SMarchS

Amanda Webb

Timothy Cooke

Noel Davis

Zahraa Saiyed

Hannah Durschlag

PhD

Alejandra Menchaca

Steven Ray

Jennifer Zennin

Carrie Brown

Samar Malek

On the completion of their degree studies, they will all be missed we wish them much continued success and happiness in their future endeavors.

To meet commonly cited climate change mitigation goals, a major transformation in the global energy supply infrastructure is needed. Given the changing performance of technologies over time, How do we compare energy supply options to one another? Which technologies are poised to make a significant dent in greenhouse gas emissions?.

This talk, will present a statistical analysis of the dynamics of technological change, and a model relating general features of a technology’s design to its rate of improvement.

Also discussed will be ways to derive performance targets, in a format that is useful to engineers, from climate change mitigation scenarios.

Click below for Lecture Poster

Trancik2

BTP Lectures are free and open to the public, they are held from 12:30-2PM in the AVT 7-431

CHRISTOPH REINHART

Environmental Performance Simulation – From Evaluating Performance to Suggesting New Forms

For decades building performance simulation research and tool development have focused on producing increasingly reliable numeric models which are now capable of predicting the physical performance of commonly used building typologies and technologies. With the growing use of these tools in practice and education, a new set of requirements is emerging. How can we make sure that novice users are using the tools accurately? Instead of “just” getting a performance evaluation at the end of design, how can we make simulations an integral part of the design process itself? This presentation will deal with a series of related research projects and classroom exercises that demonstrate how integrated daylight and energy simulations can act as form-givers for architecture at the building and neighborhood scale.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Christoph Reinhart is a building scientist and architectural educator working in the field of sustainable building design and environmental modeling. He joined the Department of Architecture in January 2012 as an Associate Professor.

Stephen L. Kemp, M.A.Sc., P.Eng.  

The use of energy modeling to design buildings for low energy consumption has started to penetrate the mainstream–albeit driven by energy code and voluntary energy labeling systems (e.g. LEED). This presentation will review how the use of energy modeling can be a part of the commissioning of low energy building.

It will include a review of what the traditional building commissioning is (often no commissioning at all) and into what commissioning should encompass in a world where low energy buildings are required to address energy security and climate change.

A preview of the scheduled thus far in our Monday Lecture Series. Please save the date, more information about the individual lectures and presenters will be posted as the dates approach.

Monday, March 12, 12:30-2pm in 7-431 (AVT)

Stephen Kemp, Principal
Enermodal Engineering

Monday, March 19, 12:30–2pm in 7-431 (AVT)

Christoph Reinhart
Associate Professor of Building Technology, MIT

Monday, April 23, in 7-431 (AVT)

Jessica Trancik
Assistant Professor of Engineering Systems – MIT ESD

Monday, April 30, 12:30-2pm in 7-431 (AVT)

Kurt W. Roth, Ph.D.
Group Leader Building Energy Efficiency – Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy

Monday, May 7, 12:30-2pm in 7-431 (AVT)

Dr. Sunil Ahuja

Sr. Engineer, Systems Dynamics & Optimization – United Technologies Research Center

Thursday, April 21, 2011

12:30 – 2 PM

Building 4, Room 231

Intelligent Simulation-Based Methods for Designing with Daylight

Dr. Jaime Gagne

Architects are increasingly using digital tools during the design process, particularly as they approach complex problems such as designing for successful daylighting performance. However, while simulation tools may provide the designer with valuable information, they do not necessarily guide the user towards design changes which will improve performance. This presentation will review a set of research projects which explore methods for introducing intelligence into a performance-driven design approach for daylighting. These methods include a climate-specific design guide based on simulation results, a generative system which uses an optimization algorithm, and an expert system for façade design decision support. Results from a user study which evaluated the success of an expert system approach for design will also be discussed. The presentation will conclude with examples of potential areas for future research in intelligent systems for building performance and a discussion of how simulation-based tools may complement traditional methods for teaching daylighting and other performance-based topics in an educational setting.

Jaime Gagne is currently a lecturer in the Building Technology Program in MIT’s Department of Architecture. With a background in engineering and architecture, her primary research interests include intelligent methods for sustainable design, with a focus on daylighting and energy use. As a graduate student at MIT, she was a Martin Family Fellow for Sustainability and a member of the MIT Daylighting Lab, where she was one of the main developers of Lightsolve, an intuitive rendering and simulation tool for daylighting. Jaime holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Harvard University, an M.Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Building Technology from MIT.

Sponsored by:

The Building Technology Program
The Department of Architecture

This event is free and open to the public.

Questions? Kate McAngus, mcangus at mit dot edu

]]> http://bt.mit.edu/?feed=rss2&p=332 0 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=324 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=324#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:45:27 +0000 agoll18 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=324 Continue reading →]]> Spring 2011 Building Technology Lecture Series

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

5 – 6:30 PM

AVT: Building 7, Room 431

Towards Reliable Workflows for Designing and Operating High Performance Buildings

Dr. Christoph Reinhart

Current building design practice relies on non-standardized and largely non validated analysis workflows. A design workflow may be anything from a rule-of-thumb to a computer-based process to evaluate a specific performance aspect of a project. This presentation initially reviews a series of interrelated research projects that lead to the development, validation and testing of a comprehensive framework for architects and urban planners for designing spaces with superior occupant comfort and reduced operational energy use. The framework promotes the use of validated rules-of-thumb in combination with a Radiance/EnergyPlus-based plug-in for Rhinoceros/Grasshopper. Based on a recent collaboration with the Harvard Medical School, a simulation-based alertness/performance predictor for occupants in daylit spaces is introduced along with a new ‘form generating’ algorithm for static shading systems. The second part of the presentation discusses results from a field study and an online survey that explored technical and non technical opportunities and barriers related to using design building energy models for continuous commissioning. In closing several examples are shown of how these findings can be implemented into the curriculum of a professional architectural degree program.

Dr. Reinhart is an Associate Professor of Architectural Technology at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He leads the school’s sustainable building design research efforts and teaches introductory courses in environmental technology as well as electives on daylighting and energy efficiency in buildings. In 2009, the student forum Voted Reinhart Professor of the Year out of 77 instructors in the Department of Architecture. Before joining Harvard in 2008, Reinhart had worked for over a decade as a staff scientist at the National Research Council of Canada and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany. Dr. Reinhart has been teaching architectural students since 2005 when he became an Adjunct Professor at McGill University, School of Architecture. Dr. Reinhart holds a doctorate degree in architecture from the Technical University of Karlsruhe.

Sponsored by:

The Building Technology Program
The Department of Architecture

This event is free and open to the public.

Questions? Kate McAngus, mcangus at mit dot edu

]]> http://bt.mit.edu/?feed=rss2&p=324 0 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=319 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=319#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:34:37 +0000 agoll18 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=319 Continue reading →]]> Spring 2011 Building Technology Lecture Series

Monday, April 11, 2011

12:30 – 2 PM

AVT: Building 7, Room 431

High Performance Timber Structures

Ron Anthony

Timber has performed well in structures for millennia. Why do we ask “what went wrong” when we examine problems in structures, rather than “what is working”? Understanding wood behavior is key to achieving long-term, sustainable performance using timber. This presentation will examine factors that affect wood behavior and construction detailing to consider when investigating existing timber structures and designing new buildings.

Ron Anthony received an M.S. in Wood Science and Technology from Colorado State University. He earned his B.S. in Forest Management and Wood Science and Technology, also from Colorado State University. Prior to forming Anthony & Associates in 1999, he conducted research and consulted on wood properties and the use of wood in construction applications. He focuses on evaluating the performance of wood in structures and conducting forensic investigations.
Mr. Anthony’s research activities on nondestructive evaluation and materials testing have led to applications of resistance drilling and digital radioscopy for quantifying decay in structural timbers and investigating hidden conditions. Mr. Anthony is the 2002 recipient of the James Marston Fitch Foundation Grant for his approach to evaluating wood in historic buildings.

Sponsored by:

The Building Technology Program
The Department of Architecture

This event is free and open to the public.

Questions? Kate McAngus, mcangus at mit dot edu

]]> http://bt.mit.edu/?feed=rss2&p=319 0 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=279 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=279#comments Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:52:38 +0000 agoll18 http://bt.mit.edu/?p=279 Continue reading →]]> Spring 2011 Building Technology Lecture Series

Monday, April 4, 2011

12:30 – 2 PM

AVT: Building 7, Room 431

Understanding Thermal Performance of Building Shell Components Containing Blown Fiber Insulations Enhanced with Phase Change Material (PCM)

Jan Kosny, Ph.D.

Today, continued improvements in building envelope technologies suggest that throughout Southern and Central US climates, residences may soon be routinely constructed with PCM in order to maximize insulation effectiveness and maintain low heating and cooling loads. Different types of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have been tested as dynamic components in buildings during the last 4 decades. Most historical studies have found that PCMs enhance building energy performance. Some PCM-enhanced building materials, like PCM-gypsum boards or PCM-impregnated concretes have already found their limited applications in different countries. The proposed presentation will describe experimental and numerical results from thermal performance studies. These studies focus on blown fiber insulations modified with pre-mixed or spray-applied microencapsulated PCMs. Experimental results are reported for both laboratory-scale and full-size building elements tested in the field.

In order to confirm theoretical predictions, PCM enhanced fiber insulations were evaluated in a guarded hot box facility to demonstrate heat flow reductions when one side of a test wall is subjected to a temperature increase. The laboratory work showed reductions in heat flow of about 30% due to the presence of approximately 20 wt % PCM in the insulation. Laboratory and field testing of residential attics insulated with blown fiber and PCM was completed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Experimental work was followed by detailed whole building EnergyPlus simulations in order to generate energy performance data for different US climates. In addition, a series of numerical simulations and field experiments demonstrated a potential for application of a novel PCM fiber insulation as enabling technology to be utilized during the attic thermal renovations.

Dr. Jan Kosny is a civil engineer with almost 30-years experience in building science, building solar applications, and energy analysis. He is specializing in experimental and theoretical analysis of energy performance of building envelope materials and systems, thermal storage, and building integrated solar technologies. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland. Dr. Kosny had been a member of the ORNL research staff since 1992. He previously worked as an assistant professor at the Civil and Architectural Engineering Department Technical University of Rzeszow, Poland. Since 2005, he is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Graduate Studies in Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Canada. Since July 2010, Dr. Jan Kosny leads building enclosure research at the Fraunhofer-MIT Center for Sustainable Energy Systems. He is a member of ASHRAE TC 04.04 on Building Materials and Building Envelope Performance, TC 02.08 on Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability, and TC 04.07 on Energy Calculations. Dr. Kosny is a Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Building Physics and the Nordic Journal of Building Physics. Since 2009, dr. Jan Kosny represents the U.S. in the IEA-SHC Task 42 / Annex 24 – Compact Thermal Energy Storage.

Sponsored by:

The Building Technology Program
The Department of Architecture

This event is free and open to the public.