Expressing Energy Transitions: Transforming Existing Buildings and Perceptions

The transition to renewable energy in the United States is rapidly transforming society and presenting revolutionary opportunities for architecture. An understanding and framing of the nation’s historical energy transitions (Figure 1) illuminates the dramatic yet realistic time frame in which renewable energy (primarily from the sun) will influence changes in architecture. As of 2024, only a few new buildings in the United States are capable of harvesting sufficient on-site solar energy to fully meet operational energy needs and manifest architectural intentions. Less than 10% of the over 5 million solar photovoltaic (PV) systems currently in the nation are installed on existing non-residential buildings.1 This significant stock of over 9 million buildings will transition to electrified operational energy by 2050. Several million of these buildings will produce their own energy utilizing integrated PV systems. These systems should have profound architectural implications. Architects must play a significant role in the transformation of these buildings. The subject of this essay is a speculative design project developed by the Author to visualize the architectural potential of integrating large PV arrays with existing buildings in the public realm. The project is inspired by the conclusions of two recent and widely respected energy research studies. The first, conducted at Stanford University, defines a roadmap for 100% renewable energy in the United States by 2050, including 25.5% of energy provided by on-site PV.2 The second, produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, defines the technical potential of rooftop PV in 128 cities representing 23% of existing buildings in the United States.3 This translates to more than 2.1 million small, medium and large non-residential buildings. The sheer magnitude of the profound energy transitions outlined in the two studies present a range of architectural challenges to be addressed over the next 25 years.