Can Architecture Help Insulate Chicago From Climate Change? New Exhibit Says Yes

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Can architecture help insulate Chicago from climate change? A new exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center says yes, but we need to act fast.

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By the end of this century, if humans don’t manage to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Chicago’s climate will feel like Dallas, Texas, where temperatures average 90-95 degrees a full three months out of the year.A new exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center leads with this sobering scenario before delivering the good news: The situation is still salvageable., founder of the architecture firm Farr Associates and a staunch advocate for sustainable design.

Conserving that energy is job one — before investing in solar panels, buying electric vehicles or blasting off on missions to Mars to mine the red planet for its resources. The first order of business, Farr said, is to just use less energy.It’s insulation. Farr attributes the discrepancy to a couple of factors, made evident in the cross-sections. Chicago’s oldest commercial buildings were designed to convey solidity and permanence, and were constructed of sturdy brick and steel. Then came a sea change ushered in by Mies van der Rohe, with an emphasis on clean lines, thinness and transparency. Glass — single pane, in many cases — became dominant and insulation was often non-existent.

There’s a thick layer of insulation, as well as quadruple-paned glass that makes use of sleek iPhone screen protector technology. Other energy-saving tricks include geothermal wells to help heat and cool the building, operable windows and skylights to allow cross-ventilation, and aluminum “fins” to shade the windows in the summer. Steel supports are replaced by cross-laminated timber beams, made from sustainably grown wood that takes far less energy to produce than steel, Farr said.

He pointed to the smoking cessation campaign as an apt analogy, noting that warnings from the surgeon general did little on their own to change behavior. It took bans on smoking in public places and stiff taxes on cigarettes, among other measures, to make an impact."Energy Revolution" aims to build awareness of options like energy saving appliances.

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