Category: Center Press

HouseZero was featured in New York Magazine in a piece written by Justin Davidson, who praises the CGBC’s apt headquarters and urgent mission. “Most other environmentally sensitive buildings rely on advanced machinery: hyperefficient air conditioners, motion-activated window shades, and so on,” he writes. “HouseZero dispenses with contraptions that refrigerate the house in summer or blast heat in winter. Maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature depends on an ingredient that most architecture […]

Forbes featured a piece and an original video on Harvard HouseZero today, praising the structure as “one of the most important buildings in America.” The author notes HouseZero’s audacious goals—to drastically reduce the demand for energy and make green living possible for all. Professor Malkawi is also quoted within the piece, explaining that “this structure is the first attempt for us to be able to understand the complex behavior of […]

Quartz featured a piece on Harvard HouseZero today, praising the building as a “locus of high tech architecture.” The author writes about HouseZero as an “alternative to sealed buildings,” noting that its new window system is a crucial design element that automatically adjusts—sometimes by the minute—to regulate ventilation and Co2 levels in each space. Professor Malkawi is also quoted within the piece, explaining that “the idea of disassociating yourself from your […]

Fast Company published an article advocating for the improvement of existing structures. “If we stand a chance against climate catastrophe,” the article reads, “architects, engineers, and the buildings they create will necessarily play a huge part in moving the needle–and not just in shiny new buildings, but more crucially, by retrofitting existing structures as well.” The piece features Harvard HouseZero, which is recognized not as “a cold or stark vision […]

Metropolis Magazine published an article featuring CGBC’s newly unveiled HouseZero. Ali Malkawi, founder and leader of the HouseZero project was interviewed and quoted. He explains that his goal was to design a building “that thinks for itself …We don’t have a lot of information about human interactions with buildings. I want to use artificial intelligence to understand complex building behavior.” Read the full article here.

Today, Harvard Gazette, the official news website for Harvard University, announced the completion of Harvard HouseZero, an ambitious living laboratory and energy-positive prototype for ultra-efficiency. The piece features several animations that explain how HouseZero regulates temperature without a traditional HVAC system. Read the article here. 

Today, Curbed featured Harvard HouseZero, CGBC’s ambitious retrofit of a decades-old building and lab for energy-efficient design. The article notes that unlike other strict building standards which seek to seal off the environment to achieve energy efficiency, HouseZero rejects the conventional “sealed box” approach in favor of a building that reacts to its environment. “By working with, instead of fighting, the environment,” the author writes, “CGBC’s project shows how more […]

Today, Dezeen published a piece on Harvard HouseZero, noting its completion and highlighting several photos of the building. The article notes that the primary goal of the project was to create a “highly configurable, data-driven infrastructure that will allow the center to conduct research and demonstrate what is possible.” The piece also details several sustainability-driven building modifications, including its new windows which open and close automatically via actuation system. Read […]

Today, Architectural Record profiled the CGBC’s recently completed headquarters in a former single-family residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The article emphasizes that the structure is more than just office space. Rather, its intended to function as a living lab featuring 285 sensors that collect almost 17 mullion data points daily. This information will fuel the center’s research into computational simulation and intelligent algorithms. “The ultimate goal,” the piece reads, “is to […]