Energized: The Evolution of the Modern Building

The modern, sleek, and elegant design of the Equitable Building has been emulated around the world, but according to David Arnold it was: "replicated in totally different climates without the availability of renewable energy sources and entirely different geology. The Equitable Building was the first building to completely break with centuries-old passive technologies and embrace active systems. The design team reduced consumption through passive design methods and maximized efficiencies, but then sought to build symbiotic energy relationships with the adjacent buildings. The energy use of buildings steadily grew in the 1950s and 1960s. The amount of energy used for the building sector has increased faster than any other sector of the US economy. The US Energy Information Administration found that 38 percent of all CO₂ emissions in the country came from the building sector in 2009. The CO₂ emissions from buildings come from a wide variety of energy sources.