Archaeological sites tell the story that humankind has always been resourceful in creating built spaces for shelter. Comfort and safety are constant themes in this ongoing story, from Neolithic times when humans developed simple protective structures, moving forward to today’s modern, AI-enabled buildings. As knowledge about the impact of human activities on the planet increased, built structures also started to take energy consumption and sustainability into consideration.

Eras of sustainability, starting in pre-industrial life

A building’s earliest purpose was to provide protection from the weather and wildlife. Some of the very earliest human structures, like the 9,000-year-old mound homes at Çatalhöyük in modern-day Türkiye, display familiar features like plaster walls, central hearths and built-in furniture. Constructed from mud brick, which retain warmth during cold weather and provide respite during heat waves, these spaces also have more unusual attributes. For example, there was a complete absence of doors or windows. Dwellings were only accessible through holes in the roof.

As time moved on, most homes and communal structures were assembled with locally sourced materials that can be easily transported to the site. Some of the oldest plant-based homes have been carbon-dated to more than 5,000 years ago on the Upper Nile when early Egyptians used papyrus roots for building. The world’s oldest existing wooden structure, the Horyu-ji temple complex in Japan, was built in 700 AD and is still in use, a testament to sound engineering and devoted maintenance over more than 1,300 years.

Humans have long managed fire for heat and cooking but later homes featured inside fireplaces and hearths. Despite this growing energy use, CO2 levels remained low, about 280 ppm across the globe for almost 6,000 years of human civilization.

Industrial revolution heralds widespread pollution (1700-1850):

It was not until the 18th century’s Industrial Revolution that the negative effects of burning carbon erupted into the historical records. This era was marked by fast-growing urban centers and the proliferation of coal-burning factories in many northern hemisphere countries. By the 1800s, humans were relying more on fossil fuels, contributing unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The North American used coal in the 1300s for heating and cooking. Nearly 400 years later, explorers in America discovered the energy source and brought coal to England, making coal the most-used energy source during this era. The residue from burning coal painted cities black with pollutants, and smoke, soot and ash became a normal part of city life. As urban populations exploded, hastily built structures were erected with little regard for the building’s environmental impact or the comfort and safety of its occupants. Growth and industry were prioritized over the concept of sustainability or considering the effects of people living in these structures.

Oil, gas & electricity join the energy arena (1850-1950):

As the cumulative negative effects of coal- and wood-burning became more apparent, scientists began studying pollution with more interest. In 1856, American scientist Eunice Foote was the first to recognize and how carbon dioxide gas absorbs heat. Forty years later, the Swedish Nobel Laureate Svante Arrhenius that Arctic temperatures will rise up to 9 degrees Celsius “if carbon dioxide increases to 2.5 or 3 times.” This turned out to be a conservative calculation.

This era also ushered in new energy sources onto the heating, lighting and cooking stage. Although the ancient learned how to use oil and gas for heating more than 2,000 years ago, the rest of the world did not start burning fossil fuel oil until the mid-19th century when crude oil was discovered in 1856. Oil and gas adoption took off quickly after their heating properties are harnessed. And just as quickly, these energy sources began intensifying global warming. Petroleum boomed as a fuel for newly invented automobiles and for home and commercial heating.

During this period inventors also explored applications for thermal batteries and water heaters. Breakthroughs in batteries and electric motors in the late 1800s ushered in the first electric cars. In 1890, a U.S. chemist in Iowa created what is essentially an electric wagon, and over the next decade the appeal of electric cars expanded across society. At the turn of the century, New York City had a fleet of 60 electric taxis, and by comprised a third of all vehicles on the road. But the 1908 introduction of the Ford Model T, mass produced and inexpensive, followed by cheap and readily available gasoline, led to the demise of the electric car in the first half of the 20th century.

Homes continued to evolve as well, and by mid-century many houses and buildings were electrified and had running water. The first city to light its streets with electricity was Surrey, in the United Kingdom, in 1881.

Renewable power begins to blossom (1950-2000):

“Better living through science” became a mantra after World War II. Citizens in many parts of the world benefited from scientific breakthroughs, strong economies and collaboration between countries in the immense projects of nation rebuilding. The 1950s brought air conditioning into commercial buildings and more interest in considering tenant comfort for property owners. The refreshing cool breezes of air conditioning came with a steep price, however, as it is a highly energy intensive process.

Buildings continued to evolve in styles and size over these five decades as architecture leaned toward complex concrete buildings in the 1970s, particularly for commercial buildings. Ever-increasing economic growth was the highest priority for many countries; but climatologists, biologists and other scientists sounded the alarm about how human fossil fuel activities were intensifying the greenhouse effect.

In turn, more renewable sources of energy were cultivated but the major greenhouse gas contributors, petroleum and coal, continued to be the primary energy sources for most homes, commercial buildings and cities.

Photovoltaic solar panels improved in efficacy and were on the market by mid-century; but they were still generally for widespread use with not enough installers trained to deploy them. dotted parts of Europe and North America, but they powered fewer than a million homes globally. The world’s first nuclear power plant went online in 1956, with nuclear power in developed countries in the 1990s.

Sustainability ideals come to the forefront (2000-2022):

The world is unequivocally heating up. The Freedom of Information Act revealed that some governments and international fossil fuel companies were actively promoting disinformation campaigns to deter limits on climate polluters but the effects of excess CO2 were in full cataclysmic view.

The first two decades of the 21st century saw increasing catastrophic climate change effects. Record-breaking temperatures, mega-droughts, unprecedented fires and other extreme weather patterns activated broad public awareness of the realities of human-caused climate change. Most governments and corporations began to tout environmental platforms to mitigate the severity of climate change.

The current era shows advances in renewable energy, with30 percent of all global electricity developed with renewable sources as of 2020. More buildings integrate LED lighting, which lowers energy use by at least 75 percent. But the world is still grappling with obstacles in switching to renewable energy to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Fossil fuel companies continue to have an outsized influence on governmental bodies, and fluctuating gas prices make it difficult for consumers to commit to electric vehicles. While wind farms, solar technology and other renewable sources are more widely available and more affordable, they alone cannot meet demand without traditional energy sources.

Electrical infrastructure for vehicles will be the catalyst that moves populations away from fossil fuels, and a multitude of government mandates are helping to encourage the shift with incentives for electrification. Some U.S. states like California are considering measures to put more electric vehicles (EV) or zero-emission cars on the road and retrofit their homes with low-energy appliances. Commercial and public spaces are installing chargers to meet this increasing public demand for EV stations. Some countries take the lead such as the Netherlands, which is installing a massive wind farm operation on the southern edge of the North Sea.

Technology through a sustainability lens powers a greener future (2022 onward):

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration at 421 parts per million in May 2022, stating that this level is, “pushing the atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years.” There is no time to waste in building a strong foundation for a future of sustainability that will slow climate change’s most devastating effects. This foundation requires technology that can calculate vast amounts of real-time data on any space’s energy-use conditions, whether it be a dwelling or an immense multi-building industrial complex.

Simple but essential components of a built space, including its windows, doorways, roofs and HVAC systems, must evolve to quickly and intelligently react when dire heat and cold are detected. Programmable thermostats and lights interconnected with sensor arrays that identify human activity and can come to life when occupants are using a space, and turn off when not needed, can save a significant amount of energy when used on a large scale.

Technologies that can calculate petabyte (a million gigabytes) levels of external and internal information about a specific space’s current conditions, the broader environment, weather forecasts and even traffic awareness can allocate optimal energy resources much faster than manual operators.

Science and technology have always created life-changing opportunities for people. Integrating age-old ideas as to how humans thrive best with today’s smart tech holds the promise of creating truly responsive, safe and sustainable environments. Expanding that premise on a larger scale across cities, nations and the entire planet will help create a more positive future for all.