Get Going for Zero by Carl Elefante

Carl Elefante

Carl Elefante, FAIA, FAPT, is Principal Emeritus with Quinn Evans, recipients of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Firm Award in 2024, where he served as Director of Sustainability and design principal for architecture, historic preservation, and community revitalization projects. Known for coining the phrase: “The greenest building is…one that is already built”, Carl writes and lectures internationally on historic preservation, sustainable design, climate change, and urban topics. Since serving as President of the AIA in 2018, Carl has focused on climate change, serving as Senior Fellow with Architecture 2030 and on the founding board of the Climate Heritage Network (CHN). Carl’s recent academic appointments include serving as Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America, Paul H. Kea Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, and Senior Research Associate with the Michael Christopher Duda Center at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. Carl was elected to the College of Fellows in both AIA and Association for Preservation Technology International (APT).

Going for Zero

Decarbonizing the Built Environment on the Path to Our Urban Future

Climate change is no longer an abstract threat. Day after day, an already disrupted climate is impacting the lives of millions, and the time available to curtail climate change is alarmingly limited. Going for zero greenhouse gas emissions requires retooling everything about industry, agriculture, transportation, and every city and town that people inhabit. The work of architects, engineers, landscape architects, urban designers and the countless others who shape the built environment has never been more relevant.

Stewardship of the Built Environment

Sustainability, Preservation, and Reuse

When we think of green building, we tend to picture new construction. But Robert A. Young argues that the greenest building is often the one that has already been built. In Stewardship of the Built Environment, he shows how rehabilitating and reusing existing structures holds untapped potential for achieving sustainable communities.