CAREER: Impact of a coupled energy-carbon-water system on environmentally sustainable building designs under climate variability and automation - a diagnostic-prognostic approach

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Buildings consume over 40% of the global energy supply in their construction and operation as embodied (EE) and operational energy (OE), causing over 39% of total global carbon emissions and consuming an enormous amount of freshwater. To reduce the environmental burden of buildings in design and construction decisions, this project seeks to understand the interdependencies of EE and OE components, their relationship to water use and carbon emission, and the current and future impacts of the energy-carbon-water (ECW) nexus. Three research objectives will be pursued: (1) quantify EE-OE interdependencies by measuring an EE factor that represents the EE expense of saving one unit of OE; (2) examine energy-focused design decisions from an ECW perspective; and (3) investigate how fast-changing energy mix and use may influence future EE-OE interdependencies. The key educational goal is to enhance science education of environmentally sustainable buildings by embedding energy modeling and innovative Virtual Reality (VR)-based learning activities into existing curricula and research training. The educational objectives are: (1) stimulate a diagnostic-prognostic-based sustainable built environment education at the university level; (2) enhance the science education of environmental sustainability at the high school level; and (3) extend tools and resources to architects, engineers, and home builders for broader societal benefits. The research plan offers knowledge and resources to be used by students, who, in turn, create data models to help accomplish the research goal.This study combines building information and energy models from engineering with earth science and economic models to close three knowledge gaps. First, the interdependencies of EE and OE components are not fully understood. This research aim to answer: (1) how do different EE and OE components function and influence each other? and (2) which design measures or EE/OE components may be the main driver of environmental change? Second, it is unclear how design decisions based on EE and OE would differ if energy-related carbon emission and water use are considered. This project will explore how the interplay of a complex ECW system may influence design decisions and which system may be the most impactful. Third, the forces of climate change and automation are shifting building energy use towards electricity. How such a shift may influence future ECW interactions is unclear. This study will explore how the forces of climate variability and automation may alter future states of energy use and environmental change and how such changes may affect the complex ECW system in the future. Through a more diagnostic- prognostic modeling of a building’s environmental impacts, this study seeks to close these gaps and create resources to help architects, engineers, and policy makers make scientifically-informed decisions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.