Topics in Sustainability: Advanced Low Energy Buildings

Catalog description

This course is designed to build upon the lessons learned in the prerequisite course Low Energy Buildings in order to foster a deeper comprehension of building physics through energy modeling and environmental simulations. Students will engage with the built environment, implementing both technical tools and design strategies in order to address the broader challenges of the climate crisis. There are two main principles to how the class is taught, general building science theory and specific computational design tools. The theory portion will cover the basics of building physics, including topics such as thermodynamic flows within building enclosures, energy balance calculation, solar controls, human comfort, moisture management, material performance, and embodied carbon. The second portion will consist of practical exercises in which students will use computer modeling as a means to quantify energy use within buildings. The exercises will include steady state energy modeling, 2-dimensional heat flow simulations, hydrothermal modeling and daylighting analysis tools. The course will culminate in a final exam combining lessons learned from the specific computational design assignments and the broader building science theory.