2023 E-ffiliates Retreat

Making Research a Reality: Innovating the Built Environment
for a Net-zero Future

Princeton E-ffiliates Partnership Retreat
June 5, 2023
Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET (Afternoon Program)

The tenth annual Princeton E-ffiliates Partnership Retreat will spotlight the role of the built environment in the transition towards a decarbonized future.

Full day participants will tour Princeton’s campus, learning about the efforts underway to reduce the energy consumption of campus infrastructure as a part of the University’s ambitious sustainability plan. Along the way, faculty will showcase their innovative research and highlight how it applies to real-world projects.

In our afternoon program, speakers from E-ffiliates member companies will discuss ways in which organizations can blaze a trail toward sustainability on their own campuses and in the built environment over which they have influence.

This event has a closed morning session, tour, and poster session luncheon for E-ffiliates members and select invitees. The afternoon program, beginning at 2pm, is open to all attendees. Please be sure to choose the correct registration.

agenda

read the agenda

8:30 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast | Maeder Hall Auditorium, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Overview | Maeder Hall Auditorium
Claire F. Gmachl, Interim Director, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering; Head of Whitman College, Princeton University
Barry Rand, Associate Director for External Partnerships, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University

9:15 a.m.
The Message Matters: Effectively Communicating About Sustainable Infrastructure Projects | Maeder Hall Auditorium
Presentation and discussion on how to develop successful messaging around infrastructure projects, including research-derived best practices and examples from Princeton’s Sustainability Action Plan.
John Pickering, Chief Behavioral Scientist, Evidn
Elke Weber, Associate Director for Education, Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment; Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Shana Weber, Founding Director, Office of Sustainability, Princeton University

10:00 a.m.
Campus Sustainability Walk | Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment to the Embodied Computation Lab

10:30 a.m.
Better Buildings: Cooling and Heating Systems for Maximum Energy Efficiency | Embodied Computation Lab, School of Architecture
A tour of the Embodied Computation Lab, featuring a demonstration about Princeton’s ambitious energy plan and highlighting innovative research to design cooling and heating systems for optimum efficiency.
Forrest Meggers, Associate Professor of Architecture and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University

11:15 a.m.
Sustainability Showcase | Stadium Drive Garage, Princeton University
A guided exploration of the state-of-the-art energy efficiency features in and around Princeton’s Stadium Garage, with presentations by Princeton faculty and staff, connecting their work to campus improvements.
Edward T. Borer, Director, Energy Plant, Princeton University
Minjie Chen, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
William Evans, Electrical Engineer, Office of Facilities, Princeton University
Kelsey Hatzell, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Ijeoma D. Nwagwu, Assistant Director of Academic Engagement and Campus-as-Lab Initiatives, Office of Sustainability, Princeton University

12:30 p.m.
Lunch and Poster Session | Maeder Hall Courtyard, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

-Afternoon program begins-

2:00 p.m.
Keynote: Pioneering Sustainable Change in the Built Environment | Maeder Hall Auditorium
Jeff Terry, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, GAF

3:00 p.m.
Implementing Sustainable Infrastructure: Practical Insights and Industry Case Studies | Maeder Hall Auditorium
Panel discussion on how companies can consider and include the built environment on their pathway to net-zero, featuring perspectives from a renewable energy developer, sustainability fund, and communications infrastructure company.
Forrest Meggers, Moderator, Associate Professor of Architecture and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Brent Alderfer, Founder and Board Director, Community Energy, Inc.
Peter Hirsch, Head of Sustainability, 2150
Ed Knapp, Chief Technology Officer, American Tower
Stacy Mahler, U.S. Head of Sustainability, Smart Infrastructure, Siemens

4:15 p.m.
Closing Remarks | Maeder Hall Auditorium

4:30 p.m.
Poster Awards and Reception | Maeder Hall Courtyard

Download the agenda (pdf)

As a reminder, this event has a closed morning session, tour, and poster session luncheon for E-ffiliates members and select invitees. The afternoon program, beginning at 2pm, is open to all attendees. Please be sure to choose the correct registration.

Full Day Registration *

* (Closed morning program, code required. Please enter the code provided in your email invitation.)

Afternoon Program Registration

(Open to all invitees, no code required.)

campus sustainability

Maeder Hall

Maeder Hall sits within the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment complex. It includes a 208-seat lecture hall and other classroom spaces accessible directly from the corner of Olden and Prospect streets. The Center’s “green” design features meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards. An air-handling system relies mainly on the natural flow of air. To warm the building, a heat-recovery system harvests heat from exhaust air and reduces energy consumption. Green roofs filled with plants filter and retain rainwater, while insulating the structure. Built on bedrock, the ground also buffers the complex from swings in temperature.

Embodied Computation Lab

The Embodied Computation Lab at the Princeton School of Architecture is an award-winning space dedicated to architectural research, fabrication, and robotics. As a model for sustainability and low carbon emissions, the building itself serves as an example of the future of architectural production as well as a center for this type of research. It is an open-source building with components made from reused or repurposed materials that are designed to be swappable or upgraded over time. It is the only building of its type among the leading architectural schools in America, hosting a fleet of robotic arms and a five-ton gantry crane.

Stadium Drive Garage

Located near the intersection of Fitzrandolph Road and Faculty Road, the garage provides approximately 1,560 parking spaces for faculty, staff, graduate commuters, and visitors, including 32 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations (capable of charging 64 EVs at one time). It features a transit hub that incorporates a TigerTransit stop, generous space for bike parking, and a pleasant and safe pedestrian environment. The garage is designed to allow for a rooftop solar array to be added at a later date. Robust tree planting and landscaping provide screening that respects the site’s natural setting.