BuildingEnergy NYC 2021 Conference Sessions

✱ Standards in Action (e.g., LBC, Net Zero, PH)
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 - 10:30am
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
KEYNOTE - Small But Mighty: The Untapped Potential of Mid-Size Buildings

While regulations and policy discussions often focus on large buildings, much of New York City’s building stock is made up of mid-size commercial and residential buildings, both of which have a unique set of needs when it comes to electrification and... Full Description

Operations and Maintenance

Workforce

Equity

Occupant Behavior and Engagement

Wednesday, September 29, 2021 - 1:00pm
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
Collaborating for Community Decarbonization

How can the residents of “Energy Town, USA” meet their carbon emissions reduction goal in a way that lifts up their entire community? Working interactively and collaboratively in small breakout groups, participants in this workshop will develop innovative... Full Description

Operations and Maintenance

Workforce

Equity

Health and Comfort

Occupant Behavior and Engagement

Policy and Codes

Resilience

Thursday, September 30, 2021 - 9:00am
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
How NYC Buildings Can Profit While Complying with the CMA

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... Full Description

Integrated Systems

Technology

Operations and Maintenance

Energy Production and Storage

Capital Planning

Policy and Codes

Why We Must Build Back Circular

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... Full Description

Design Process

Materials and Embodied Carbon

Standards in Action*

Climate Resilient Design for Passive House

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... Full Description

Equity

Health and Comfort

Occupant Behavior and Engagement

Energy Production and Storage

Standards in Action*

Resilience

Thursday, September 30, 2021 - 10:30am
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
Operational Best Practices for Multifamily Passive Houses

Adjacent to each other in the flood-prone Rockaways in NYC and completed 2 years apart, Beach Green Dunes I and Beach Green Dunes II are two of the largest multifamily Passive House projects in the U.S. Although nearly identical in appearance, they are... Full Description

Design Process

Technology

Operations and Maintenance

Equity

Health and Comfort

Occupant Behavior and Engagement

Resilience

Performance-Based Ventilation Design for Healthy & Efficient Buildings

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... Full Description

Design Process

Technology

Operations and Maintenance

Health and Comfort

Policy and Codes

Resilience

Voices for Change: Leveraging Various Certifications for Regenerative Design

While certifications are crucial to pushing the limits of sustainable construction, validating investments, and providing quality assurance, they sometimes risk a narrowed viewpoint, shifting priorities towards meeting a prescribed matrix and away from big... Full Description

Design Process

Health and Comfort

Materials and Embodied Carbon

Standards in Action*

Resilience

Thursday, September 30, 2021 - 12:15pm
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
Embodied Justice: Healthier Materials to Foster Social Justice and Wellness

For too long, making buildings healthier has focused on occupant health, a narrow view neglecting manufacturing workers and communities around the factories. Truly healthier materials must be free from chemicals of concern throughout the supply chain.... Full Description

Design Process

Equity

Health and Comfort

Materials and Embodied Carbon

Standards in Action*

Retro-Cx: Working through Conflict with Collaboration

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... Full Description

Operations and Maintenance

Workforce

Resilience

Overcoming Barriers to Electrification: A Collaborative Approach

Electrifying existing buildings is easier said than done. There are numerous roadblocks to electrification, from first costs, to technical feasibility, to grid limitations, operating costs, and tenant education, just to name a few! Richard Gerbe will... Full Description

Design Process

Integrated Systems

Technology

Operations and Maintenance

Equity

Materials and Embodied Carbon

Standards in Action*

Thursday, September 30, 2021 - 2:00pm
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
Delicate Balance: Weighing Embodied vs. Operational Carbon in High-Performance Design

Embodied Carbon (EC) will account for nearly half the global carbon emissions from new construction in the next 30 years. The urgency with which industry professionals, real estate developers, product manufacturers, and property owners must work together... Full Description

Design Process

Equity

Materials and Embodied Carbon

Policy and Codes

Standards in Action*

Decarbonizing Office Spaces: Case Studies and Interactive Discussion

In commercial buildings, tenants account for more than 50% of energy use. With the recent enactment of Local Law 97, tenant energy contribution becomes even more critical, as commercial landlords will not be able to comply with emission caps if tenants are... Full Description

Integrated Systems

Operations and Maintenance

Occupant Behavior and Engagement

Capital Planning

Equitable Access to Cooling in New York City Under a Changing Climate

Climate change will have significant impacts on indoor cooling needs in New York City, particularly for vulnerable communities who will see disproportionate health, economic, and other effects. This session will describe the key findings and... Full Description

Technology

Equity

Health and Comfort

Policy and Codes

Resilience

Thursday, September 30, 2021 - 3:45pm
Session Title Speakers Areas of Focus
Capital Planning and Electrification in the Time of Local Law 97

Capital planning has always been an integral part of a building owner’s strategy, but with NYC’s Local Law 97, state and city carbon reduction goals, gas moratoriums, and a shift towards electrification, it is more important than ever to have a long-term... Full Description

Design Process

Integrated Systems

Technology

Energy Production and Storage

Capital Planning

Policy and Codes

Resilience

Rebuilding New York’s Schools through Partnerships

The Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021 invests $130 billion to help reopen public schools, provide students and educators a safe place to learn and work, and identify strategies to rebuild our schools for the future. Creating the optimal... Full Description

Equity

Health and Comfort

Materials and Embodied Carbon

Rolling Out an Enterprise-Wide Building Management System

When looking to extend its success with its legacy control system, the New York City Housing Authority started with open BACnet communication as the center of its new BMS architecture, leveraging its fiber connectivity between campus buildings and... Full Description

Integrated Systems

Technology

Operations and Maintenance