As Building Performance Standards (BPS) transition from policy to tangible operational realities, building sustainability professionals are faced with navigating the complexities of compliance. Across three leading BPS jurisdictions, 14% of buildings are estimated to face penalties in the first round of limits, while 62% of buildings will face fines in the second round.1 For this small group/large room session, we hope to immerse participants in a fast-paced and engaging game - Risk, Retrofit, Reward: A Strategic Game to Navigate Building Performance Standards. In this game, attendees will collaboratively solve the multifaceted challenges of BPS compliance.

Participants will be divided into 4 to 5 competing teams, each representing a group of building stakeholders. All teams will start with the same building and initial set of game resources and information. Their objective will be to devise the best strategy to comply with a hypothetical BPS, which incorporates requirements from various real-life Building Performance Standards across the USA. Success will be measured based on three metrics – financial capital, social capital, and emissions reductions. This will necessitate a nuanced approach reflecting the realities of building retrofit decision-making. The game will unfold over multiple rounds, with teams utilizing pre-set action cards to make interventions to comply. Each round will end in a revised fine assessment, forcing teams to continuously adapt their strategies to win.

The proposed scoring system balances money, social capital, and emissions reduction to reflect the real-world trade-offs between financial pressures, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. Our goal is to not only create a dynamic learning environment, but to create a catalyst for networking and knowledge exchange. By tackling a shared challenge, attendees from diverse backgrounds – including practitioners, researchers, and students – will have a unique platform to share ideas and strategies. Participants will take away a deeper and more intuitive understanding of strategic BPS compliance, making this a memorable and educational experience that brings the challenges of building performance to life.

Sources:

1: https://www.jll.com/en-us/insights/future-proof-your-investments#:~:text=New%20York's%20leading%20LL97%20aims,&%20Risk%2C%20Jaime%20del%20Alamo.