In 2024, building owners, developers, architects, and engineers need to meet new performance mandates and address societal needs for everything from energy savings and carbon emissions reduction to occupant safety, wellness, and increased productivity. Specifically:
- Owners must consider public mandates to decarbonize amidst growing tenant expectations to improve air quality and spatial amenities while also considering the impact of hybrid work on their bottom line.
- Tenants want spaces and technologies that provide teams a reason to come to the office and improve their working experience.
- Architects and engineers must grapple with the crushing demand to redesign existing buildings to meet these new needs while designing future buildings.
Sessions will cover (order may change in the program):
Session 1: Building Decarbonization 101, LEED Platinum Case Study, & Unlocking Existing Buildings
The program begins by establishing a foundational understanding of the Building Decarbonization movement, including its driving forces behind reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its primary contributors. We’ll provide an overview of the policies shaping Building Decarbonization and their impact. Additionally, we’ll delve into decarbonization strategies, followed by exploring one of Spain’s newest, most innovative, and most sustainable buildings – Platinum 22 @ BCN, recognized as the highest-scoring LEED platinum building in the commercial rental sector globally.
A significant portion of our session is dedicated to understanding how to enhance the performance of existing building stock. We’ll discuss technological retrofits that can improve the operational control of buildings and explore the synergy between Building Science and Data Science for benchmarking and performance verification. Industry experts will share insights and case studies on how building owners have improved efficiency with their existing buildings.
Session 2: Net Zero Building Development & Data Driven Decarbonization
In this session, we will further explore the development of Net Zero buildings, focusing on case studies that showcase successful decarbonization projects. We’ll examine the Why, What, and How of developing Net Zero projects, emphasizing the impact of decarbonization on project design and building performance.
Following this, we’ll delve into the digital infrastructure and planning necessary to support the operation of hyper-connected, high-performance buildings. We’ll discuss the role of tools such as Data Analytics, Building Digitization, and Digital Twins in enabling efficient building operations. Participants will gain insight into market trends surrounding AI and machine learning, software platforms, and applications, as well as the associated challenges, risks, and opportunities. Lastly, we’ll address cybersecurity and cultural considerations related to collecting and managing building and occupant data.
Session 3: Decarbonization Policies & Certifications, Passive House Case Study
During this session, participants will analyze and compare various sustainability and wellness certifications, including LEED, Passive House, GBI’s Green Globes, and FitWel, among others. We’ll also explore emerging smart building certifications such as SPIRE, WiredScore, and SBC. Additionally, we’ll delve into the evolving penalties that owners must consider when pursuing decarbonization efforts and discuss which certifications or standards are most suitable for new versus existing buildings.
Students will get an intimate look at the planning process for the Winthrop Center, the largest Passive House commercial office building in the US in Boston, MA. They’ll have the opportunity to hear from the Director of Sustainable Development of Winthrop Center regarding the driving factors behind the selected building certifications, the challenges encountered, and the lessons learned as the building approaches its one-year mark of operations.
Session 4: Financing and ROI of Decarbonization, PropTech & Understanding Buyer vs Seller Market
Building upon the concepts covered in Session 3, participants will develop essential skills for successful building projects, with a focus on operational considerations. Students will learn about funding mechanisms for Building Decarbonization and potential avenues for finding money to finance decarbonization efforts. Students will learn to navigate pricing considerations, evaluate various procurement models (OpEx vs. CapEx vs. Hybrid models), assess technology maturity, and distinguish between startup tech and vaporware. Additionally, participants will enhance their understanding of multidisciplinary design coordination, commissioning, data transparency, cybersecurity, and efficient building operations.
We’ll conclude by examining how to identify the different value drivers for both buyers and sellers of building decarbonization technologies. This critical aspect will equip participants to ask the right questions and adopt an outcome-oriented mindset. Furthermore, we’ll explore exciting climate and PropTech advancements that are helping organizations create more sustainable, healthier, and safer environments for living, working, and leisure.
