Building Technology Research in Architectural Practice: Lessons Learned from Implementations of Energy-Efficient Advanced Building Technologies

This paper discusses relationships between research, architectural design and technology, and provides an overview of lessons learned regarding adoption and implementation of energy-efficient advanced building technologies. The introductory part discusses activities and research program at Perkins+Will Tech Lab. The objectives of the program are to advance the performance of architectural projects, improve decision-making processes, and to inspire innovation through systematic investigations of building performance and emerging building technologies. Using two specific case studies, we present some of the barriers that are currently present for the wider adoption of advanced, energy-efficiency building technologies. The first case study discusses research on the performance and implementation of double skin facades, while the second case study discusses life-cycle performance and cost analysis of building integrated photovoltaic system. In the conclusion, we offer some recommendations how these barriers can be addressed