Building envelopes have always had the challenging task to support a fairly static indoor thermal and visual environment while dealing with a wide range of dynamic outdoor conditions. In this talk, we’ll look at advances in materials, design, and construction of opaque and transparent envelopes and their impact on humans, energy consumption, and stability of the electrical grid.
Christian Kohler is the department head for Building Technologies at Berkeley Lab. For over 25 years he has been involved in all aspects of building energy efficiency research such as simulation, measurement, and technology development. He has been deeply engaged in software development for various windows related tools, e.g., THERM, WINDOW, and Optics5. He has also led the development of new technologies for highly insulating and dynamic windows. His activities include algorithm development, user support, training, developing embedded controllers, and experimental work on highly insulating and dynamic windows. His major work with industry has included being an elected Member of the Board of Directors of the National Fenestration Rating Council and the past Research Chair and Committee Chair Fenestration Technical Committee of ASHRAE.