Guanzhou Ji is a board member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) – National Building Performance Knowledge Community (BPKC). Ji is a technical committee member of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), where he contributes to the development of industry standards and guidelines. His research focuses on photometry, image-based rendering, and physics simulation. Ji received Ph.D. in Building Performance and Diagnostics from Carnegie Mellon University and worked at the Illumination and Imaging Laboratory and the School of Architecture. He was awarded the Student and Emerging Professionals Scholarship (2022) by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) – USA.
Courses
Advanced Design Strategies for Optimal Thermal Performance in High-Rise Building Envelopes
This intermediate to advanced-level course delves into the technical design implications of recent energy efficiency codes—focusing on the building envelope’s critical role in enhancing thermal performance and occupant health, safety, and welfare. Explore strategies to meet increasingly stringent energy codes, including how to quantify and mitigate heat loss through thermal bridges using the Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide. Special emphasis will be placed on addressing the unique challenges of high-rise buildings with traditional unitized glazing systems, where the vertical enclosure area greatly exceeds the horizontal area. Gain the tools and insights needed to improve your material choices, design strategies, and construction practices to achieve optimal thermal performance.
This course was recorded live on February 4, 2025.
Adventures in Hygrothermal Modeling
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | 2:00-3:00pm ET
Hygrothermal modeling, the analysis of heat and moisture transport through building enclosure assemblies, reveals many of the climate-specific building science secrets that are key to durable design of walls and roofs and other assemblies. Debunking rules of thumb and avoiding answers of “it depends” – data and analysis can reveal exactly how many inches of a certain insulation are required, exactly what perm-rating will optimize an assembly, and what kind of havoc a reservoir cladding system can create. Case studies will be shown that demonstrate when perm rating matters and when it does not, the impact of roof membrane color and the risks of “cool roofing,” and when HT (high-temp) rated membranes are actually required. This presentation’s ulterior motive is to convince the audience that every architecture firm should be doing in-house hygrothermal modeling as an integral component of climate-specific, durable, and resilient design.