Continuing Education

Delivering and designing sustainable and high-performance buildings are becoming a norm and necessity in each project. It is not only because of code requirements but due to the benefits for the building owner and occupants over the long term. To develop sustainable and high-performance buildings, there are 3 core values that we need to implement to develop successful sustainable projects such as an integrative and collaborative approach; innovative and creative solutions; and cost and environmental impact. These core values will optimize and enhance building performance delivery and design. To implement core values, the presentation provides some case studies and examples. The implementations consist of three major steps. The first step will focus on early design impact and the second step will be during construction document and administration. The last step will discuss implementation or strategies in existing buildings.

Envelope design is a key component to creating sustainable, high-performing buildings. There are many strategies and design methods for buildings that can be applied from design through construction to improve envelope design. The presentation will discuss specifically, the implementation of an Integrative Design Process using LEED and new ASHRAE 209. Better envelope design will have a direct impact on occupant performance by providing better thermal comfort, daylight and a healthy overall environment conducive to learning. The presentation will first describe the integrative design process, including the requirements of this process and various performance simulations that can be conducted to assess overall building performance. The presentation will also showcase the important strategies and key components that designers and performance modelers must focus on to develop a better envelope design. The implementations and case studies will be presented to illustrate how to improve envelope performance using energy model and daylight simulation.

Previous knowledge of LEED V4 is recommended. Please note that this course is 1.5 hours long. The green building standard has made significant improvements over the last several years. The previous green features that we thought were good are now considered standard design features for buildings. As a result of that, there are new sustainability metrics coming to the market and the legacy sustainability markets have updated their metric system to showcase leadership in sustainability. The new revised sustainability rating system, LEED V4.1, has been just released by USGBC and will provide a new tool to measure sustainability achievement in buildings. This presentation will discuss the new LEED V4.1 and provide a comparison study with the previous version of LEED V4.0. We will discuss the new building rating system and details regarding the major upgrades in energy and atmosphere credits, highlighting the impact on building design. The new energy performance credit in LEED V4.1 will use two different metrics to measure the building such as cost and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as provide a comparison to the new ASHRAE 90.1 2016 App. G baseline.

Previous knowledge of LEED V4 is recommended. Please note that this course is 1.5 hours long. The revised LEED V4.1 sustainability rating system, recently released by USGBC, provides a new tool for measuring sustainability achievements in building design. This presentation will discuss LEED V4.1 BD+C (Beta) and provide a comparison study with the previous version, LEED V4.0. We will discuss the new building rating system and details regarding the major upgrades in energy and atmosphere credits, highlighting the impact on building design. The new energy performance credit in LEED V4.1 will use two different metrics to measure the building such as cost and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as provide a comparison to the new ASHRAE 90.1 2016 App. G baseline. Additionally, the presentation will review a Houston project currently pursuing LEED V4.0 BD+C Core and Shell and discuss key strategies to improve building performance during the design. The project will utilize a unique approach in managing LEED certification, improving building systems, particularly the envelope system, and pursue LEED V4.1 credits as replacement credits.

The presentation will discuss the role of the energy modeling in the design process. It will discuss the advantages of the implementation of energy modeling in the design process compared to the traditional approach. The presentation will also discuss how the implementation of the envelope design in the LEED projects and Net Zero Ready Buildings. It will discuss how the design process from the beginning to the end of the design. Some key envelope details are also proposed and discussed during the presentation.

The design of lighting and daylight is critical in tenant improvement projects. Often, designers forget to assess lighting and daylighting during the early design stage and run into budget and other design issues later on in the project. This course will discuss the energy code requirements applicable to tenant improvement and interior design projects. The presentation will focus on lighting requirements and discuss the difference between ASHRAE 90.1 and the IECC requirements as well as energy code requirements that often apply to tenant improvement projects. In addition to energy code requirements, the presentation will discuss basic considerations for lighting and daylight that should be factored into the design which affect occupants visual comfort. Factors such as the color rendering index, color temperature and glare issues in lighting design and daylight metrics will also be explained in the presentation.

This presentation is for the members of the building design team. It is an introduction to the commissioning process and a guide to the design team responsibilities within the commissioning process. The presentation will describe each step in the commissioning process and explain how the designer will fulfill their role during those steps. Ideally, the designer will come away with a better understanding of the commissioning process and how it is a benefit during the design phase of a project.

The landmark 2004 study by Evan Mills “Building Commissioning, A Golden Opportunity for Reducing Energy Costs and Greenhouse Emissions” presents a study of the cost/benefit of commissioning, existing buildings and new construction. Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory updated the study with new results and findings resulting in what is considered as the world’s largest data base of commissioning cost/benefit studies for commercial buildings. This presentation will review the data for existing buildings and include a case study of an existing, public, high school commissioning project.

The evolution of the energy code and ASHRAE standards for achieving zero energy buildings require more energy efficient HVAC systems than current conventional systems. Standard Ground Source Heat Pump Systems (GSHP) can meet the high energy efficiency requirements, but the high initial construction cost and the need for large borefields sometimes make the implementation of these systems difficult. In addition, this system may not always be feasible for some climate zones and soil conditions. The Hybrid Ground Source Heat Pump System (HyGSHP) can be a good alternative to traditional GSHP systems. It combines the energy efficiency of the GSHP system with lower cost conventional HVAC equipment. This presentation provides an overview of the HyGSHP system, comparison with a GSHP system and return on investment for both systems.