High Performance BuildingsPassive, Active and Sustainable Construction

Goals of high performance buildings

• Net zero energy, or near net-zero• 2030 Challenge.• LEED certification• Other certification: Energy Star, Green Globes• Passive House Institute US• Occupant comfort• Isn’t this what we should be doing anyway?

Smith’s Ledge Guest House

• View is one way, sun is the other way• Very specialized program• Desire to have an “art” house• Desire to have environmentally friendly house• Not really sure how to do both with straight face

Bringing Rigor to High Performance Design

• Code Advances• Experience• Software Tools• Improved Building Materials• Improved Assembly Methods• Improved Mechanical Systems

Building codes have become stricter

Design decisions should be location-based.

Ecotect

• Built by one guy down in Australia• Who sold his company to Autodesk for $2Billion• Now he is raising his kids in England and starting a new company.• Great for lighting analysis• Not a lot of confidence in energy modeling algorithm

BEopt

• Software created by public private consortium• Aim is to provide an easy method to sort through hundreds of

variables• Used to choose between EEMs (energy efficiency measures)• Such as: insulation levels, glazing levels, mechanical system type

Therm

• Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory• Best program out there for modeling windows, wall sections• Two-dimensional finite analysis• High degree of confidence in results.• Love this program!

PEMBs

• Can we design a high-performance PEMB?• How to do thermal breaks?• What are the most cost effective details?• Can you get to net-zero?

Insulation Retrofits

• Unity College Uninsulated Masonry Building• Very low budget• 3 inches 2.0 psf spray polyurethane• Minimized thermal breaks• Low-E windows

Seebreeze Optometry Office

• 3 inches rigid insulation on walls• 6 inches rigid insulation on roof• Triple-glazed windows• Hydronic heating• South-facing clerestory glass• Condensing propane boiler and heat pump

Private Residence, Veazie

• Passive House Institute-US certification goal• Very simple building geometry• South-facing glass• Using WUFI and BEopt for modeling• Heat pump with energy recovery• When does the architecture suffer?• i.e when does the building stop being enjoyable?