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ASHRAE Sets Tech Program for Building Performance Analysis Conference

July 20, 2017
The technical program includes 16 sessions and 41 presentations. It is expected to be approved for 23 PDHs as well as AIA learning units and LEED AP credits.

ASHRAE recently announced the technical program for its 2017 Building Performance Analysis Conference, to be held Sept. 27-29 at the Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center in Atlanta.

“Our goal is to serve practitioners by providing the most up-to-date best practices, workflows, and processes required to plan, design, construct, and operate high-performing, low-energy-consuming buildings that are environmentally responsive and responsible, safe, secure, and healthy for human occupancy,” Dennis Knight, conference chair, said.

The technical program includes 16 sessions and 41 presentations. It is expected to be approved for 23 professional-development hours as well as AIA learning units and LEED AP credits.

Sessions include:

  • Making the Case for Energy Models in the Integrated Design Process
  • Persistence of Performance: Lessons Learned From Modeled ZNE Projects With Post-Occupancy Data
  • Integrating the HVAC Engineering Workflow Into the BIM Work Environment
  • LEEDing the Market Transformation in Energy and Environmental Design in the Built Environment Through Integrated Design
  • Performance Modeling and Design: How Analysis Can Influence the Design Process
  • Early Design Modeling and Performance Assessment
  • Existing Building Modeling to Validate Building Performance Improvement
  • Best Practices in HVAC Load Analysis

“This conference engages the design aspect of modeling and simulation,” Knight said. “The topics address the work of HVAC engineers, architects, and other building-design professionals who rely on simulation and modeling tools to perform their day-to-day work and meet their standard of care.”

The conference’s LowDown Showdown Modeling Competition, being held for the third year, challenges architects, engineers, designers, and energy modelers to create an effective workflow and an outstanding design. This year’s participating teams will be challenged with a real building constructed during the 1970s. The building has a traditional variable-air-volume reheat system in the office areas and is similar to thousands around the United States. It is located in a challenging Northern Virginia climate and has large storage areas that have very specific temperature and humidity requirements.

"Real buildings provide the challenges we aspire to conquer: excessive energy, badly managed controls, and occupant-behavior anomalies,” Annie Marston, chair of the 2017 ASHRAE LowDown Showdown committee, said. “These are the puzzles we enjoy solving. Our mission is accomplished, and we are personally fulfilled when we can help a client reduce their energy bill significantly while making their environment more comfortable."

Prior to the start of the conference, on Sept. 25 and 26, software companies and educators will conduct full- and half-day workshops. These workshops have limited seating, and a separate registration is required.

ASHRAE will be offering certification exams for the following fields: Energy Assessment, Energy Modeling, Commissioning, Healthcare Facility Design, High-Performance Building Design, and Building Operations. Those interested in sitting for an exam must apply by Sept. 10.

Registration for the conference is open. Discounted rates are available to those who register before Aug. 14.

For more information, including a complete conference schedule, and to register, go to www.ashrae.org/BuildPerform2017.