Building envelope

This session will look at the basic shapes of aluminum and fiberglass products used for frames, and identify the basic principles to be used to develop functional details for both new and retrofit construction. We will isolate the heat, air, and water control layers in windows and connect those in precast, solid masonry, and framed walls. Issues of structural support, construction sequencing, building movement, and high humidity interiors will be addressed. Numerous examples and case studies rich with photographs and drawings will be used.

Do you understand moisture dynamics? Do you have a comprehensive plan to control moisture in your buildings? If you answered no to either question, then you run the risks of occupant discomfort, mold growth, excessive maintenance and/or premature building failure. This session will help you avoid these risks. A veteran building scientist and co-author of the EPA Moisture Control Guide will share key measures—from design through operations—for controlling water and moisture in buildings.

This session will explore the building science implications of achieving the Passive House metrics for larger buildings and will highlight the difference in design strategies compared to single family Passive House homes. Multifamily projects of all types, but especially affordable housing developers, appreciate the benefits of achieving Passive House, such as increased durability, low operating and maintenance costs, assured comfort, and superior indoor air quality.

The role of a building's structure, and of the structural engineer, in achieving sustainability goals is frequently marginalized. Yet it represents a majority of a new building project's material mass and embodied energy, and is responsible for a large portion of its CO2e emissions. It can also play a role in the annual energy usage of a building, both in good ways (i.e. thermal mass) and bad (i.e. thermal bridging).

High-R or super-insulated walls are a common component of high performance housing. However, in cold climates, these walls run the risks of cold-weather condensation, and general durability issues due to reduced heat flow. Two practitioners have been monitoring the moisture performance of several high performance walls, and will share their results. Chris Corson has been examining highly vapor-open walls based on classic European Passive House designs, without the use of plastic foams.

While glass buildings continue to rise throughout our cities, the question of their sustainability remains. The market is demanding high glazing percentage for the daylight, views, and marketing potential it provides, which can present a considerable hurdle in promoting energy efficiency in modern buildings. During this session, two speakers with varying views will frame the current debate surrounding the all glass building and its place in energy efficient, sustainable design. Specific examples with different methodologies will be presented.

Advances in building envelopes and HVAC equipment enable widespread use of air source heat pumps by many in the "Net Zero Energy" and "Passive House" movements. Steve Bluestone will report on two related items: a three year performance study of an air source heat pump system using hourly measurements (done with Henry Gifford and built above his garage) and the design and construction of his new 101 unit high performance rental building in NYC utilizing the same technology.

The presentation illustrates the financial prudence of net zero buildings today. From the outset of design through construction and operation, Maclay Architects and Energy Balance utilize comparative energy modeling and cost estimating to determine financial benefits of net zero buildings compared to code compliant or intermediate building solutions.

This session will delve into two wide-ranging case studies representing the few Northeast LBC projects (only 50 active LBD nationwide). The Smith College Bechtel Environmental Classroom field station building is on track to receive full certification by early 2014. The Kellogg House at Williams College, a repurposed and expanded historic building, currently in construction (Fall 2013).

This session will report on the results of benchmarking over 120,000 units of affordable housing in Massachusetts as part of the utility sponsored Affordable Housing Metrics project. The process, challenges, and successes of benchmarking at scale will be discussed.

This session will explore the actual performance over the past few years of 2 completed Deep Energy Retrofits in Massachusetts which successfully achieved the ACI Thousand Homes Challenge in 2011-12. From the combined perspective of a builder and an architect experienced with a variety of strategies for achieving energy efficient homes, we will compare the approaches in these two cases with other building techniques and programs such as Energy Star, Energy Plus, Net Zero, and Passive House.