German Innovation for High-Performance Buildings (Part 1)
Part I of a two-part series examines how adopting German innovations could benefit various building systems in the U.S.
Epsten Group’s current work in Germany and my German education allow me to keep up with German innovations in the built environment. Germany is now commonly acknowledged as one of the top three countries for innovation, ranking slightly ahead of Japan on most lists, with the U.S. at the top. German innovations are commonly implemented in Europe, but many of them still haven’t seen any real adoption here in the U.S. However, U.S. construction could benefit from German thinking on building envelopes, energy- and water-efficient building systems and, as will be discussed in the next issue of EDC, policies that support green roofs, active solar systems and alternate approaches to planning and transportation.