ATLANTA – A building façade isn’t just about putting your best face forward. It also plays an important role in energy savings.
“Façade design is a vital aspect of building, largely controlled by architects as per wishes of building owners,” seminar chair Kent Peterson, P.E., said. “However, based on experience of design of several green buildings, it has been found that façade optimization can help reduce as much as 40 percent of building energy. This becomes an important aspect in developing economies wherein decisions are generally based on first cost with little importance to life cycle cost. Emerging markets, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, will add over 100 billion square feet in next two decades. So better understanding of facade design will go a long way in preserving ecological balance in the world.”
Peterson is chairing a seminar on façades as part of the Technical Program at ASHRAE’s 2014 Winter Conference, Jan. 18-22, at the New York Hilton, New York, N.Y. The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo®, held in conjunction with the Winter Conference, runs Jan. 21-23, www.ahrexpo.com. The Expo, held at the Javits Convention Center, takes place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as opposed to the traditional Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
For complete Conference information and to register, visit www.ashrae.org/newyork.
The Façade Odyssey: Solutions for Design of High Performance Buildings is part of a track focused on Systems and Equipment. The seminar takes place on Sunday, Jan. 19. Speakers from different parts of world present experience on the effect of various basic elements in design of envelope and its consequent effect on building operating energy, carbon emissions and air-conditioning load. The final part of presentation focuses on future façade solutions.
Speaker John Swift Jr., P.E., Cannon Design, Boston, Mass., will focus on the latest developments in high performance facades in North America, including use of simulation tools by integrated design teams to perform extensive and detailed analysis. He will share case studies on two large research laboratory projects: the New Cambridge Campus for Novartis currently under construction, and a new research building for the CJ Corp. in Seoul, South Korea designed by the Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design.
Ashish Rakheja, P.E., chief operating officer of Spectral, New Delhi, India, focuses on double façade, phase change materials and green walls.
“High performance buildings are synonymous with efficient air-conditioning systems and innovative lighting solutions and target minimized operation cost (EUI) but often engineers and architects individually,” Rakheja said. “One of the areas that presents an opportunity is integrated design, where the project team members work in tandem to collectively evaluate the effect of various external parameters rather than approaching it in silos. This requires better understanding of the effect that a simple decision on façade design can play on building energy efficiency and equipment selection.”
Also presenting is Frank A. Mills, P.E., Low Carbon Design Consultants, Leyland, United Kingdom, who will discuss the role of façade design in natural ventilation.
Other sessions in the Systems and Equipment track include:
- Two-phase Flow Analysis on Refrigeration Systems, Sunday, Jan. 19
- Technical Paper Session 3, Sunday, Jan. 19
- College of Fellows Debate: Manufacturers are the Real Designers, Monday, Jan. 20
- Advanced Residential HVAC System Studies: Humidity Control Options, Solar PV Integration, and Multi-function Integration, Monday, Jan. 20
- Conference Paper Session 8, Monday, Jan. 20
- Energy Master Planning for Low Energy Communities, Part 2, Monday, Jan. 20
- Three Studies of Cooling System Enhancements, Monday, Jan. 20
- The Challenge of Upgrading Tunnel Ventilation Systems: 3 Case Studies, Monday, Jan. 20
- Advanced Rooftop Units Campaign: Accelerating Efficiency, Tuesday, Jan. 21
- Optimized Control Strategies for Chilled Beams and Radiant Panels, Tuesday, Jan. 21
- Technical Paper Sessions 7 and 8, Tuesday, Jan. 21
- Conference Paper Sessions 16 and 18, Tuesday, Jan. 21
- Optimum Design of Heat Exchangers, Wednesday, Jan. 22
- How Much Energy Saving can we Expect from Natural Ventilation? Wednesday, Jan. 22
- Conference Paper Session 23, Wednesday, Jan. 22
- Data Center Control and Fire Safety in Tall Buildings, Wednesday, Jan. 22
- HVAC&R Paper Seminar: RP-1353 Stability and Accuracy of VAV Box Control at Low Flows, Wednesday, Jan. 22
- Using System EER/COP to Reasonably Model GSHP System Performance, Wednesday, Jan. 22
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than 50,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. Through research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.
Source: www.ashrae.org; January 14, 2014.
