Building(s) for the Future
Climate smart buildings in every phase of the process: planning, construction, operation, and the transition to their next life.
Building(s) for the Future
Buildings are a huge piece of the climate solutions puzzle and Missoula can design and build better.
Climate Smart buildings are increasingly important as pressures mount for development to keep pace with community growth and goals. They feature prominently in Missoula's goals and plans: 2015 Community Climate Smart Action Plan; 100% Clean Electricity Resolution; Climate Ready Missoula resiliency plan, and Zero by Fifty Plan.
Climate Smart Missoula is also part of a community coalition to develop and diversify Missoula's clean energy workforce. Learn more about Building(s) for the Future community efforts:
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Electrify MissoulaA significant part of our Building(s) for the Future work is Electrify Missoula, a collaborative, building-electrification initiative to transition to a healthier, more affordable, clean-energy future.
See electrifymissoula.org 
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New in 2025 Missoula's Conscious Construction Collaborative - a group working to expand sustainable building knowledge and create stronger local connections. Their mission is to foster a community of professionals focused on designing and constructing sustainable and resilient buildings in Missoula and the surrounding communities. USGBC Montana, Cushing Terrell, and Group14 Engineering hosted the first event Feb 19. Stay tuned for details on the next 3 gatherings:
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Buildings, Our Carbon Footprint, and the 100 Year Decision
Buildings are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. From energy use to materials to our habits, buildings make up 52% of our carbon footprint, according to 2014 data. We estimate that Missoula needs to reduce building emissions by 15% by 2030 in order to meet its 100% Clean Electricity and community carbon neutrality goals.
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While change needs to occur across all sectors to meet our carbon neutrality goals, our building stock needs particular attention because once buildings are built, much of the building sector emissions are locked in - what's often referred to as the "One Hundred Year Decision."
Erase40.org does a great job explaining this concept more. Here are a few highlights on what we mean by the One Hundred Year Decision:
Erase40.org does a great job explaining this concept more. Here are a few highlights on what we mean by the One Hundred Year Decision:
Buildings are a "One Hundred Year Decision"
Every day we make thousands of decisions. Some of them carry more weight than others.
Every day we make thousands of decisions. Some of them carry more weight than others.
The life of a building's envelope is usually a hundred years or more.
That makes a decision to build a conventional building (instead of a high performance one) a 100 year decision. That's 100 years of carbon emissions. That's 100 years of air pollution and rising asthma rates.
That makes a decision to build a conventional building (instead of a high performance one) a 100 year decision. That's 100 years of carbon emissions. That's 100 years of air pollution and rising asthma rates.
With each new conventional building, we add to the inventory of long term emission sources
and reduce our ability to respond to climate change.
and reduce our ability to respond to climate change.
Thinking beyond carbon emissions
There are myriad benefits of building with the future in mind that reach beyond carbon emissions. More efficient buildings are healthier for occupants, more resilient, often more comfortable and satisfying to be in, and in the long run, are more affordable!
health benefits
Energy efficient building is also often healthy building, leading to decreased rates of asthma and other respiratory issues for inhabitants. For example, a recent study by E4TheFuture found 12% fewer asthma ED visits and a 48% decline in poor health among adults in households receiving weatherization services. The study also showed improvements in occupants heath are strongest among vulnerable groups: lower income households and residents with preexisting medical conditions. Check out the full study here.
increased climate resiliency
Summers are becoming warmer with bringing more intense wildfire smoke. Missoula needs to adapt our buildings to enhance insulation and ventilation in anticipation of more extreme wildfire seasons and hot temperatures. Additionally, we can make smart decisions regarding the siting of buildings and the usage of green or white roofs to decrease our reliance on air conditioning.
increased comfort and satisfaction
More efficient buildings lead to more comfortable and satisfied inhabitants. Building(s) for the Future can eliminate rooms that are either too hot or too cold by improving insulation and ventilation to allow for temperatures to remain consistent throughout the building. Furthermore, the services help mitigate or eliminate drafts in the building which can be annoying and uncomfortable.
reduced operating costs (and vulnerability to energy price fluctuations)
More efficient buildings cost less money to operate, and a reduced demand for fossil fuel generated energy leaves building owners less exposed to price volatility.
For more on the relationship between energy efficiency and energy price fluctuation, read this report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy - ACEEE.
For more on the relationship between energy efficiency and energy price fluctuation, read this report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy - ACEEE.
6 E's (mind your E's & Q),
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Mind Your E's and Q's - Here are the 6 E's and 1 Q we've pulled together for new buildings and retrofits, when possible:
Do all this and the homes/buildings are healthy with good indoor air quality. They would be "Climate Smart".
What do you think of these and could we roll this up into a "Climate-Smart Buildings Certification? Email Amy with input and suggestions. THANK YOU!
- Environmental siting: urban infill to avoid sprawl, reduce transportation emissions, with parking less prominent, green infrastructure all around and maximized (trees, shrubs, gardens), places for bikes, walkable, etc.
- Electrify everything: all appliances, HVAC systems, water heaters. No methane gas! Collectively we are working to transition the electrical grid to be powered entirely from carbon-free energy, but if we’re still burning fossil fuels in our buildings, the whole shift to clean energy cannot happen. With hotter summers we also need to have the ability to cool homes. We need to have clean indoor air, and burning “natural” gas in any appliance, especially stoves, is a significant health risk. See our collaborative initiative electrifymissoula.org.
- Energy efficiency: the energy we don't use is the best resource. So building a little (or a lot) better than code makes a difference. Plenty of insulation, LED lighting, not too much glass (esp. north), and reasonably tight. And ask, what’s the smallest building needed so that heating and cooling systems (#2) can be sized right and not have to work too hard?
- Energy on site: maximize on site renewable energy production via solar and/or ground source/geothermal. If it’s not possible with today’s budget, make the building “solar ready”. And worry about battery storage today – in the future it may be priced in a way that it makes sense to incorporate, or perhaps your oven or EV will provide a backup battery, but not yet.
- Embodied carbon: This refers to the emissions from any of the materials that go into the building - from production to the point of usage. It's not always top-of-mind, but the energy that goes into making and transporting materials is crucial. This comes into play with things like rigid insulation and many commonly used spray on foams (bad!). Cellulose insulation can work, we just have to demand it. Building with wood (e.g., Cross Laminated Timber - CLT) fits squarely here. There are even ways that Missoula and Montana can lead on new formulas for the very energy intensive cement/concrete or new alternatives. There is even a new, free, cool tool to calculate embodied carbon: BEAM estimator
- EV charging or EV ready: any new buildings and development should consider that future drivers will want to plug in their EVs. Is it possible to add level 2 charging infrastructure or, at minimum, prepare the site to be “EV charging ready,” including ample power to and from the electrical breaker box and conduit from the building to the identified location? AND
Do all this and the homes/buildings are healthy with good indoor air quality. They would be "Climate Smart".
What do you think of these and could we roll this up into a "Climate-Smart Buildings Certification? Email Amy with input and suggestions. THANK YOU!
Our January 2021 virtual Summit, presented with support from the National League of Cities, brought over 130 Missoulians together to hear from panelists across the country and discuss what comes next in Missoula. Here we offer our FINDINGS REPORT and associated Appendices - a wealth of information about smart building themes, goals, best practices and next steps. Keep scrolling for more on the actual Jan 15 Summit, including the panelists' presentations, and read the "Background Briefs" distributed prior to the summit.
Summit Recording and Panelist Presentations
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Click on a presentation above to view the entire slide deck. Thanks again to our presenters:
- Leah Bamberger (City of Providence, RI) - see recording at ~12:00
- Stefen Samarripas (ACEEE) - see recording at ~ 30:00
- Luke Hollenkamp (City of Minneapolis, MN) - see recording at ~ 39:00
- Douglas Gilliland (Whisper Valley Development, Austin, TX) - see recording at ~53:00
- Michael Maines (Pretty Good House) - see recording at ~1:03:00
Tools for Better Building(s)
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Thankfully, we're not in this alone, and there is much to learn from communities across the country and world that are reducing the carbon emissions associated with their buildings. Sometimes we think of it in terms of a food metaphor - rather than needing to create a brand new dish, there is already a full menu and Missoula needs to decide what we want to order. The tools we choose to build for the future will need to be community decisions where we decide what type of approach we think will work best and what we are willing to do to achieve lower carbon emissions in our building sector. Click on the table to read more about the tools Missoula is considering, or explore the accordion for the full background briefs distributed to summit participants.
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Summit Breakout Group Topics and Background Briefs
For each sector, click on the + sign at right to learn more and view the Background Briefs.
rental housing (energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrification)
Discussed decarbonization policies and programs for existing rental housing in Missoula, considering landlord-tenant split incentive, property management capacity, financing, workforce capacity, and affordability. Discussion included energy efficiency measures, electrification, appliances, and expansion of renewable energy on rental properties. Read / download the Rental Housing Briefing Document HERE.
owner occupied housing (energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrification)
Discussed decarbonization policies and programs for existing owner occupied housing in Missoula, considering financing, point-of-sale, workforce capacity, and affordability. Discussion primarily focused on energy efficiency measures and electrification but will touch on existing renewable energy outreach and financing programs. Read / download the Owner Occupied Housing Briefing document HERE.
large residential and commercial buildings (energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrification)
Discussed large commercial and residential buildings (>20,000 sf) and decarbonization policies and programs, through both energy efficiency measures, electrification, appliances, and incorporation of renewable energy. Read / download the Large Residential and Commercial Buildings Briefing Document HERE.
local innovation and promotion of flagship low-carbon projects
Discussed potential partnerships and collaborations to innovate locally at the forefront of low-carbon building, as well as ways to promote this work regionally to inspire others. Read / download the Local Innovation & Promotion Briefing Document HERE.
developer incentives for low-carbon, innovative new construction projects
Discussed possible local government incentives for low-carbon building in Missoula, ranging from increased density to reduced parking requirements to expedited permitting process. Low-carbon building projects are all-electric projects that go beyond standard code requirements, include renewable energy where appropriate, minimize construction site waste, and design for deconstruction. Read / download the Developer Incentives Briefing Document HERE.
low-carbon subdivisions and new development
Discussed growth in Missoula and the possibilities for low-carbon subdivisions and in-fill development, balancing energy and affordability concerns. The group will focus on projects that are built without an architect on the project team. Read / download the Subdivisions & New Development Document HERE.
deconstruction and construction waste
Continued the ongoing discussions led by Home Resource on deconstruction rather than demolition and reducing construction site waste.
Thank you to our Task Force!
This B(s)4F effort is in collaboration with the City of Missoula, Missoula County, and a team of architects, designers, engineers, and non-profit partners who are part of our super valuable Task Force.
In addition to the partners above, we had support for this work via the National League of Cities. Thanks to a proposal we spearheaded, Missoula was one of 8 US communities awarded a Leadership in Community Resilience 2020 grant to support Building(s) for the Future.
- Amy Cilimburg, Climate Smart Missoula
- Caroline Bean, Missoula County
- Leigh Ratterman, City of Missoula
- Mason Parker, Home ReSource
- Sarah Ayers and Luke Jackson, Loci Architecture + Design
- Shane Morrissey, MMW Architects
- Paul Herendeen, Clearwater Credit Union
- Rob Lindner, Central Street Ventures
- Damian Mast, HONE Architects & Builders
- Skander Spies, McKinstry
In addition to the partners above, we had support for this work via the National League of Cities. Thanks to a proposal we spearheaded, Missoula was one of 8 US communities awarded a Leadership in Community Resilience 2020 grant to support Building(s) for the Future.
