Recent technology developments and incentive programs are creating new opportunities for ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) at the building and neighborhood scale (networked geothermal). Practitioners designing and piloting GSHPs will describe how GSHPs can reduce the environmental burden on LMI communities by decarbonizing space and water heating.  Through design and case studies, they will describe what characteristics make a building or neighborhood a promising fit for GSHP implementation, and those posing significant challenges.

Electrification of HVAC systems and the elimination of fossil fuel heating in high rise building space conditioning systems poses unique design and system selection challenges.  Presenters will share two case studies for the design of VRF HVAC, one using air-to-air systems and one using air-to-water systems. They will discuss challenges including maximum piping lengths, acoustical restrictions, and airflow problems, and solutions including closely spaced condensers using CFD analysis and the design of access to piping and wiring in large condenser farms.

While the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is already being used by some states, wider adoption is anticipated with the initiation of DOE’s Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) program. This session highlights key changes in the IECC and identifies 2024 proposals that will have the biggest impact on reaching emission goals. The presenters will explore the relationship between required codes and voluntary standards, as well as the adoption status of Model Code and Stretch Code in Massachusetts, New York State and New York City.

Before PVs became affordable, excess solar energy was stored thermally. Energy storage, both thermal and electrical, aids grid penetration of renewables and builds resilience on-site. We’ll look at passive and active thermal storage in advanced buildings, either integrated with the structure or as remote storage. We’ll also look at battery storage in an off-grid project and hydronic storage in a proposed small commercial project and show via an interactive model the effects of varying PV and storage capacity, and how storage increases the percentage of solar energy used on-site.

We will present tales from the trenches for ventilation approaches within the context of the Passive House building certification standard. This standard has set a high benchmark for low-energy buildings and is widely known as the most rigorous energy efficiency standard currently available. Attendees will learn how balanced ventilation is best applied in a cold climate at a large scale and how commissioning plays a key role in this process.

Imagine your utility told you they wanted to invest in state-of-the-art technology for your home or business. No taking on debt, and no matter if you're a renter. Your obligation? Paying a monthly tariff on your electric bill no greater than the resulting energy savings. The tariff would extend only until the utility recovers its investment, and if you move, would simply transfer to the next occupant.

Concrete accounts for approximately 11% of annual global carbon emissions. It is a material too important to ignore. Learn how BU’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences applied low-carbon concrete goals and selected structural elements to reach the highest Portland replacement concrete in Boston to date. See how opportunities in design, construction and supply chain were used to substantially decrease the climate impact of concrete used. Then discover national and local low-carbon material initiatives that are underway and growing.

VEIC’s work on Zero Energy Modular (ZEM) homes has helped hundreds of low and moderate income families achieve dignified, resilient, low-carbon housing. Over the past decade, we’ve partnered with five factories and countless funding partners and lending institutions to make this happen. The need is growing, not fading—for workforce housing, farmworker housing, Accessory Dwelling Units, mobile home replacement, affordable housing communities (single- and multifamily), and more. The problem? The ZEM model does not scale well within the current paradigm.

As the nation strives for carbon neutrality by 2050, the role of the building sector is both critical and often overlooked. As clients, manufacturers, designers, engineers, constructors and operators, we know that the most cost-effective carbon saving solutions are those in the built environment, and that those solutions can dramatically improve quality of life and address longstanding inequities. We also know that “environmental surfing” for daylight, fresh air, passive heating, and natural cooling is key for our sustained health and the health of the planet.

The Design for Freedom Initiative is raising awareness about the pervasiveness of forced and child labor in the construction supply chain. The materials that go into our buildings are heavily reliant on slave labor.  We’ll explore the risks and highlight ways you can shape your practice to address this pressing humanitarian issue as part of your social equity goals.  Learn about the tools and resources available to use in advocacy, internal operations, client conversations, and pilot projects.