Design and Construction Process

It takes water to make energy and it takes energy to make water. In some buildings, the cost of water is significantly greater than the cost of HVAC+DHW energy, yet we don’t address it. Simple water retrofits can greatly increase the cash flow in a building. There are also many things that we use on a day to day basis that use immense amounts of water, and controlling this use reduces local and regional water consumption.

In this session, we will discuss the capital plan and design of central plant upgrades at a 443,000 sqft multifamily building with over 500 apartments. The design includes chiller electrification, mechanical design to operate the chillers in heat pump mode for heating, water source heat pumps (WSHPs) that utilize condenser water from the chillers during the summer months, and a building management system (BMS) that integrates a sequence of operation (SOO) to engage gas-fired equipment only during peak periods.

This session offers an opportunity for attendees to gain important insights into real-world performance of VRF systems and drivers that impact performance. Presenters will share results from two newly completed DOE-funded research studies focused on measured performance of VRF systems in cold climates. Come learn about the key findings, including VRF efficiency, refrigerant leakage, and the impacts of oversizing. Presenters will also discuss measurement methods and what the future of onboard measurement might look like.

Building retrofits need to scale now, but face many constraints that create pressure on project teams, making it difficult to design optimal retrofit solutions. In response, Phius has developed REVIVE 2024, a new standard for passive building retrofits with a supporting software tool. The standard is guided by thermal resilience as a leveling metric, and a whole building life cycle cost analysis (including the cost of embodied and operational carbon) to help choose an optimal retrofit package. The result is a cost-effective retrofit with minimal embodied carbon.

NYSERDA's Early Design Support Buildings of Excellence partners will showcase three affordable Passive House multi-family projects, each featuring a variety of electrification and decarbonization strategies. Magnusson Architecture and Planning, Curtis+Ginsberg Architects, and Paul Castrucci Architects will present their ongoing research on electrification strategies, integrating renewable energy, the value add of ERVs, embodied carbon strategies, and calculations to meet zero carbon such as ILFI's Zero Carbon framework.

New York City's clean energy goals require deep energy retrofits and innovative technologies for compliance. Wastewater energy transfer (WET) systems, which extract thermal energy from wastewater for reuse in building systems, are one technology that is scalable for many building systems. Our discussion will utilize a real project in New York City to discuss building candidates, the benefits and challenges of design and implementation, and the difficulties encountered in planning and installing a real system.

Embodied carbon accounting has made significant strides, yet challenges persist. Understanding the underlying assumptions behind EC calculations for each building element is crucial to accurate life cycle analyses, particularly on projects aiming for net-zero carbon and using newer technologies.

Commercial tenant spaces are a critical component to compliance with Local Law 97. Join an insightful discussion between building owners, tenants, and legal representatives about driving decarbonization in leased office spaces by changing business-as-usual to prioritize energy savings and emissions reductions at key stages of the leasing cycle. These new practices endeavor to create more sustainable, efficient, and healthy workplaces that meet local and state regulations. The principles and strategies shared from these office examples can apply to other tenant types in mixed-use buildings.

NYCHA's Rental Assistance Demonstration Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (RAD-PACT) program leverages public-private partnerships to transition Section 9 Public Housing to Section 8 Project-Based Voucher subsidized housing. This restructuring is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to implement deep energy and capital needs improvements, while improving the health and quality of living for residents. This session will explore the decision-making process throughout the design, development, and scoping of one of the PACT clusters consisting of 7 buildings (410 units) in the Bronx.