Center for the Built Environment (CBE)

CBE is pleased to be on the organizing committee this this upcoming event that will bring together experts from academia, industry, and startups to discuss strategies for decarbonizing buildings. The event will cover reducing both embodied carbon and operational energy, aiming to share research, scalable solutions, and commercialization pathways for sustainable construction and operation. Speakers include Matt Roberts, Brett Stuckey, Cindy Regnier, PE, PEng, LEED AP, Ramon Weber, and many others. #SustainableConstruction #NetZeroBuildings #CleanEnergy #FutureOfBuildings

We’re looking forward to today's webinar on circularity in the built environment, with four experts who will discuss theory, practice and case studies that demonstrate material reuse, lifecycle thinking and other practices that support the adoption of the circular economy. We’ve had a great response so far with a large number of attendees expected — but there’s still space available so use the links below to learn more and register.

Join us for a technical tour of the David Brower Center, an innovative high-performance building in downtown Berkeley that houses numerous climate-focused non-profits. The facility features underfloor air distribution (UFAD) and radiant heating and cooling, rooftop solar and numerous other innovations. It has also served as a testbed for multiple CBE research projects related to advanced building controls, thermal comfort and energy performance. The tour will be led by Carlos Duarte and Maria Schell Hassid. All proceeds will support students traveling to the Winter Conference and Expo. The even starts at 4:30 pm with a happy hour at Jupiter, followed by the tour at 5:45 pm. See details and register here: https://lnkd.in/g8T4AF6h   #BuildingPerformance #UFAD #RadiantCooling #RadiantHeating #HighPerformanceBuildings #EnergyEfficiency #SmartBuildings #SustainableDesign #CBEResearch #BuildingScience #Berkeley

Webinar on Emerging AI Tools for Advancing Building Design and Operations December 10, 2025; 9:30 - 11:00 PST As buildings account for a significant portion of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, emerging AI tools offer new methods to drive sustainability and efficiency. In this webinar, experts from professional practice, software development and academia will showcase cutting-edge methods for optimizing spatial configurations, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing building performance. Attendees will gain a deep understanding of how AI-driven design tools are reshaping the industry, including design processes, architectural geometries and operational analytics. This event is free and open to the public and co-sponsored by PG&E and UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment. Cesar Escalante, AIA, LEED AP, CM-BIM, Technical Marketing Manager Architecture from Autodesk, will present AI-enabled software that analyzes building design considerations, including site conditions, energy use, and embodied carbon, to provide early-stage design insights.   Luke Leung, Sustainable Engineering Studio Principal at SOM, and Shona O'Dea Odea, Senior Associate Principal & Sustainability Director at SOM, will present the concept of ‘collaborative intelligence,’ in which combining AI and human intelligence can lead to more insightful recommendations for decarbonization plans. Ramon Weber, Assistant Professor of Architecture, UC Berkeley, will present how the use of advanced algorithms can be used to seamlessly link architectural design with energy and daylight analysis. This course is approved for AIA HSW learning credits. Read more about the course and register here: https://lnkd.in/gbRzuqbb Go directly to register on the PG&E learning platform here: https://lnkd.in/gb-taA5H #ArtificialIntelligence #AIDesign #PropTech #BuildingInnovation #SustainableDesign #BuildingPerformance #DataDrivenDesign

We are excited to connect with our peers at Greenbuild 2025 taking place here in California, and to present our work in collaboration with our industry partners and other members of our community, in these two Thursday sessions: CBE Postdoctoral Researcher Tobias Kramer will present in the session, “Thermal Comfort Modeling for the Design of Resilient Microclimates,” (Thursday, Nov. 6th, 1:15 pm). The panel will explore how designers are using urban microclimate models to reveal how built environments and climatic conditions will impact human experience, and also how we can respond by creating thermally resilient environments. Panelists include Carlos Cerezo Davila and Ethan Tucker of KPF, Zoe Davis of the City of Boston, and Nathaniel Jones of Arup. Later that afternoon, CBE’s Gail Brager will be on a panel, “Beyond Comfort: Designing for Sensory Delight in the Built Environment” (Nov. 6th, 2:30 pm). This session challenges the conventional approach to IEQ that prioritizes static, neutral conditions, and exploring how designing for variable, dynamic environments can enhance occupant health and well-being. Larkin Johnson of U.S. Green Building Council, Catie Ryan Balagtas of Terrapin Bright Green and Marilyn Specht of SmithGroup are co-panelists. #Greenbuild2025 #IndoorEnvironment #ResilientDesign

Seema Bhangar thank you for bringing your leadership and expertise to this study, and presenting the results to the CBE members and community.

Part of CBE's core mission is training the next generation of building industry leaders. Thanks Quinn Graessle, EIT for your presentation last week and your ongoing work to update and add to the Electrification Retrofit Map project. #Electrification #EnergyEfficiency #Buildings #Decarbonization #HVAC

Last week CBE hosted it’s fall Industry Advisory Board meeting. This whirlwind of events over three days kicked off with a Wednesday evening happy hour followed by an intimate gathering to hear from Pablo La Roche and Sarah Oppenhuizen who shared insights about their recent books on sustainable design and neuroinclusive workplaces. Thursday we hosted our Plenary Session, where research staff presented new findings and future directions, including charlie huizenga, Matt Roberts, Carlos Duarte, Paul Raftery and Tobias Kramer. We also had interesting talks from our research collaborators from other institutions, with Seema Bhangar, Jaeha Kim, Paul Mayencourt, Tharanga Jayarathne. Berkeley graduate students Chai Yoon Um, Lino Sanchez, Tao Sun, Jiwon Park and Quinn Graessle, EIT presented their recent work on a wide range of topics, such as indoor particulate exposures, mapping heap pump suitability, and AI-powered tools. We were also treated to a keynote talk from Emmett FitzGerald, a senior producer with the podcast 99% Invisible who presented elements from his series, 'Not Built for This,' about the impacts climate change is having across the country, from floods, fires and heat events. Stay tuned as we will post his talk on YouTube soon. On Thursday we also heard introductions from three of our newest partners: Fotile America LLC, CIM, and Turner Construction Company, with presentations from Haoying (Anita) Ke, Benjamin Galuza, Colin Schless LEED, CPHC, David Waterworth, PhD and Chris Hamilton. Also participating were new partners from CMTA, Inc., Rob Bolin - PE, LEED Fellow, HBDP and Brian Turner. We are excited for the opportunities to benefit from the experience and knowledge these industry leaders offer for supporting and guiding our research. Finally, Friday morning we held our executive Session, co-moderated by CBE Partner Chair Shruti Kasarekar, with support from Gail Brager and David Lehrer. The partners reviewed and gave us feedback on over 20 research ideas, which we will cull and refine in making our 2026 research portfolio. A huge shout out to the presenters and the many folks who contributed to the success of these events! See the full agenda here: https://lnkd.in/gecNH5mE #BuiltEnvironment #EmbodiedCarbon #LCA #EnergyEfficiency  #Buildings #Decarbonization #HVAC #SustainableDesign #LCA

Thank you Benjamin Galuza, Colin Schless LEED, CPHC, and Brett Stuckey for participating in CBE's Industry Advisory Board and your presentation to the membership last week. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues at Turner! #SustainableConstruction, #LowCarbonBuilding, #Research, #CommercialConstruction, #DecarbonizingConstruction

Webinar on Circularity as the Next Phase of Sustainable Buildings November 13, 2025 - 1:30 - 3:30 PST Circular economy principles represent the latest phase of sustainable building design, moving beyond efficiency to focus on full material lifecycles. By designing for reuse, repair, and recycling, buildings shift from a linear “build–use–demolish” model to one that keeps resources in circulation and supports health and welfare of building users and other stakeholder communities. This online symposium will feature circularity experts with diverse areas of expertise, representing a cross section of the building industry, from architecture, engineering, building portfolio management, and academia: Felix Heisel of Cornell University will be speaking about the need for industry adoption of circular and the work of the Circular Construction Lab ranging from tools to demonstrators to legislation supporting this goal. Kathleen Hetrick of Buro Happold will discuss the intersection of circular economy and public health at the building, community and policy level. Mark Klein of Genentech Inc. will present how a global building portfolio manager is approaching sustainable deconstruction and materials reuse. Aaron Vaden-Youmans of Grimshaw will explain how his firm is bringing circular design into its broader mission of decarbonization and regenerative design, and featuring an adaptive reuse case study. This event is free and open to the public, and co-sponsored by PG&E and UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment. Read more and register here: https://lnkd.in/gMB-MsM5 #Circularity #CircularEconomy #Decarbonization #RegenerativeDesign #MaterialReuse #BuiltEnvironment #EmbodiedCarbon #LCA