Abstract: Buildings account for over a third of anthropogenic GHG emissions and therefore need to play a pivotal role in any global decarbonization strategy. Buildings also protect their inhabitants during extreme weather events, a task that will only get harder as these events become increasingly frequent. Finally, the International Energy Agency predicts that a growing global population and rising standards of living may lead to a doubling of the global building stock by 2050. In short, the building sector faces the triple challenge of having to double its size, becoming more climate resilient and reducing its carbon footprint to zero in a quarter century. This presentation presents recent activities by the MIT Sustainable Design Lab to address these interrelated challenges. We have collaborated with over two dozen cities across the world on the development of technoeconomic carbon reduction pathways for their buildings, resulting in more informed policy measures, evidence-based carbon reduction targets and a better understanding of the scope required to meet ambitious calls for a net zero building stock. To prepare architecture students for the energy transition, we are working with over a dozen educators on a collection of hands-on concept and design exercises that empower students to develop realistic net zero building designs. I will end the presentation with a new approach that combines automated floorplan generation with environmental performance analyses.

Bio: Christoph Reinhart is a building scientist and architectural educator working in the field of sustainable building design and environmental modeling. At MIT, he is the inaugural Alan and Terri Spoon Professor of Architecture and Climate and Director of the Institute's new Climate Mission on Resilient and Prosperous Cities. He also heads the Sustainable Design Lab (SDL), an inter-disciplinary group with a grounding in architecture that develops design workflows, planning tools and metrics to evaluate the environmental performance of buildings and neighborhoods. Outside of MIT, Christoph is a managing member at Solemma, a technology company and served as strategic development advisor for MIT spinoff mapdwell until it joined Palmetto Clean Technology in 2021. Planning tools originating from SDL and Solemma are used in practice and education in over 90 countries.