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Working towards a low-carbon built environment demands that we address our existing structures.

There is an abundance of existing buildings – and particularly existing housing – that are energy inefficient, unhealthy for their occupants, and expensive to operate. Demolishing and rebuilding from scratch are not viable from a cost, embodied carbon, or occupant-impact perspective. Deep Energy Exterior Retrofits (DEERs) – executed primarily from the building exterior – allow continuous or nearly-continuous occupation of the building while making significant improvements to the building’s efficiency and longevity. There are multiple strategies for a DEER, depending on various conditions of a building and project.

This program focuses on three case studies in Massachusetts:

• 20 units in low-rise wood construction duplexes (constructed in 1880s); site-built exterior panels
• 50 units in low-rise wood construction standalone apartment buildings (constructed in 2004); site-built exterior panels
• 127 units in mid-rise steel & masonry apartment building (constructed 1967); pre-fab exterior panels

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Attendees will be able to

1.  Evaluate strategies for designing and installing new exterior envelope assemblies, based on the conditions of a building and project. This includes site-built vs. panelized approaches, varying degrees of resident displacement, project phasing, and coordination with other required scope.

2. Design specific exterior assemblies and detailing that support the various DEER approaches. Understand how detailing can address fire rating, air tightness, vapor permeability, new windows and doors, and existing building conditions that may require remediation.

3. Evaluate strategies for new mechanical and plumbing systems, with a focus on full building electrification. This includes centralized vs. decentralized systems for ventilation, space conditioning, and domestic hot water, and options for locating and routing systems to minimize work within dwelling unit interiors.

4. Gain insights from lessons learned during construction of DEER projects. A particular focus on challenges surrounding existing conditions and air tightness.

Speaker

Jeannette Penniman, AIA, LEED AP, CPHC (Phius) | Project Manager, Onion Flats Architecture

  Jeannette is a registered Architect, Certified Passive House Consultant (Phius), and Project Manager at Onion Flats Architecture, which is currently undertaking several affordable housing DEERs in Massachusetts. Jeannette joined Onion Flats in 2023, following experience with firms in Pennsylvania and Connecticut focused on a wide range of work: higher education, K-12 education, multifamily and single family residential, historic retrofits, and adaptive reuse. Throughout, Jeannette has worked to integrate high performance and low-carbon design principles into all projects, and has managed Passive House certification for a variety of project types as a Certified Passive House Consultant. Jeannette is a Registered Architect in Connecticut and is heavily involved in BuildGreenCT – Connecticut’s central organization for a just and sustainable built environment.

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