Integrated Building Design: Paul A. Torcellini

PAUL A. TORCELLINI, P.E., Ph.D.
Team Leader for Commercial Buildings Research
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Golden, CO

Paul A. Torcellini is the Team Leader for Commercial Buildings Research at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. He has an undergraduate mechanical engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Master’s and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. Paul is on the adjunct faculty at Colorado School of Mines.

Paul has taught at Youngstown State University, and has taught Feedback Control Systems and Thermodynamics at Colorado School of Mines for the past 12 years.

Paul is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and a Member in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He is a recipient of ASHRAE Technology Awards, Chair of the Advanced Energy Design for K-12 Buildings, and a member of TC2.8 and TC7.1.

He has numerous articles and papers related to low-energy building design and performance of low-energy buildings.

LECTURE TOPICS

Measurement and Verification of High-performance Buildings
This talk explores the actual performance and lessons learned from the current generation of buildings designed to make a significant dent in energy consumption. The discussion looks at actual data and makes conclusions on the ability to meet design targets as well as the importance of defining and using metrics.

The Design Process to Create Low-energy Buildings
Creating low-energy buildings is about making appropriate design decisions. Using optimization techniques integrated with computer modeling, buildings can be engineered to minimize energy use. These design parameters include form, fabric, HVAC, and lighting to help guide design decisions while maintaining cost constraints.

Creating Zero-energy Buildings for the Future
To truly change the way buildings use energy, buildings need to give back to the energy gird as much energy as they consume. Creating these buildings is challenging and first requires minimizing loads and then adding renewable on-site generation. This discussion looks at the potential for low-energy buildings and the characteristics that will make them feasible in the short and long term future.