Inside and Out: Integrated Building Facade and HVAC Design

This session provides an overview of the interactions between the building façade and HVAC systems. By distilling this subject into macro and micro level themes, we hope to broaden the understanding of what is needed to design and construct a high performing system. Integration is particularly critical when designing to the trend of highly glazed buildings required to meet increasingly stringent energy targets. While radiant HVAC strategies offer improved energy performance, they have limited peak capacities due to installation and cost restrictions. This places critical importance on measures to minimize peak envelope loads, ensuring that the more efficient radiant HVAC design strategy remains logistically viable. Using relevant project examples, we will break down building loads, explore different HVAC system strategies, and highlight the role of measurement and verification to ensure performance. Construction management and commissioning experience will inform recommendations to avoid common design and installation pitfalls.

Solar Air Heating 2.0

You think trombe walls are a relic of the 70s, right? Using extensive data from multiple case studies throughout Maine, New Hampshire & Massachusetts, including a high school, a fire station and a public works facility, this session will review the potential of modern commercial and industrial solar air heating in the Northeast. We will examine cost and performance viability with live and historical energy, temperature and air flow data as well as explore the impacts of design variations such as collector types, air flow rates, system sizes and HVAC design.

Understanding the Living Building Challenge

The Living Building Challenge is the built environment’s most rigorous performance standard. It calls for the creation of building projects that operate as cleanly, beautifully and efficiently as nature’s architecture. Understanding the Living Building Challenge provides an in-depth overview of the program. The workshop will provide a deep exploration of two projects pursuing the program (Smith College and Williams College). Attendees will identify the key components of the Living Building Challenge and discuss the rationale for restorative design principles.

The New Energy Codes and Beyond: How Will This Affect Our Design Practice?

Owners, Developers, Architects and Engineers, the latest additions of the Energy Codes for Commercial Buildings have arrived! Rhode Island and Massachusetts recently passed IECC 2012. New York State is finalizing the change to IECC – 2012 and others will follow. The new energy codes are becoming the minimum design standards across the nation. What does this mean to our projects, practice and design teams? The new Codes require us to revisit our approach to building design in order to further improve energy performance and building operations.

The Living Building Challenge: Two Northeast Regional Case Studies

This session will delve into two wide-ranging case studies representing the few Northeast LBC projects (only 50 active LBD nationwide). The Smith College Bechtel Environmental Classroom field station building is on track to receive full certification by early 2014. The Kellogg House at Williams College, a repurposed and expanded historic building, currently in construction (Fall 2013).

Think Inside Box: Compartmentalization in Multifamily Buildings

Effective management of airflow in multifamily buildings is often attempted but rarely achieved. This session will focus on effective methods to air seal between units, as well as exterior walls. Compartmentalizing multifamily units in this way has proven benefits in comfort, health, efficiency, and operating costs. Certification programs such as Energy Star and LEED are catching up. Come to this session to learn how smart practitioners are doing it right.

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