Bruce Becker is the architect, developer, owner, and operator of Hotel Marcel. He will discuss the conversion of the formerly vacant Pirelli Building in New Haven into Hotel Marcel, a 165-room LEED Platinum all-electric boutique hotel and conference center which is the first Passive House certified hotel in the United States. The discussion will include electrification (no fossil fuels including 100% of HVAC, hot water, kitchen, and laundry), power over Ethernet (POE) for all Lighting and Shades, and micro-grid creation for resilience with 1 megawatt-hour of battery storage.

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.

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.

Solid mass masonry buildings are a significant fraction of the existing building stock, and many contribute to the historic fabric of neighborhoods. However, with wall R-values of R-3 to R-5, they do not meet modern standards for energy efficiency and comfort.  Insulating these buildings successfully—without causing long-term damage—is a vital part of the ‘toolkit’ for meeting energy and climate goals.

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.

What would it take for us in the green building movement to get the owners and builders who are still building to code minimums to join us? This interactive discussion will focus on incentives, the true overall cost add to make a building more climate conscious, and avenues that can help reach those who are not “in”. Our panel will include a developer who is undoubtedly “in” as well as a mechanical designer who often works with those who are not. We often preach to the choir; this panel will challenge you to think about how we get the rest of the market.

With so many ways to retrofit a building, how can owners identify the right scope of work? What about the right timing? Even the most well-intentioned building owner may leave carbon savings on the table, choose the wrong ECM or retrofit solution, or spend more than they should on a retrofit. Despite the urgency today to electrify and decarbonize as quickly as possible, we can and should stop, think, and plan to optimize retrofits and maximize savings, while investing in health, workforce, and equity.

Take a deep dive into what three projects in the Northeast have done to minimize embodied carbon. The example projects have each taken different approaches: one project focused on concrete in an ICF building, one focused on envelope choices and how to meet Passive House requirements while reducing embodied carbon, and one used Life Cycle Assessment to decide between renovation and new construction for existing school buildings.