In 2016, New York City passed Local Laws 31 & 32, aimed at strengthening existing sustainability requirements and introducing new measures that will make NYC-owned buildings among the most efficient in the country. Specifically, Local Law 31 requires new municipal buildings to use 50% less energy compared to code or the median energy use for buildings of that type in New York-radically more efficient than most buildings currently being built. Through these laws, most new city buildings and major retrofits must achieve LEED Gold status and cut energy use in half.
To assist the professional community in preparing to meet this challenge, AIA New York and Urban Green Council offered in-depth training on the design of hyper-efficient buildings using building techniques that comply with LL31/32 and other high-efficiency standards. Held in 2017 and 2018, the two-day workshops were limited to 25 participants and open to all architects, designers, engineers, and construction trade professionals.