Joseph Black. (Library of Congress)

More than 3.3 billion square feet of new commercial buildings were constructed from 1988 to 1998, with 170 percent more expected by the year 2030. Because this new stock is expected to have a lifetime of fifty to one hundred years, this has a dramatic impact on energy consumption not only today, but also for many years to come. This article will discuss the history of commercial building design, how technology has impacted commercial building design, and what impact this has had on building energy use.

History

The first commercial buildings, built in about 2000 B.C.E., were simple structures that represented the beginnings of architecture—a series of columns, walls, and roofs. Columns represented the upright human stance, walls represented human territoriality, and roofs both kept the rain out and created a crown, or head, for the structure. Walls also represented a separation...