Thursday November 19, 2020 VIA Zoom

Success in high performance building design extends well beyond the project and requires an ongoing commitment to advocacy, tracking project results, and iterative learning. This course revisits the key design strategies and processes for achieving advanced energy performance on projects, then dives into how the 2030 Challenge and the AIA 2030 Commitment can transform a firm’s practice and culture, as well as the broader community. 

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Learning Objectives

• Justify the inclusion of integrated energy efficiency strategies in projects

• Track project performance to inform future design

• Teach other design professionals in the firm and community about advanced energy efficiency strategies for buildings 

• Understand the key role the Architecture and Planning professions play in meeting climate goals

Thursday October 15, 2020 VIA Zoom

Actual building performance is the ultimate measure of high-performance design. This course will cover the tools available to architects for best achieving predicted performance, including building commissioning, maintenance staff and occupant training, and building performance monitoring. This course will also explore the use of building performance data and smart building systems to validate and improve performance, and as a tool for iterative learning and innovation. 

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Learning Objectives

• Explain the benefits of monitoring, evaluation, and education to design firms, clients, and building occupants

• Understand the role of the commissioning agent in all phases of the design process and into operations.

• Explain and advocate for commissioning on projects

• Instruct building operations and maintenance staff in optimizing building performance

Thursday September 17, 2020 VIA Zoom

The goal of the 2030 Challenge is to create buildings that use zero fossil fuels. After implementing low/no cost design and efficiency measures in a building project, renewable energy emerges as the final step to reaching aggressive carbon elimination goals. This course will explore the relationships between efficiency and renewable energy, and investigate current renewable energy opportunities both on-site and off-site at neighborhood, district, and utility scales. 

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Learning Objectives

• Identify the major on- and off-site renewable energy strategies for buildings

• Propose appropriate renewable energy strategies based on site characteristics and resources

• Enumerate the life cycle costs and benefits of on- and off-site renewable energy

• Understand how to use alternative renewable sources, such as district energy and biofuels, efficiently and in ways that emit low/no GHG emissions.

Thursday August 20, 2020 VIA Zoom

After maximizing passive design strategies to reduce energy loads, the next step in high performance building design is the selection of properly sized equipment and advanced controls. This course will explore the effective integration of mechanical systems and controls with passive strategies for optimum building performance.

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Learning Objectives

• Understand the various factors the influence building energy loads

• Identify energy efficient strategies to maintain occupant comfort

• Utilize controls to optimize the efficiency of equipment

• Apply rightsizing after pursuing passive design strategies

Thursday July 16, 2020 VIA ZOOM

Electric lighting accounts for a significant portion of a typical building’s energy load. Daylighting can be integrated with efficient artificial lighting to provide occupant comfort and productivity in buildings of all types, while minimizing energy consumption. This course will identify strategies for maximizing natural light, while controlling for glare and unwanted heat gain.

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Learning Objectives

• Describe the relationship between daylight & energy efficiency

• Explain the impact of daylight on human health

• Identify and evaluate daylighting strategies to optimize energy performance and occupant comfort.

• List techniques for effectively managing glare and unwanted heat gain.

Thursday June 18, 2020 VIA ZOOM

Properly designed, a building captures existing site resources such as light, wind, and solar radiation to provide for the comfort and needs of occupants. Passive systems work in concert with site resources to manage building energy demand through design.  This session will build upon the concepts introduced in Courses 3 and 4 and explore a holistic strategy for designing passive systems. 

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Learning Objectives

• Define passive systems and identify specific elements of a passive design;

• Evaluate the effectiveness of various passive strategies based on available site resources

• Determine the most successful strategies for a given site

Thursday May 21, 2020 VIA ZOOM

A building’s envelope is the critical interface between occupant comfort and outdoor climatic conditions. High performance buildings require high performance envelopes that respond to exterior environmental impacts throughout the day and year. This course will explore design, material, and technological approaches to wall and window assemblies, from straightforward low-cost methods to advanced double skin facade applications. 

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Learning Objectives

• Describe the relationship between daylight & energy efficiency

• Explain the impact of daylight on human health

• Identify and evaluate daylighting strategies to optimize energy performance and occupant comfort.

• List techniques for effectively managing glare and unwanted heat gain.

Thursday April 16, 2020 VIA ZOOM

Energy efficient design embraces the climate when beneficial, and minimizes unwanted environmental conditions. In this session, we’ll explore using climate data and site characteristics to conduct climate analyses, which we can use to inform building design and lower energy loads. This will set the stage for future courses that will address specific design strategies in more detail.

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In this course we cover the key elements of climate analysis. We discuss climatic factors that affect both a building’s performance and occupant comfort. We also decipher the “mysterious” psychrometric chart, which allows us to consider both climate and comfort together. Finally, we explore ways in which climate affects design decisions about site and program, as well as where to look for hidden opportunities during this phase to increase efficiency.

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Learning Objectives

• Explain why climate responsive design reduces the energy load of a building.

• Explain the utility of tools such as wind roses, sun path diagrams, and climate data files to inform building design and energy usage. 

• Discuss the effects of climate analysis on site and program decisions and influence on energy usage and decisions.

• List the site and climate factors that impact a building's performance.

Thursday February 20, 2020

Noon to 1:30 pm

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The 2030 Challenge outlines a set of incremental design targets moving towards carbon neutral design. Those targets should be part of the design process from the start of the project. This course examines tools that can help set a project’s energy targets and track progress towards those goals. Attendees will also learn about setting targets, not just for the whole building energy use, but for energy end uses of the building, which is critical to achieving results. Finally, members explore how energy modeling can be used at all stages of design to verify progress towards realizing the project’s goals.   

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the incremental design targets outlined in the 2030 Challenge that move towards carbon neutral design

• Describe some of the primary tools available to assist architects in setting and tracking energy targets

• Discuss the importance of energy end use in setting targets and achieving results

• Describe how energy modeling can be used at all stages of design to verify progress towards realizing the project’s goals

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Thursday January 16, 2020

Noon to 1:15 pm

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The design process is an important element in the creation of next-generation buildings that meet the 2030 Challenge targets. In the first course of the AIA+2030 Online Series, we will explore the design processes to produce high-performance and carbon neutral buildings, including the Integrative Design Process (IDP). We will explore collaborative strategies that can achieve low energy outcomes, and how these strategies can be used as a roadmap throughout the design process. In particular, we will examine defining core, early design decisions such as building form and orientation.