Page 12 - Designing for Zero Carbon-Volume 2_Case Studies of All-Electric Multifamily Residential Buildings

DESIGNING FOR ZERO CARBON, VOL. 2 INTRODUCTION
the carbon emissions from their manufacture and production, transportation to the building site and the construction process itself.
This is a fairly recent concern in the building industry and the analytical tools available to design professionals have become widely available only in the past several years.6 Thus, widespread adoption of embodied carbon analysis during the design phase of projects has yet to occur. Such analysis can suggest alternative building products, materials and structural systems, even whether to renovate or build new. (Projects in this volume that analyzed embodied carbon during the design and the results of those analyses are duly noted in the project discussions.)
Future Planning: Electric Vehicle Accommodation
Another challenge that has arisen during recent planning for multifamily residential projects is the infrastructure required for EVs. There has been a rapid adoption of the EV since its public intro- duction fifteen years ago, particularly in California. In addition to its advantage to the consumer, the decarbonization potential of the transportation sector is remarkable. To help accelerate this change, California has mandated7 that all new cars sold in California after 2035 must be zero- emission vehicles—new internal combustion gasoline-powered cars will no longer be available for sale in the state. Planning for the car-charging infrastructure that will be required, particularly for multifamily residential, is now essential.
Projects discussed in this volume completed the planning and design phases, and in some cases were under construction, when this state mandate was issued. Nevertheless, anticipating the future requirement, some of the projects provided for future installation of car-charging sys- tems on site. Going forward, this local system will be a program requirement for owner, tenant and/or staff.
Affordable Housing
A large portion of the multifamily residential projects discussed in this volume meet the California Department of Housing and Community Development definitions of affordable housing. This is in part due to the commitment of the non-profit developer community to low-carbon solutions. Since these solutions must also be cost conscious, the affordable housing projects depicted here present important lessons in that regard, applicable to other types of multifamily housing.
By way of definitions used to characterize the affordable housing projects in this volume, the following apply8:
• AMI – Area Median Income. Eligibility for a particular affordable housing project is typically set as an income level within a percentage range of the AMI and the number of persons in the household.
• Income Category Level. Designations such as “Low-Income”, “Very Low-Income”, etc., are defined as a certain percentage of the AMI in a certain area, adjusted for household size.
An applicant may qualify for a project designated for low-income tenants, for example, if their income falls within the formal definition of that category. Developers may further limit the tenant
6 See p. 111 of this book.
7 Governor’s 2018 Executive Order N-79-20 and the California Air Resources Board Advanced Clean Cars II Rule (Nov. 30, 2022).
8 See also the Foreword to this book, p. iv.
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Case Studies of All-Electric Multifamily Residential Buildings