This panel will present the in-depth story how each of their three buildings were upgraded to protect use, design, and quality. The presenters will dive into the details of how they have modernized the buildings without losing the integrity of the original design and how they managed a seamless transition for the users.

Every building is tied to a series of infrastructure systems through government, wires, cables, energy, and humans. In this session an architect examines the "meta-infrastructure" that buildings nestle into.

Probably the most adopted newer certification in the building industry, Passive House is a US and international standard that small to very large owners are using to build and retrofit. Simple, affordable, and durable, this standard works in many types of buildings. Learn from four experienced practitioners about how smaller buildings are retrofitted, how affordable housing is built within budget, and how large scale dormitories and other buildings will be built in the future.

This discussion will examine multifamily and commercial commissioning and retro-commissioning projects with an emphasis on: code compliance; increasing energy savings; preventing building system failures; resolving operations and maintenance issues; and improving indoor environmental quality (IAQ). The session presentations will describe some of the most common aspects of buildings, such as ventilation, to lesser-known measures, like user tools and resources available in the marketplace to start commissioning buildings for compliance, efficiency, and health.

Air leaks cause comfort, energy, fire, durability, and vermin problems throughout buildings. Recent studies have shown that: stack effect losses in high rise buildings leak large amounts of treated air (who knew?); airsealing as part of new construction helps meet performance standards and increase comfort; and airsealing individual apartments as part of retrofit projects saves occupants money and increases comfort in those units. Listen to three diverse presentations on methods and results in airsealing projects.

If a building owner feels they can’t afford to internally finance a retrofit job, they drop the ball, the associated savings, and the business for our sector. To avoid these business losses, practitioners need to understand local and regional incentives, traditional financing methods, and cutting edge ways to get your projects done. These three knowledgeable and highly experienced financial gurus will walk you through many ways to help close the deal.

This session will explore the incorporation of techniques to increase performance in utility-based energy programs and to draw insights from current Demand Response (DR) uses in New York City. Speakers will review the benefits, concerns, and solutions encountered in actual DR projects, successful DR integration at one of the City’s well-known landmark buildings, going beyond traditional building efficiency initiatives during design and construction, and including backup power sources to ensure grid reliability.

Many of us think we know the story when it comes to fixing and optimizing energy systems in NYC buildings. It’s easy to fall back on industry accepted measures and methods to energy efficiency. But do they actually work as well as we think? What new approaches are out there? This rapid fire presentation features innovative thinkers showcasing unorthodox ways to fix common issues in typical multifamily buildings. Each speaker will have 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each... Ready, set, go!

Large multifamily buildings in New York City are required to conduct benchmarking and ASHRAE II audits of their buildings by law. Learn from leading property managers how to use these mandates to net real returns for your building. Property managers will discuss the use of benchmarking in routine building operations. Case studies of retrofit projects that resulted from audit recommendations will also be explored.

With every passing year, temperatures and storms are becoming more extreme in our region. Protecting both tenants and building systems requires a new way of thinking about floodproofing, thermal comfort, and power loss. Speakers will review best practices and design solutions that have been implemented in affordable housing developments and retrofits to address a wide variety of environmental stressors. Speakers will also explore the public and private sources used to fund the projects.