Design and the Energy Transition

Design of the built environment plays a crucial role in the energy transition due to its significant impact on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and land use. In addition to energy-efficient design, renewable energy technologies, and smart building systems, design is central to the many forms of adaptation necessitated by the climate change, from managing flooding and sea level rise to carbon capture. 

A panel of Weitzman faculty, joined by a carbon capture expert from Penn Engineering, discusses the role of design in the energy transition.

Dorit Aviv, assistant professor of architecture and director of the Thermal Architecture Lab, explores the challenges faced by the building sector to provide sustainable cooling for a warming planet, providing an overview of her ongoing research on alternative cooling strategies based on architectural geometry and emergent building materials.  

Matthijs Bouw, professor of practice in architecture and landscape architecture and founding principal at ONE Architecture & Urbanism, shares insights on nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

William Braham, professor of architecture and director of the Center for Environmental Building Design, discusses the changing uses of energy in buildings, with examples of net-zero carbon buildings at different scales, from houses to high-rises. 

Nicholas Pevzner, assistant professor of landscape architecture, delves into the impacts of land use, including the amount and the distribution of land needed for renewable energy deployment, as well as land use conflicts and community opposition.

Hélène Pilorgé, research associate at Penn Engineering's Clean Energy Lab, an affiliate of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, discusses carbon capture and storage and carbon dioxide removal as a way to complement carbon emission reductions efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions.
 

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