2025 Highlights and Appreciation
As the year comes to a close, we want to acknowledge the many individuals, companies and organizations whose support makes our research both possible and impactful. In spite of new challenges, our community is resilient and we remain focused and committed to our shared mission.
Highlights for CBE this year include the launch of several novel research directions, in many cases with focused support and participation from our Industry Partners. We also secured funding awards both large and small. (We recently learned of additional grants, which we will announce once the paperwork is done!)
We are grateful for the continued commitment of our Industry Partners, and this year we welcomed new members who broaden the perspectives that inform our work: FOTILE, CIM, Turner Construction and CMTA. We also thank our students, staff, faculty and research affiliates who do the work and expand our impact. We wish you a safe and restful holiday season, and we look forward to continuing our collaborations in the year ahead.
Urban Headquarters Sweep 2025 Livable Buildings Award
Awarded annually since 2007, the CBE’s Livable Buildings Awards recognize projects that demonstrate excellence in architecture, sustainability and occupant satisfaction. The 2025 award goes to SmithGroup’s Detroit Office, a renovation and consolidation of the firm’s global headquarters that created a living laboratory for agile workplace design. The program this year also confers Honorable Mentions for the U.S. Green Building Council Headquarters Office in Washington, D.C., and the Accenture Innovation Hub at One Manhattan West in New York City. All award candidates qualify by meeting user satisfaction benchmarks as measured by the CBE Occupant Survey.
CBE Welcomes New Partner CMTA
CBE’s team is excited to welcome CMTA as the latest industry leader to join our consortium. The firm is unique through its offering of three key services: MEP engineering, performance contracting, and zero energy/zero carbon buildings. They prioritize indoor air quality, decarbonization and environmental stewardship, and they are leaders in the use of building performance analytics, with access to over 25 years of measured data from their design portfolio. CMTA Principal Rob Bolin, who leads the firm’s engagement with CBE, brings many years of experience working with CBE from past roles at other CBE member firms. In a recent email Rob notes: “I’m delighted to continue my decades-long relationship with CBE as we advance research in the built environment. Together, we’re expanding our collaboration with CMTA’s team around a shared mission to deliver exceptional, sustainable environments—fully decarbonized and increasingly focused on whole-life carbon.”
News and Publications
Below we feature recent publications by CBE researchers, faculty, graduate students and visiting scholars, plus noteworthy references to our team in the mainstream press.
Material Choices, Life Cycle Assessment and Resource Circularity Are Important Early Design Considerations
Making informed choices during early phases of building design is critical for reducing climate impacts, as early decisions have been estimated to determine 70–80% of a building’s whole-life performance. A new paper presents 12 strategies targeted for architects, engineers and others to reduce the climate impacts of buildings early in design. Key findings show that architects’ material selection, conducting early life cycle assessment, and attention to resource circularity are among the most important early considerations.
New Approach for Workspace Satisfaction Scoring May Influence Building Rating Systems
A recent study analyzed occupant survey responses from offices in the United States, Australia, Japan and Singapore. Because satisfaction results vary significantly between some of these countries, the authors suggest that context is important, and that comparison among peer building sets may be more accurate than the fixed benchmarks generally in use. The research team is presenting the findings to WELL, LEED and ASHRAE committees for potential implementation.
CBE Expertise on Heat Stress Used for Prison Class-Action Lawsuit
As recently reported in the Miami Herald, Prof. Stefano Schiavon provided a report that was used in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Florida Justice Institute, a Miami nonprofit that advocates for incarcerated, homeless and disabled people. The suit was filed to require a Florida prison to maintain the indoor heat index below 88ºF, a threshold some experts cite to prevent heat-related stress and illness. Prof. Schiavon’s report, using data from sensors inside the prison, found that temperatures exceeded this standard for months at a time, close to or over 100ºF for lengthy periods.