Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

In 2020, Canadian buildings consumed 31% of the national energy supply and were responsible for 13% of the total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), primarily due to high space conditioning loads. This necessitates continuous enhancements in the thermal resistance requirements of building envelopes to meet national GHG reduction targets. However, increasing insulation thickness has drawbacks, such as reduced solar heat gain in the winter and increased overheating risk in the summer. The proposed research program aims to advance net-zero energy and net-zero carbon building designs through the incorporation of innovative active building envelope technology, a contact-based variable insulation system (CbVIS) that does not involve air or liquid flow and minimizes energy input. Unlike traditional insulation systems that have static thermal resistance, building envelopes with CbVIS dynamically adjust their thermal behavior depending on the indoor and outdoor, reducing energy consumption, GHG emissions, and overheating risks. The research program will proceed from a component level to the whole-building level, examining system performance, dynamic interactions with mechanical systems, and indoor environments. Its short-term objectives include the development of a contact-based variable insulation system (CbVIS) for wood-frame wall assemblies, evaluating CbVIS unit performance at both laboratory and real weather exposure levels, understanding the dynamic interactions of active envelope systems with mechanical systems and indoor environments, developing numerical tools for designing and optimizing new and retrofitting existing buildings with active envelope systems in different climate zones and construction types and generating data for validation and policy development. The research program has significant environmental, economic, and health impacts. Environmentally, it reduces energy consumption, GHG emissions, and the environmental footprint of buildings. Health-wise, it leads to thermally resilient buildings that safeguard occupants from extreme heat events. Economically, it lowers operating energy costs for building owners and contributes to a highly qualified workforce in building science to tackle the challenges that the construction industry is currently facing.