FTI Forum Recap

May 23

On May 11, 2022, Dan Shannon and Carmen Johnson joined Sam Mason from Encompass Energy, LLC at the Façade Tectonics Institute’s NYC Forum to present their panel discussion Façade Renovation: The urgent need for carbon and cost-efficient strategies.

They addressed the issues of recycling and carbon reduction in the building industry and discussed lessons learned using the development of Penn 2 as a case study. As the need for carbon reduction in buildings becomes more urgent, fewer things will be brand new, but rather new again.

By leaving as much of the existing building in place as possible, the embodied carbon on the site is able to be preserved, while existing infrastructure is re-utilized by new systems. Meanwhile, the state-of-the-art curtain wall replacement has a ripple effect on upgraded MEP systems and tenant improvement packages, causing a significant increase in energy efficiency and cost savings, and effectively making the building new again.

However, a major challenge with over-cladding and window replacement projects is that the existing underperforming glass must be removed, but it is currently not cost-effective to abate old glazing of coatings and adhesives, which is required to make it recyclable. So in most cases, 100% of it is going to the landfill.

LL97-2019 in New York City will put a limit on carbon emissions for all existing buildings beginning in 2024. With façade improvement serving as a key compliance strategy, many buildings will undergo curtain wall or window replacement endeavors. 70% of the 440 million sf of NYC commercial space was built before 1980, which means a lot of coated glass is going to be removed. Where will it go? The building industry will need to respond to this.

Learn more about Penn 2 here.