Designing High Performance Buildings in a Low Tolerance World

1 AIA Learning Unit (GHT-ME-090913)

The definition of a high performance building is in constant flux due to increasingly efficient baseline buildings; more aggressive codes; and updates to green building certification programs. Owners and developers continue to raise expectations for their design team to deliver a highly efficient building at a cost they can afford. This session, presented by senior engineers from GHT, will highlight architectural and engineering design strategies that deliver better energy performance results; address how to calibrate energy models to ensure the most accurate data is reported; and present case studies of projects that achieved high levels of sustainable design and energy performance.

  • Learning Objective 1: Understand design decisions that impact building energy performance, including the energy model, building envelope, HVAC, and electrical systems
  • Learning Objective 2: Learn from case studies that demonstrate the real-life results of high performance design strategies and be able to identify best practices that deliver high performance buildings, as well as the impact on a project’s first cost and lifecycle value
  • Learning Objective 3: Be able to communicate the impact of design strategies on building energy performance to clients and partners
  • Learning Objective 4: Become familiar with trends in commercial and institutional real estate that will impact future design decisions