A little more than a year ago, we announced Arc for All at Greenbuild in Atlanta, Georgia. This was a milestone. We pulled down our paywalls, did away with trial periods, and opened up Arc to everyone, everywhere.
At that time, we supported 2.9 billion square feet of projects in approximately 65 countries. We marked the moment with a party with more than a hundred friends (thank you Epsten Group) and celebrated our efforts to make real world performance an integral part of green building practice.
Arc for All means that any project, anywhere can measure and score real world performance.
A few months later, the world changed. I remember anxiously attending the annual Green Schools Conference & Expo in Portland, Oregon as cases of COVID-19 spread and public health warnings became more dire in early March. The New Buildings Institute hosted our last in-person Arc training, and I went home in a cloud of hand sanitzer (and no mask… we didn’t know about that yet). I haven’t flown since and day-to-day life turned upside down. I’m guessing this sounds familiar.
I’m very grateful that we have continued to advance our mission despite these circumstances. We will end this challenging year with more 4 billion square feet of active projects and more than 20,000 active users working on spaces, buildings, and places in 129 countries. This was propelled by our work making it faster and easier to create, import, load, and score projects. We have squashed bugs, dealt with dreaded “edge cases”, and add features.
Thankfully, we’re not doing this alone. We appreciate the chance to work closely with partners to help our users: arbnco, B Line, Commuitifi, ENERGY STAR, Energy Watch, Idun, Measurable, QLEAR, Schneider, Wattics. I value knowing that these teams are out there every day collecting data, helping users, and propelling our shared mission. We’re excited to welcome new partners early in 2021.
Arc partners make it faster and easier to collect, exchange, and score performance data for spaces, buildings, and places around the world.
Many people know that Arc powers LEED. This is true. In 2020, we launched new tools that go beyond certification. Users can subscribe to gain access to model scores, analyze portfolios, and generate customized reports. Performance certificates recognize leadership in individual performance categories. Re-Entry gives all Arc users tools to manage infection risk, including establishing science-based policies, engaging occupants, and measuring indoor air quality. We shared new data about project performance.
Most importantly, our tools and partnerships enabled users to do great things:
- Schneider Electric’s Technopole facility — with support from arbnco — demonstrated best-in-the-world operations in Grenoble, France.
- Hundreds of schools in Canada and Brazil tracked energy and GHG emissions.
- Bold teams planned for a safe, confident re-entry in India.
- Vasakronan and Idun worked together to streamline LEED certification (again!).
- Our Schneider Fellows helped us understand COVID-19 impacts on transportation and mobility.
- Much more....
This work provides inspiration and the foundation for a better 2021. We have so much more to do. In the year ahead we will focus on:
- New ways to score and analyze performance
- New tools to support organizations and portfolios
- New partnerships to bring market insights and analytics
- Much more…
As the year comes to a close, I am grateful for the opportunity to make real world performance an integral part of green building practice. I appreciate that our work is a small part of our global movement, and we are fellow travelers with friends and colleagues striving to create better places for people and the environment. We will continue on this journey together in the New Year.
Happy New Year!