GAB Report library
Net Zero
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Washington High School Proves All-Electric Net-Zero Design at Scale
Washington, D.C. achieved LEED v4 Platinum certification for the new Benjamin Banneker Academic High School by combining an airtight building envelope, a 950-kilowatt solar array, and deep geothermal wells. The 175,000-square-foot facility now operates at an EUI below 20 kBTU per square foot.
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Engineers Unify Power and Cooling Rules to Absorb Surging AI Computing Loads
ASHRAE, NEMA, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have released the AI Data Center Energy Performance Framework. Developed with more than 50 industrial partners, the living reference synchronizes HVAC thermal envelopes, electrical equipment standards, and grid-interactive controls to manage rising rack densities and ease severe power constraints.
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Midwestern Adaptive Reuse Proves Closed-Loop Water and Net-Positive Power
Three years of post-occupancy operations at the Stanley Center for Peace and Security in Muscatine, Iowa, show how deep adaptive reuse achieved net-positive energy, closed-loop water autonomy, and significant commercial supply chain reform.
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National Lab Funds Four Pilots Linking Building Retrofits to Grid Capacity
The National Laboratory of the Rockies and the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator have selected four organizations to pilot high-efficiency building envelopes, multi-family demand flexibility, cooling center storage, and automated grid interconnection. The initiative deploys federal research tools directly into operational real estate and utility portfolios.
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ASHRAE Pivots Decarbonization Focus Toward Deep Building Retrofits
ASHRAE has unveiled the technical curriculum for its sixth Building Decarbonization Conference, focusing directly on the engineering mechanics of retrofitting existing commercial facilities. The program addresses pressing challenges including electrical panel capacity limits, heat pump conversions, and binding municipal performance caps.
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Inaugural ESG & Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum
Editor’s Foreword: How can we do our part in keeping the commitment to achieve the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target? The real estate and investment markets play a key role in this commitment as the buildings they build, manage and invest in, account for nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions. While the concept of Environmental,…
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Zero Energy and Zero Carbon Buildings Can Accelerate Climate Solutions
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Getting to Zero Forum 2019
The What: The 2019 Getting to Zero Forum is a global event dedicated to defining a new zero energy, zero carbon future for the built environment. The program details have recently been finalized and the program looks exciting, jam-packed with plenary sessions and breakouts covering topics ranging from zero energy and zero carbon policies to…
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Living Lab for Energy Efficiency Design
Harvard’s HouseZero project officially opened this week. It is an adaptive re-use project that transforms a pre-1940s Cambridge house into an educational, office building for The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities. More importantly, it serves as a data-driven living lab for documenting and exploring energy efficiency strategies and their performance outcomes. Targeting the…
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Webinar: Zero Carbon/Energy Codes
The What: Following closely on the footsteps of last month’s Carbon Smart Building Day Conference, the New Buildings Institute will be hosting a webinar to discuss key policy tools to meet climate goals in its Webinar: Zero Carbon/Energy Codes. As governments of all scales consider options for meeting deep greenhouse gas reduction goals, attention has turned…