Thursday, September 11, 2025  |  3:00-4:00pm EST

In major cities, existing buildings contribute significantly to overall energy demand and CO2 emissions.  As a result, these cities implement polices and laws aimed at drastically reducing the carbon footprint of their building stock.  Deep energy retrofits are a key strategy for meeting these goals, and we are seeing an increase of such projects in these cities and beyond. However, fire safety cannot be overlooked in these retrofits, especially in older buildings lacking sprinklers. Additionally, modifying the hygrothermal properties of older buildings presents risks that must be carefully managed in both the design and execution of retrofits of any scale. Buildings that have historically been energy-inefficient require special attention and considerations when retrofitting to ensure durability and resilience for the long term.  The last thing we want is to have our newly retrofitted buildings fail or pose safety or health risks to their occupants. This program will explore several case studies of large building retrofits - both interior and exterior approaches - where fire safety and building science were critical factors in the solutions implemented.