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Net Zero, Passive House, Embodied Carbon: Why Healthy Materials Are Essential to High Performing Building Designs

Whether net zero, Passive House, or other certification is your objective, incorporating a healthy materials strategy is as essential as figuring out how you will design the building envelope and mechanical systems. Thoughtful selection of materials can help design teams get a better handle on the embodied carbon impact of those materials choices and thus help buildings achieve better embodied carbon outcomes. In this active, high-participation session, participants will identify where harmful chemicals might reside in building products using the “Six Classes” approach.

Net Zero Retrofit of a Brooklyn Townhouse

Join us as we delve into a holistic presentation of a deep energy retrofit of a Brooklyn townhouse. This session will explore how the project team planned and executed a retrofit to meet a net-zero energy target, improve thermal comfort and air quality, protect the building from moisture, meet historic guidelines, and stay within a realistic budget – all while keeping the building occupied.

Measured vs. Modeled Energy Performance in Passive House Multifamily Properties

This presentation will report on a detailed comparison of modeled performance predicted by passive design tools and actual measured performance data of four case study projects while occupied and under operation. How well do the currently used passive modeling tools, algorithms, and underlying modeling assumptions match the measured performance in the field? Were the goals met?