New York State has advanced in its goal to lead the nation in the development of energy efficient building technologies through a $560,296 DOE grant to Syracuse University Professors Jensen Zhang and Michael Perkins to develop a virtual design studio, which will aid building designers in maximizing energy efficiency. CDH Energy, The Florida Solar Energy Center and the Syracuse Center of Excellence are all working closely with the SU professors and have collectively provided $84,122 towards the project. An additional $57,936 is also being put up by Syracuse University in the form of professor salaries and student scholarships.With the use of a virtual building database, performance simulation models and a knowledge base of architectural design, the studio will allow for designers to make a coordinated, integrated and optimized building design. Such designs mean a reduction of energy costs by 30-75 percent along with significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. With 40 percent of national energy consumption attributed to buildings, such efficiencies have the potential to increase national security by reducing dependence on foreign oil.
The design studio is one of five federally funded projects falling under the category of “analysis, design, and technical tools” which goes along with the federal economic recovery efforts as quality jobs will be created on all ends of the energy-efficient building market.
