Design & Construction process

Historic New England’s approach to weatherization emphasizes preservation over intervention. But as shown by the energy retrofit that achieved an over 60% reduction in energy usage at the Lyman House, a National Historic Landmark, energy performance and preservation can co-exist. This session will discuss HNE’s preservation philosophy and how it guides the organization’s energy conservation projects. We will share an energy usage analysis of all 36 HNE properties and discuss how that information is used to prioritize actions.

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge invites today’s practitioners to answer his call "to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.” What would Bucky do? Buckminster Fuller’s legacy is alive.

Significantly reducing energy use in commercial buildings is a challenge. Doing so in cold climates even more so. Getting to Net Zero Energy use in these climates, now that’s what we call a tough. But with good design and engaged tenants, the near impossible becomes entirely possible, practical, and fun. This panel will describe key strategies for greatly reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings in cold climates with a focus on smart choices for building design, high performance mechanical systems and the tenant’s role.

Low-load homes struggle with summertime humidity more than conventional homes, and the Northeast isn’t getting any less tropical.  Let’s get ready.  We will consider how latent and sensible loads differ for low-load homes, how to calculate required equipment performance, and what our equipment options are.  After reviewing the basics of the psychrometric chart, we’ll use it as our playbook, loading it with zippy-looking graphics galore.  We will also present monitoring from recently built low-load homes.

As a follow-up to "Dematerializing Buildings" at BE14, this session will explore how the dematerialization and lightweighting of buildings is being put into practice. Many of the technologies discussed in the March 2014 session are now being put into actual application while more new technologies are entering the pipeline at a rapid rate. Driven by energy and environmental concerns, some projects are now quantifying the material savings and embodied carbon reduction resulting from lightweighting strategies.

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.

Central ventilation systems in multifamily buildings are a vital building system that often compromises overall building performance (ie they don’t perform to code almost 100% of the time). Correcting ventilation problems can produce significant energy savings in multifamily buildings while also improving occupant comfort and health. Central ventilation system restoration is an emerging energy retrofit that has had its bumps along the way.

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).

As low energy, super insulated enclosures become more prevalent, some industry leaders question the continued relevance of passive solar design. Should we use the sun to help meet our heating needs, or have newer design tools, construction techniques and materials rendered passive solar strategies obsolete? This session's speaker believes that solar optimized design remains important and will show how an integrated approach to solar design can and should support optimal performance and occupant comfort.

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.

Never get the R-15 wool insulation pulled over your eyes again! Separating green from greenwash is getting harder as standards proliferate. Tristan and Paula from BuildingGreen bring you the latest in clever greenwash with this lively and interactive chat on what makes a label truly green. Even if you come knowing nothing about green building labels, you'll leave with new knowledge--as well as new wisdom. We'll show you how to ask the right questions and make your own judgment next time a company tries to convince you that its pet metric or label is the greenest of them all.

Why do we need to ventilate homes? How much air do we need to do it? Once we’ve figured that out, what systems should we install? These are big questions, but this session will hopefully provide useful answers. We’ll begin with a discussion of health impacts of ventilation and different ventilation rates. The latter part will explore various ventilation systems: pros and cons, costs and benefits, and tips for installing the best systems for your project.

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.