New short course gets to the heart of high-performance building
The hype is huge. High-performance building, also known as green or sustainable construction, is the new normal.
An upcoming short course for building practitioners, Fundamentals of High Performance Housing, is designed to synthesize an abundance of information and provide practical tips and techniques for sustainable construction practices that save time, money, and frustration.
The Aug. 20-23 class will be held in Bishop-Favrao Hall at Virginia Tech and is sponsored by the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech and the netPLUS Energy School, an organization that specializes in the science and techniques of crafting low-energy buildings.
Both entities recognized a need for discussions among builders around best practices for energy efficiency, health-promoting environments, cost optimization, and long-term durability.
“We realized there was not much available to building practitioners in the way of interpreting housing performance in a holistic, practical format that is applicable to industry stakeholders at all levels, including students,” said Andrew McCoy, associate professor of building construction and director of the Virginia Center for Housing and Research at Virginia Tech.
Topics include how to build for energy-efficiency while reducing risk; objective looks at the details, components, and assemblies that work best; how to save time, effort, and money; appropriate roles for all players; technical tips; and how to obtain valid appraisals that capture future energy cost-savings.
A reduced registration fee is made possible by the Virginia Center for Housing Research for those registering by July 31. More information and online registration is available on the website.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
