Integrating Energy and Architecture
At Environmental Sustainability & Climate Innovation, Adam Semel, Managing Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, demonstrates how the built environment can become a cornerstone of decarbonization. By reimagining buildings as batteries, he shows that architecture extends beyond form and function into energy resilience and climate responsibility. This integration enables buildings to operate as both consumers and producers of energy, turning cities into active participants in the energy transition and establishing a new model for sustainable growth.
Regulation as Catalyst for Transformation
Policy reinforces the urgency of this shift. New York City’s Local Law 97 imposes strict emissions limits on buildings larger than 25,000 square feet, with the goal of cutting building-related greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. Property owners who exceed those thresholds face penalties of $268 per metric ton of CO2 equivalent, supported by annual reporting requirements that enforce accountability. These rules elevate sustainability from an optional ambition to a regulated necessity, positioning energy performance as a defining element of design.
Innovation in Building Design
This transformation is already visible in pioneering projects. The Kathleen Grimm School, completed in 2015, became a landmark in net zero energy education. Disney’s New York City headquarters, opening in 2025, will run entirely on electric power. The New York Climate Exchange, expected in 2029, is being designed to achieve net zero energy, net zero water, and net zero waste. These projects show how architecture can align with regulatory mandates while advancing resilience, setting a precedent for future urban development.
Responding to Grid Stress and Rising Demand
Energy demand continues to grow as artificial intelligence data centers and clean technology manufacturing expand across the country. Utilities struggle to keep pace, and renewable energy curtailments in California already reveal the limits of current infrastructure. Two-thirds of the energy generated in the United States is lost through inefficiencies in production, transmission, and consumption. Integrating energy storage into buildings helps mitigate this loss by capturing surplus renewable power, stabilizing supply, and reinforcing urban resilience when the grid is under pressure.
Long-Duration Energy Storage as a Structural Strategy
While lithium-ion batteries remain suitable for short-duration applications, they degrade over time and present environmental challenges when scaled. Semel emphasizes the potential of long-duration energy storage technologies, particularly pumped hydropower, which accounts for 95 percent of global capacity. Incorporating storage into tall buildings allows cities to hold energy for long periods without degradation, use systems that can charge and discharge simultaneously, and achieve low-maintenance operation over decades. With embodied carbon offset within just a few years, these systems demonstrate that energy storage can be both durable and sustainable.
Toward Regenerative Cities
When storage capacity becomes integral to architecture, cities shift from passive consumers to regenerative ecosystems. Locating storage close to demand reduces reliance on fragile grids, strengthens domestic energy security, and ensures that decarbonization is woven into the foundation of development. Architecture in this model balances energy efficiency, renewable integration, and urban resilience, proving that sustainable design and climate stability can be achieved in unison.
Leadership in the Built Environment
Semel’s perspective redefines leadership in architecture and urban development. Success now depends not only on structural or aesthetic innovation but also on measurable contributions to decarbonization and resilience. Embedding storage and energy performance into design equips leaders in real estate, construction, and policy to guide the energy transition with ambition and clarity. The evolution of architecture into a driver of energy strategy shows that cities can be rebuilt into regenerative systems where every building strengthens sustainability and every community advances resilience.
