Transitioning to Low Global Warming Potential Refrigerants is outlined as a key strategy for New York State to achieve its long-term climate goals. During this session, you’ll gain a better understanding of existing state (focus on NY) and Federal initiatives, regulations, and history impacting the use of refrigerants in heat pumps and other HVAC equipment, the existing equipment and refrigerant options available today, and the challenges facing New York City and its workforce in adopting this technology.

Combining Passive House and mass timber construction presents an opportunity to optimize both operational and embodied carbon. The exposed wood CLT structure and building envelope elements offer numerous benefits including interior aesthetics, a healthier indoor environment, reduced use of interior finish materials, and shorter construction duration. However, to date, most CLT multifamily developments have been boutique condominium projects.

Successful Passive House teams throughout North America follow an approach that, if replicated at scale, can reduce the energy load and carbon output of the built environment at the level needed to address climate change, while improving building quality. Effective scaling requires maintaining an integrated team from early design through construction completion. In this session, we will identify challenges in the Passive House process and share the details of a proven approach to integrating teams, which can be easily and repeatably implemented in projects of all sizes and types.

To comply with NYC Local Law 97, buildings will need guidance on how to implement capital measures that effectively reduce carbon emissions. However, even detailed energy studies can have unrealistic recommendations if engineering design considerations are neglected. Meanwhile, design engineers tend to focus more on system sufficiency instead of efficiency. Practitioners are tasked with narrowing this knowledge gap and identifying crucial details that could make or break a building’s ability to implement recommendations.