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Username
Andrew Kozak
Proposer First Name
Andrew
Proposer Email
akozak@brplusa.com
Proposer Last Name
Kozak
Proposer Company/Organization
Bard Rao + Athanas
Proposer Phone
(914) 772-7897
Proposer Job Title
Principal
Proposer Additional Info
Andrew Kozak PE, AEE Fellow, LEED AP Principal with the firm of Bard Rao + Athanas, Licensed Professional Engineer in 13 states. Fellow in the Association of Energy Engineers, Adjunct Professor in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, LEED Accredited Professional, Certified Energy Manager (AEE), Certified Energy Auditor (AEE), Certified Green Building Engineer (AEE), 25-year Member of both ASHRAE and ASME. Speaker experience: Andrew is an extremely experienced speaker and lecturer. He has taught for over 5 years at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He has presented at numerous conferences for prestigious organizations such as ASHRAE and the Association of Energy Engineers. He has also presented at multiple conferences with both the IDEA and NESEA. He has also lectured on specific topics related to
Proposed Session Description
Saving Energy in Hospitals with Passive House Techniques provides valuable insight for Owners, Architects and Engineers. The energy and carbon landscape is changing and evolving as new hospitals are being designed and constructed. To meet these challenges new techniques, perspectives and methodology is applied to drive innovation and achieve outstanding results. This session provides an overview of Passive House in the context of hospital construction, reviews useful case studies and highlights some best practices that can be put to use. Passive House design is relevant and impactful for hospital projects!
Learning Objectives
 Outcome Statement 1: Define changing local and national carbon and energy consumption regulations, and their intersection with healthcare requirements like ASHRAE 170.
 Outcome Statement 2: Recommend areas of design where passive house strategies can most impactful on overall energy consumption.
 Outcome Statement 3: Compare case studies of Hospital projects utilizing Passive House.
 Outcome Statement 4: Conclude how a Passive House principles and techniques can have a high impact on new Hospital design and construction projects.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
BR+A has presented a similar session at NYC Building Energy 2022. However, the session has been edited entirely to provide the newest most up to date knowledge. Our examples of best practices have been edited to be even more relevant and made more specific.
Session Format
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Session Format Details
A 40 minute presentation where questions are encourage along the way. A 20 minute period is left at the end for additional questions. We make our slide deck available to those who attend.

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2023

Comments about your speaker roster
 Speaker experience: Andrew is an extremely experienced speaker and lecturer. He has taught for over 5 years at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He has presented at numerous conferences for prestigious organizations such as ASHRAE and the Association of Energy Engineers. He has also presented at multiple conferences with both the IDEA and NESEA. He has also lectured on specific topics related to decarbonization with BOMA NYC and Turner Construction’s “Design Build Excellence” forum.  Speaker experience: Abbott recently presented at “NESEA Building Energy NYC 2022”!
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
We would like expand on our session description: BR+A works in New York and Massachusetts, two states with aggressive energy efficiency codes. Further, the use of natural gas is discouraged and will soon be completely curtailed. Hospitals are faced with energy code compliance, rising energy costs and penalties for excess carbon emissions on the horizon. To meet these emerging challenges hospitals are constructing buildings with high performance facades, increasing equipment efficiencies and making extensive use of heat recovery technology. Applying new methodology to inform hospital design is combined with new materials and equipment technology for successful outcomes. BR+A provides MEP engineering consulting services on ground breaking projects such as Penn Medicine, Mass General Hospital and the IU Health Methodist Hospital campus expansion. To achieve the demanding energy efficiency goals of these projects we have expanded our services to include Passive House. In this context multidisciplinary professionals apply a set of design principles for attaining a rigorous level of energy efficiency while also creating safe, resilient, comfortable and – most importantly – energy efficient structures. These principles can be applied to all building types, including those with health and safety requirements, such as hospitals. Fundamental to the energy efficiency of these buildings, the following five principles are central to Passive House design and construction: 1) high performance envelopes 2) airtight construction 3) high-performance glazing, 4) thermal-bridge-free detailing 5) heat recovery systems Phius is the governing body which sets the standard for Passive House in North America. Phius certifies building projects, data for products and components that go into those buildings, and professionals who design and deliver those buildings. Phius was founded in 2003 and has certified 3,000+ professionals over past two decades. Hospitals are subject to numerous codes and standards such as the FGI and ASHRAE 170. Passive House works in concert with those requirements which are treated like any other environmental factor. The idea is to understand all of the factors that contribute to the health, safety, comfort and functionality of the space and develop a holistic approach. Passive House is complementary with other sustainability rating systems such as LEED. Through Passive House, design professionals and builders apply innovation to create climate-specific comfort and performance. Through LEED, builders work to reduce impacts in energy, water, waste, transportation and more, while investing in new design technique, improved materials and regional priorities. There are excellent projects which form the precedent for the application of Passive House to Hospitals. The first certified Passive House hospital is Klinikum Frankfurt Hörchst, located in Germany, which opened in early 2022. BR+A applied Passive House principles to the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Moving forward, with knowledge and confidence, new design techniques are being applied to the design of exciting new projects such as the Penn Medicine Princeton Health Cancer Center. Passive House design is relevant and impactful for hospital projects!
Reviewer 1
Nedzinski, Megan
Reviewer 2
Field, Keirstan
Curator
Field, Keirstan
Proposal #
125
Session #
801
Committee Decision
Accepted
Full Description
The big question that lies within the majority of substantial hospital/healthcare projects is how can thermal loads be reduced such that the MEP systems can be mostly or entirely electrified. Passive House is a methodology and a body of knowledge that enables sustainable outcomes. Passive House provides techniques and methods that can be scaled to any project, Passive House can be taught and proficiency can be verified through rigorous certification processes. When applied to hospitals and healthcare the results are sustainable institutions that are ready to deliver the best patient care and improved patient outcomes.