporate even more sustainable design into our future projects.