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(Apologies for cross-posting)<br>
<br>
The DOE-sponsored Virtual Building Triathlon (VBT) practitioner
design competition is now open - details and registration are at <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://virtualbuildingtriathlon.lbl.gov/" class=""><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://virtualbuildingtriathlon.lbl.gov/">https://virtualbuildingtriathlon.lbl.gov/</a></a>.
The competition involves the identification and evaluation of
integrated deep retrofit measures for a commercial building located
in Cambridge, MA. The goal of the competition is to promote the use
of building simulation and other tools in the analysis of integrated
energy efficiency retrofit measures. A similar competition for
students currently enrolled in US colleges and universities was
announced earlier. The competitions are organized by Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory for the Tech to Market team in the
Building Technologies Office of the US Department of Energy, in
conjunction with the International Building Performance Simulation
Association (IBPSA-USA).<br>
<br>
Key dates:<br class="">
<br class="">
- 1/3/2017: Competition submissions due<br class="">
- 1/17/2017: Selection of finalists<br class="">
- 1/28/2017: Finalist presentations, judging and awards in
conjunction with the IBPSA-USA meeting in Las Vegas, NV, which is
co-located with the ASHRAE Winter Meeting.<br class="">
<br class="">
A medium-sized, public commercial building (the City of Cambridge
Citywide Senior Center) has been selected based on the availability
of detailed as-built drawings, detailed energy consumption data, and
synergy with the interests of the building owner.<br class="">
<br class="">
The first stage of the triathlon involves generating a detailed
simulation model of the building from the package of plans,
specifications and data obtained on registering for the competition.
A full year of 15 minute electricity consumption and monthly fuel
consumption data, together with the corresponding weather data, is
included in the briefing package. The contestants are expected to
use this data to fine tune / calibrate their model, using a method
of their choice, which could be a calibration method based on formal
optimization (e.g., Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Autotune) or a
‘human-in-the-loop’ reconciliation method (e.g., Hydro Quèbec’s
VizBEM tool); however, contestants should clearly document their
chosen method. Contestants are free to use the simulation tool of
their choice.<br class="">
<br class="">
The second stage of the triathlon will be to identify and analyze
integrated retrofit measures along with their respective integrated
energy consumption and energy demand impacts. Contestants should
then select and document a set of the identified measures, based on
energy savings, peak demand reduction and carbon emissions,
including a scenario in which the carbon emissions associated with
electricity generation are reduced by a factor of two by renewables.<br
class="">
<br class="">
The third stage will focus on the production of cohesive and
thorough retrofit reporting and presentation materials, with the
objective of efficiently conveying the information needed by
decision making building owners and managers.<br class="">
<br class="">
Three finalists will be selected based on written submissions. The
final award selections will be based on a combination of the written
submission and oral presentation by each finalist, including
responses to questions from the judges. Assistance with expenses
incurred for travel and overnight accommodation in Las Vegas will be
made available. The winners will each receive a plaque and their
achievements will be recognized by DOE and on relevant social media.<br
class="">
<br class="">
The competition will be open to individuals or teams of up to five
people, all of whom must be employed by architectural and
engineering firms in the US. Each member of the team must register
with a current email address at an architectural or engineering firm
based in the US.<br>
<br>
For those outside the US, <span class="" style="background-color:
rgb(255, 255, 255);">there will be a simulation-oriented design
competition as part of the <a
href="http://www.buildingsimulation2017.org" class="">Building
Simulation 2017</a> conference in San Francisco next August -
details will be released in the next months. There will be a
competition for students and it is anticipated that there will
also be a </span><span class="" style="background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);">competition for practitioners.</span><br class="">
<br>
Contestants should send clarification questions to <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:vbt-questions@lbl.gov"
class=""><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:vbt-questions@lbl.gov">vbt-questions@lbl.gov</a></a>. Responses will be posted on
the competition website and/or e-mailed to all registered
contestants (without revealing the identity of the questioner).<br
class="">
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Philip Haves
Staff Scientist / Mechanical Engineer
Building Technology and Urban Systems Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
One Cyclotron Road, MS 90R3145
Berkeley, CA 94720-8134
(510) 486 6512 (office)
(510) 486 4089 (fax)</pre>
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