Category: Events

With mounting evidence of the impact of human activity on the global climate, the built environment is increasingly understood as a critical site for applied and conceptual research in questions of energy and ecology. In light of the increasing imperative to act on mitigating the causes and effects of climate change—and to devise new pathways for research and investigation—Harvard’s Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC) and the Harvard Graduate […]

This event will take place in-person at 12pm noon ET in 112 Stubbins, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy St. How can digital transformation be the catalyst for a shift towards circular architecture? The construction sector is known to be fragmented, with different teams working independently, which often culminates in resource depletion, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and significant waste. However, by observing successful models in other sectors and adopting digital methodologies, we […]

This event will take place in-person at 12pm noon at HouseZero, 20 Sumner Rd. Please RSVP to: [email protected]. The 2023 Global Change Outlook continues a process, started in 2012 by the MIT Joint Program, of providing a periodic update on the direction the planet is heading in terms of economic growth and its implications for resource use and the environment. To obtain an integrated look at food, water, energy and […]

This talk will take place at HouseZero, 20 Sumner Rd at 12pm noon. Registration is required (please email [email protected]). The Solar Gate is an adaptive shading system that assists in the indoor climate regulation of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell, located at the University of Freiburg, by shielding its interior from high heat loads during the summer while allowing thermal energy to penetrate the building during the winter. Through co-designing hygromorphic 4D-printed […]

Register for the event. With mounting evidence of the impact of human activity on the global climate, the built environment is increasingly understood as a critical site for applied and conceptual research in questions of energy and ecology. In light of the increasing imperative to act on mitigating the causes and effects of climate change—and to devise new pathways for research and investigation—Harvard’s Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC) […]

For centuries engineers have taken inspiration from nature for design and problem solving. Today’s computing capabilities present the possibility to approach design optimization not from the perspective of imitating existing natural forms, but from the perspective of deploying effective algorithms inspired by natural processes. Petros discussed the development and fusion of learning and evolution algorithms for applications ranging from micro-fluidics to aerodynamics. SPEAKER: PETROS KOUMOUTSAKOS Petros Koumoutsakos is Herbert S. Winokur, Jr. Professor […]

Buildings are responsible for the majority of electricity consumption in the U.S. and are a substantial contributor to carbon emissions. Understanding how buildings use energy and how that may change in the future is important for utilities, governments, and other stakeholders. This talk will discuss energy consumption in residential buildings, NREL’s residential building stock energy modeling tool, ResStock, and the public datasets available from ResStock. Holly Samuelson, DDes, LEED and […]