Embracing the 2030 Sustainability Challenge in Senior Living Design
A look at senior living-specific strategies that extend beyond comfort zones to look at lifecycle costs, embodied carbon and the impact on the triple bottom line.
As we look to the future, several global challenges stand out: an aging population, the imperative to care for the health and well-being of people and the increasing need to reduce our impact on the planet. These seemingly separate issues converge in an unexpected place: senior living design. Because senior living communities are designed to support an aging population, the demand for energy and resources is great, placing increased pressure on the planet’s already strained ecosystems. Senior living communities are operationally intensive because of the need to supply year-round climate control, continuous medical support and other essential amenities for creating safe, comfortable resident environments. But with these demands comes an opportunity to fundamentally rethink how we approach designing them, ensuring that these spaces are both beneficial to those who live there and sustainable for the world in which they live.
The 2030 Challenge, launched by Architecture 2030, offers a powerful opportunity for architects and designers to reshape how we build and operate senior living communities, making them more sustainable and resilient for the future. The Challenge is a response to the growing evidence of climate change and the built environment's role in contributing to global carbon emissions. According to the initiative, buildings are responsible for more than 40% of annual global carbon emissions; it calls for all new buildings, developments and major renovations to be carbon-neutral by 2030, meaning they must use no more energy over the course of a year than they can produce on-site or procure from renewable sources.
This goal of the 2030 Challenge is broken down into incremental targets. By 2020, buildings were expected to achieve a 70% reduction in fossil fuel energy consumption compared to the regional average for that building type. This target increases to an 80% reduction by 2025 and a 90% reduction by 2030. And while these targets drive innovation, they also present real-world challenges. Balancing strict Energy Use Intensity (EUI) goals with practical design and construction realities requires careful planning and iteration. Beyond hitting these targets, true sustainability means creating beautiful buildings that are long-lasting and appropriately scaled for their use.
Achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 is an ambitious goal, but it's especially important for a sector like senior living, which is already focused on quality of life. Sustainable design practices can lower operational costs through energy efficiency, reduce the built environment's carbon footprint and foster healthier living spaces by improving air quality and reducing exposure to harmful materials. This holistic approach aligns perfectly with the mission of senior living communities: to enhance quality of life while stewarding the resources that make that life possible. In this article, we’ll explore strategies that go beyond surface-level sustainability and delve into what it takes to create facilities that meet the needs of residents while also addressing broader environmental and economic responsibilities.
Energy Use Intensity and Senior Living
A key metric in the 2030 Challenge is Energy Use Intensity (EUI), which measures how much energy a building consumes per square foot annually. This metric serves as a benchmark for improving energy performance, and the 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) baseline is a critical reference point used to compare the efficiency of commercial buildings. Using this baseline during the design phase of a project, we can gauge a project’s performance and make informed adjustments using energy modeling. While our projects typically fall between the baseline and our target, the aggressive goals set by the 2030 Challenge push us to continually raise the bar and explore innovative solutions in building performance.
Like all buildings, mechanical systems in senior living environments play a critical role in reducing energy use. Although factors like insulation and window placement are important for optimizing energy use, the design of mechanical systems offers even greater potential for energy savings. The right HVAC system can be tailored to each unique environment within a senior living facility, allowing us to match energy use with the specific needs of residents. For example, independent living units may benefit from more residential-style systems, while assisted living and skilled nursing areas can achieve higher efficiency with systems that offer individual zone control. This enhances resident comfort and ensures energy is used more effectively, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
Ultimately, sustainability in senior living design goes far beyond adding a few “green features.” It’s about finding opportunities to embed environmental stewardship into every aspect of a project. This holistic approach becomes even more critical in senior living facilities, where the focus is on creating spaces supporting residents’ well-being while minimizing the building’s environmental impact. By leveraging innovative technologies with good design practices, we can create facilities that are energy-efficient, adaptable and built with a long-term vision of sustainability in mind.
Design Strategies for Sustainability in Senior Living Design
At its core, sustainable design is focused on planning for the future to create buildings that meet today’s needs and anticipate the challenges of tomorrow. In senior living, this means designing energy-efficient and resilient environments so they can operate well for decades while providing comfort and security for their residents. These communities are places where people live, heal and age with dignity, so the spaces must be as adaptable and enduring as the people they serve. By prioritizing sustainability, we can reduce the building’s environmental impact and enhance the quality of life for residents, ensuring these communities remain vibrant and functional in the face of changing environmental and economic conditions.
Now, let’s dive into the specific design strategies that help us achieve this balance of sustainability and well-being.
High-performance building envelopes: The building envelope — the walls, roof, windows and doors — plays a critical role in energy efficiency. We design high-performance envelopes that minimize heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer to reduce the need for heating and cooling. Continuous exterior insulation (CEI) is crucial for creating high-performance envelopes and is effective because the insulation is placed on the structure's exterior versus within it, between wall studs. This method helps minimize thermal bridging, where the exterior envelope materials allow the transfer of energy to or from the conditioned space. While building codes are moving in the right direction by requiring CEI, ensuring these details are properly constructed is the real challenge. Technological advancements in materials like air barriers, sealants and tapes have significantly improved the ability to seal buildings effectively, addressing traditional air leakage points. Ensuring these details are meticulously executed during construction is key to achieving the energy efficiency targets set by the 2030 Challenge. Additionally, the right insulation improves energy efficiency, minimizes noise and creates a quieter, more peaceful living space to enhance residents' quality of life.
Advanced HVAC systems: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are major energy consumers in senior living facilities. We use advanced, energy-efficient systems, including heat pumps and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, to optimize performance and reduce energy use. A balance of code requirements, budget and project-specific needs often guides the system choice. For instance, independent living environments may benefit from more residential-style systems. In contrast, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities might see greater efficiency with VRF systems that offer individual control across different zones. Though more advanced systems come with higher initial costs, they deliver long-term savings through enhanced efficiency and comfort, allowing facility operators to balance upfront investment and ongoing operational savings. These advanced systems can also improve indoor air quality (IAQ), a critical factor in senior living. By integrating high-efficiency filtration systems and using low-volatile organic compound VOC materials (i.e., products that emit minimal harmful chemicals) throughout the building, we can provide cleaner, healthier air for residents, reducing exposure to harmful pollutants and allergens.
Thermal comfort and passive design: In senior living, residents’ comfort is paramount. By incorporating basic passive design principles, such as optimizing building orientation, maximizing natural ventilation and even using materials with high thermal mass, we can create opportunities to reduce energy demand while enhancing thermal comfort. For example, orienting buildings to capture the winter sun and using materials like concrete or stone that collect, store and release heat while using strategies like deep overhangs that minimize summer heat gain help maintain stable indoor temperatures with less reliance on mechanical systems. This contributes to energy savings and provides a more comfortable environment for residents, who are often more sensitive to temperature fluctuations.
Renewable energy integration: Incorporating renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and geothermal systems, can help achieve net-zero energy buildings. These systems reduce carbon emissions and provide long-term cost savings for facility operators. Our approach often involves a mix of renewable energy solutions tailored to the specific needs and constraints of the project site. For example, geothermal systems and solar panel arrays on buildings in areas with high energy costs can help reduce peak demand of a system to lower yearly costs and help ensure a reliable and sustainable energy supply throughout the year.
Energy modeling: Energy modeling is a powerful tool that allows us to simulate and analyze a building's energy performance before construction begins. We can identify the most effective strategies for reducing energy consumption and achieving sustainability goals by iterating through various design scenarios. Early-phase energy modeling is particularly beneficial, as it provides actionable data that can influence design decisions and ensure the project is on the right track. The process involves inputting a wide range of variables, such as building orientation, insulation levels and HVAC efficiency, into sophisticated software, which then analyzes and predicts the building's energy use under different scenarios. This data is crucial for refining designs, optimizing systems and achieving the low EUI required by the 2030 Challenge.
Adaptable spaces: Like many building types, senior living environments can also be designed to evolve with the changing needs of users or residents. Flexible design elements, such as removable cabinetry and modular walls, allow spaces to be reconfigured as needed, reducing the need for future renovations and minimizing material waste. This adaptability extends the building's lifespan and ensures that facilities remain functional and sustainable.
By implementing these design strategies, we can create senior living environments that are both adaptable and sustainable, ensuring they evolve alongside the changing needs of their residents. From high-performance building envelopes to renewable energy integration, every element plays a crucial role in balancing comfort, efficiency and long-term resilience. As we continue to innovate and refine our approach, we are not just designing for today; we’re building for the future, working to create communities that will thrive for decades.
The Path Forward
As we move closer to the 2030 deadline, the need for sustainable design in senior living becomes even more important. The lessons we’ve learned through the 2030 Challenge show how innovative, thoughtful design can balance quality of life with environmental responsibility. And while the road ahead has its challenges, it also presents a power opportunity for architects and designers to help create a healthier, more sustainable future.
Looking forward, we’ll need to keep pushing the limits. Senior living communities must be adaptable, energy-efficient and resilient to whatever changes come, whether environmental or economic. But it’s also exciting to think about new technologies and strategies that could transform senior living, like smart systems that improve sustainability and resident care or regenerative design concepts that go beyond just reducing carbon and actually help restore the environment.
The senior living communities of tomorrow have the potential to set new standards for environmental responsibility and innovation. The real challenge lies in how far we can push the boundaries of design to create spaces that contribute positively to both people and the planet. As we face these challenges, the question isn't just about meeting the goals ahead but about how we can go beyond them to redefine what's possible in senior living design.
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Chris Reed, PE, LEED AP from Morriseey Engineering provided insight for portions of this article.