Autodesk AEC Headquarters and Integrated Project Delivery: Factor Ten Engineering Case Study

This paper describes the design and construction of Autodesk’s Headquarters building. The building was a “triple win”: design and construction costs were below target (benefiting both the design-build team and owner); designer and contractor profits exceeded targets; and the building achieved LEED-CI Platinum and all other goals. The building demonstrates several principles of factor-ten engineering.

 

Lovins GreenHome 1.0: Factor Ten Engineering Case Study

Amory Lovins’s state-of-the-art green home and indoor growing space at 7,100 feet is remarkably energy efficient, includes several renewable technologies, and has no conventional heating and cooling system. The building demonstrates several principles of factor-ten engineering. This paper provides a detailed case study of the building.

 

Achieving Radically Energy Efficient Retrofits: The Empire State Building Example

In order to avoid reaching unsustainable levels of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, we must reduce GHG emissions by 75% by 2050. “Deep” commercial building retrofits are an essential part of the solution. A “deep” retrofit is 1) a package of integrated, whole-building energy efficiency measures that 2) is coordinated with planned equipment replacement and that 3) optimizes cost and GHG reductions. Developing deep retrofits requires changes to the typical approach to building retrofits (which generally result in only ~15-30 percent energy savings). This paper highlights differentiators between the Empire State Building retrofit process and the typical approach to retrofits. These differentiators are likely not the precise or only changes needed to the typical retrofit process; however, they form a starting point for driving greater energy savings in building retrofits.

 

Factor Ten Engineering Design Principles

Designers often assume that radical efficiency is too expensive. Yet RMI’s Factor Ten Engineering initiative demonstrates that very large energy and resource savings can be very profitable across a wide range of applications. Factor Ten Engineering uses such innovations to transform design and engineering practice, via whole-system thinking and integrative design. This document outlines the design principles of Factor Ten Engineering.

 

The Nuclear Illusion

This paper challenges the view that nuclear power is competitive, necessary, reliable, secure, and affordable. The authors explain why nuclear power is uncompetitive, unneeded, and obsolete.

 

Energy End-Use Efficiency

This paper, which was commissioned by the InterAcademy Council, discusses the importance and benefits of considering energy end-use efficiency when making energy economic decisions. Energy end-use efficiency is the concept of providing more desired services per unit of energy consumed.

 

How Not to Parachute More Cats

This classic publication describes some of RMI's founding principles through a story of parachuting cats into Borneo.

 

Abating Global Warming for Fun and Profit

In this letter to The Wall Street Journal, Amory Lovins provides a public rebuttal to the prevalent perception that preventing climate change is too expensive to warrant the effort.