general findings

The United States is home to roughly 4.5 % of the world's population, consuming over 24% of the world's energy, mostly through the combustion of fossil fuels. Of this, buildings and building-housed processes compreise aoubt 38% of US energy use. Primarily, this energy comes in the form of lighitng, cooling, ventilating, and heating. Thus, US building alone are responsible for almost 10% of the world's energy use, a pattern shaped by designers. To make matters worse, "Furthermore, buildings are among the most long-lived physical artifacts that society produces. If one makes a shoddy washing machine or television set, it will be recycled after a decade or so, but buildings last for a very long time. Today's designs will be with us for many decades." ¹

Benton, Charles C. (1998) Architecture Revisted: On Listening to Buildings. In A. Scott (Ed.), Dimensions of Sustainability. London, E & FN SPON. 75.