Even the most successful Retro-Commissioning projects encounter some level of conflict. Thoughtful collaboration with the building’s operating staff can help overcome these challenges and prove to be valuable to the entire project team. Using project examples, this session provides guidance on how to engage the operations team for a successful Retro-Cx program.

For decades, the drive for energy efficiency took priority over indoor air quality (IAQ). With COVID, the pendulum swung in the direction of IAQ, but as we emerge from the pandemic and prepare to meet ever more stringent building performance standards, we need to design and operate buildings for both IAQ and efficiency. The question is how to solve for these seemingly contradictory goals given the “energy penalty” associated with higher ventilation rates.

With climate change resulting in increased heat and precipitation, coastal flooding, and other hazardous events, the built environment is experiencing increased vulnerability and disruption. The goal of resilient design is not only to protect critical project components from current climate hazards, but also to reduce downtime following a hazardous event and to prepare for and adapt to future challenges. This session will review three Passive House case studies, evaluating design solutions that incorporate the results from both passive survivability and climate resilience assessments.

Adopting circular economy approaches in a high-growth, high-waste sector like the built environment presents a tremendous opportunity for businesses, governments and cities to minimize structural waste and thus realize greater value from built environment assets. It is time to reshape our urban future and move from principles to practices. In this session, visionary practitioners will provide their perspectives on how partnerships are key to understanding and solving tomorrow’s challenges.

New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act (CMA) is viewed by many building owners as legislation thrust upon them, mandating unaffordable retrofits that benefit the environment at their expense. But for owners with the right strategy in place, these retrofits present a highly profitable investment opportunity, even with little access to capital.