Washington state’s clean buildings transition is at a pivotal moment. To meet the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2050, the building sector must dramatically scale up efforts to achieve equitable clean buildings at pace by 2030. Accelerating the pace of change will require a radical shift in the way buildings are built and retrofitted, and how their emissions are accounted for.

SCALE 2030 is a Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) and 2050 Institute project that aims to shift Washington from an approach focused on incremental energy efficiency and emissions reductions to a systemic framework that will enable the rapid market transformation needed to decarbonize buildings in just over 25 years.

Today, CETI and 2050 Institute are releasing the first two papers of the SCALE 2030 project that detail the current state of Washington’s building sector, the barriers and opportunities to scaling clean buildings, and the framework for how the state can get started on achieving the pace of change that the climate crisis calls for.‍
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Scale 2030: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment for Washington
To develop a framework and roadmap for a clean buildings strategy, it is important to understand the current building sector ecosystem. Scale 2030: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment for Washington compiles existing data and research from state, regional, and federal sources to develop a holistic view of the existing building ecosystem in Washington.

Scale 2030: Clean Buildings Transition Framework for Washington
Today’s building ecosystem faces multiple challenges—it is incentive-based, focused on incremental change, and underfunded. SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Transition Framework for Washington outlines these challenges and proposes five strategies that emphasize building performance, increased and targeted funding, rapid market transformation, coordinated planning, and a regional approach to implementation.

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Join us for a SCALE 2030 Webinar
‍To hear key insights from the papers’ primary authors—Poppy Storm (Founding Director of 2050 Institute) and Jeanne Currie (Research Analyst at CETI)—join us for a webinar on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 from 11:00am-12:30pm PT. Register here.

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