As we wrap up 2024, we are excited to share updates on recent work and also about upcoming events where our research team will share our results with broad audiences from industry and academia. Much of this work benefits from the invaluable contributions of our industry partners and research affiliates that include companies and academic institutions from around the world.
The 2023 Livable Buildings Award has been awarded to VMDO Architects for their Paul Jennings Residence Hall, a 500-bed student housing facility at James Madison University completed in 2019. This project is the first residential building to be recognized by this award program, held annually since 2007. The awards also recognized the Bay Area Offices for SERA Architects with an honorable mention. SERA designed a full-floor office in a historic building in downtown Oakland, Calif., with a focus on creating a flexible and healthy workspace.
As we reflect on the events of 2022, we are encouraged by the return to normal that is underway, as the most challenging aspects of Covid-19 recede. Here at CBE we brought meetings and events back to the office, we held Industry Advisory Board meetings with in-person and virtual options, we welcomed new industry partners, new staff, and launched new research directions.
CBE’s research activities provide a unique training ground for UC Berkeley students to learn advanced skills in building science, often in collaboration with CBE’s consortium of industry leaders. Our graduates have gone on to highly successful careers, including many in leadership positions, in the building sector and beyond. In this Centerline post, we catch up with three alumni — Kit Elsworth, Soazig Kaam, and Sara Tepfer — to learn about their current work roles, what inspires them, and where they are headed.
This spring, Clark Pacific became the newest member to join CBE’s industry consortium. Soon they will collaborate with CBE and others on research that will advance the development of an innovative precast system that incorporates hydronic radiant heating and cooling, and low-carbon concrete mixes. As CBE’s only prefabricated building member, Clark Pacific brings valuable new perspectives to guide and inform the development of CBE’s research portfolio.
As we reach the final weeks of 2020 — a year we are all happy to put behind us — we take a moment to reflect on the many challenges of the year, and also some successes made possible through the support and resilience of our industry partners and collaborators who navigated with us through truly unprecedented times.
The historic renovation and expansion of Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco has been recognized as the winner of CBE’s 2020 Livable Buildings Award. The design team conducted comprehensive carbon accounting, and the project is expected to yield net positive energy performance. Conferred annually by UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment, this program recognizes buildings that demonstrate ‘livability’ in terms of occupant satisfaction, sustainability and architectural design.
Founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, Harris is a leading national mechanical contractor specializing in design and engineering, construction, controls, service, manufacturing, conveyors and end-to-end building systems with over 70 years of experience. From power plants to hospitals, stadiums to concert halls, Harris brings a spirit of creative problem solving and a commitment to excellence in delivery to every project, no matter the size, complexity or location.
Joining CBE’s consortium this spring, JLG Architects has won national accolades for both its design portfolio and for its highly supportive work environment, gaining recognition as one of the ‘50 Most Admired Companies’ in America by MSN Money, as one of ‘50 Best Places to Work’ by Inc. magazine, and as ‘2019 Design Firm of the Year’ by ENR Mountain States.
Joining CBE this spring, McKinstry is a national leader in designing, constructing, operating and maintaining high-performing buildings. With offices throughout the U.S., their mission is to make every building they touch more efficient.