Over the past year, CBE welcomed three new members to its industry consortium: Saint-Gobain, TRC Energy Services, and Western Allied Mechanical, Inc. Representing manufacturing, engineering and construction, these companies reflect the diversity of CBE industry consortium, and provide the services and products needed to provide high-performing and resource-efficient buildings and places.
The connection between sensors, devices and humans is at the heart of the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) in commercial buildings, and represents intriguing research opportunities for Jovan Pantelic, who joined CBE as a research specialist in the fall of 2016. As sensors become more advanced and lower in cost, it may enable the type of “ubiquitous” sensing that has been anticipated already for many years.
Twenty years ago this spring, Berkeley faculty and research staff hosted CBE’s inaugural advisory board meeting with representatives of ten founding partner firms. This new consortium, formed under the auspices of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Research Program, created the initial roadmap for research that has continued for two decades, yielding a broad and valuable body of knowledge, innovation, publications, and industry impacts.
CBE Director Edward Arens, PhD, came to UC Berkeley in 1980 and soon founded the Building Science Group. In this interview he reflects on major milestones in the formation of CBE’s organization and contributions.