University of Minnesota Bell Museum Photo credit: Peter J. Sieger
In 2007, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Next Generation Energy Act, which required the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent between 2005 and 2050 while maintaining reliable and affordable energy. This move led to the creation of the Minnesota B3 (Buildings, Benchmarks & Beyond) Sustainable Building Guidelines. Modeled after the Architecture 2030 challenge, this program sets increasingly stringent energy targets for buildings in the program, aiming for net-zero energy use by 2030. Currently, it mandates a 90 percent reduction in energy and carbon emissions use from a 2003 baseline, achievable through a combination of efficiency measures and renewable energy generation.
Thanks to the research of Richard Graves, associate professor of architecture and research director at the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), the Minnesota B3 Sustainable Building Guidelines is a pioneering program for state-funded buildings, emphasizing measurable performance improvements. The program is continually updated with input from state agencies and industry stakeholders, and serves as a model for localized green building initiatives, including resilience, occupant well-being, and net-zero energy and carbon emissions.
“Building capacity to create healthy environments for all people and living systems in a dynamic future.”
The B3 Program
Launched in 2003, the program ensures high environmental performance for publicly funded buildings in Minnesota. It has included over 600 buildings, covering more than 40 million square feet, and influenced broader design and construction practices from the selection of materials
for private sector projects to new energy efficiency codes in 2023 and 2024. The initiative has ultimately saved over $130 million in energy costs.
The B3 Guidelines set specific requirements and metrics across several key areas of
sustainable design:
- Performance Management: Ensures buildings operate as designed, maintaining optimal performance throughout their lifecycle.
- Site and Water: Focuses on hydrology, connectivity, and soil health to minimize environmental impact and contribute to the local ecosystem.
- Energy and Atmosphere: Aims to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, promoting sustainable energy practices.
- Indoor Environmental Quality: Creates healthy, comfortable, and productive indoor environments for the well-being of occupants.
- Materials and Waste: Promotes environmentally conscious materials and waste reduction.
What's Next?
The partnership between the Center for Sustainable Building Research and the state of Minnesota is mutually-beneficial. It provides cost-savings for the state and allows for the students and researchers in the B3 program to participate in real-world projects happening in the their community.
Currently, the B3 program contains over 11,000 public buildings with over 370 million square feet in its database representing 31 State agencies, 682 cities, 69 counties, 58 higher education campuses, and 279 school districts. The B3 Benchmarking system has identified over $72 million in potential energy savings in over 1,400 identified MN public buildings representing about 62 million square feet of building floor area.
While the program’s impact to-date is impressive, Graves has shared that one of the goals of the Center for Sustainable Building Research is to reduce the number of requirements for the B3 program, while actually increasing impact.
“There currently are a lot of regulations on buildings and one of our lessons learned is that we can design everything more carefully so that we ask less and make the compliance easier while actually increasing the environmental and social impact on the projects,” said Graves.
Learn more about the Center for Sustainable Building Research, the B3 program, and the many projects that have come out of this initiative.