In an effort to provide its clients with reliable information about how their buildings are likely to impact their occupants, the architectural firm NBBJ has created a Design Performance Group that is being led by Peter Alspach, a building physicist; Margaret Montgomery, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, an environmental futurist; and Nate Holland, a computational expert.
Alspach, whose title is Director of Design Performance, joins NBBJ from ARUP, where he was Principal and Global Leader of Environmental and Building Physics. Montgomery is NBBJ’s Sustainable Design Leader. And Holland is the Seattle-based firm’s Digital Innovation Director.
One of NBBJ’s goals for its Design Performance Group is to transform buildings into “open source” platforms that through constant feedback loops provide data that can be analyzed and then harnessed for the purpose of connecting design with improvements in occupants’ cognitive function, productivity, and health.
The Group is expected to strengthen NBBJ’s focus on improvements such as enhancements to interior comfort and daylight access, and reductions in water and carbon emissions. NBBJ states that the Group will explore solutions using predictive analytics, machine learning, advanced building engineering, computational tools and applied science, and neuroscience research.
NBBJ recently used computational tools to optimize complex glazing geometry, saving a leading tech client in Seattle $1.5 million in manufacturing costs. The application of data analytics enables Renown Health in Nevada to serve more patients without expanding its real estate footprint. NBBJ also developed new design tools that ensure every employee at the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba is within a 60-second walk from outdoor green space.
Related Stories
AEC Tech | Sep 27, 2019
Dual, often incompatible, management systems add work and cost to projects
A new survey finds that contractors and owners differ about the urgency of getting to single, seamless platforms.
3D Printing | Sep 17, 2019
Additive manufacturing goes mainstream in the industrial sector
More manufacturers now include this production process in their factories.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 12, 2019
Meet the masters of offsite construction
Prescient combines 5D software, clever engineering, and advanced robotics to create prefabricated assemblies for apartment buildings and student housing.
AEC Innovators | Aug 27, 2019
7 AEC industry disruptors and their groundbreaking achievements
From building prefab factories in the sky to incubating the next generation of AEC tech startups, our 2019 class of AEC Innovators demonstrates that the industry is poised for a shakeup. Meet BD+C’s 2019 AEC Innovators.
AEC Tech | Aug 25, 2019
Deluxe parking: A condo building in Philadelphia offers its owners a completely automated parking service
This is the first “palletless” system that Westfalia Technologies has installed.
Codes and Standards | Aug 22, 2019
5G expected to give a boost to construction technology
Virtual reality, Internet of Things, robotics, and drones will all benefit from enhanced data flows.
AEC Innovators | Aug 15, 2019
Oracle’s replica of a construction jobsite creates an immersive environment for AEC professionals
The Oracle Construction and Engineering Innovation Lab allows visitors to walk through five different stages of construction work, to test new AEC technologies and training techniques.
AEC Tech | Aug 14, 2019
ConTech VC discloses details about latest fund
Brick & Mortar Ventures has struck 16 deals in past 20 months.
AEC Innovators | Aug 9, 2019
Improving architectural designs through iteration
Computational design lets ZGF Architects see patterns that renderings and even models can’t show.
AEC Tech | Jul 29, 2019
2019 Bluebeam Extreme Conference: Peer-to-Peer Learning at Scale
XCON 2019 to focus on collaborative partnerships and what works in digital construction