Health and Comfort

As we move towards a carbon neutral future, how do we ensure affordable housing isn't left behind? This session will help industry professionals connect the dots between the Climate Mobilization Act and affordable housing. Due to historical disinvestment, inflation, and a looming housing crisis, communities living in affordable housing often struggle financially. The NYC Accelerator offers free assistance to these buildings, helping them avoid penalties and promote preservation while promoting climate action.

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.

Hear tales from the trenches regarding ventilation approaches within the context of the Passive House certification standard. This standard has set a high benchmark for low-energy buildings and is widely known as the most rigorous energy efficiency standard currently available. However, the ventilation systems and their interfacing with heat pumps are relatively new to the industry and need to be executed correctly.

In the Northeast, we have the benefit and burden of a large stock of uninsulated masonry buildings of various typologies and conditions. Leaving these buildings as they are is untenable with the global effort to reduce carbon emissions, and will not address climate shifts, the fabric of community, or the health of occupants. We will explore insulating from the interior, exterior, or both.