Building Efficiency

Northeastern University will dramatically accelerate the replacement of carbon-intensive concrete structural components by developing a new structural system comprised of deconstructable and reusable steel frames with cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor diaphragms. Diaphragms are structural elements that transmit lateral loads to the vertical resisting elements. CLT diaphragms can store up to 50% of their weight in biogenic carbon.

BamCore aims to transition its bamboo/wood hybrid dual panel hollow wall system to primarily bamboo content to develop a prefabricated, building code-compliant vertical framing wall system for constructing carbon-negative low- and mid-rise buildings.

Clemson University will develop a mass timber floor system alternative for greenhouse gas-intensive floor and ceiling materials, which account for up to 75% of embodied energy in traditional building designs. Mass timber products are comprised of thick, compressed layers of wood and used to create strong, structural load-bearing elements. The proposed system will address the entire building life cycle, from design and construction, through occupancy and operation, and contribute toward closing the gap between observed and theoretical service lifetimes.

Oregon State University will develop C3, a cellulose cement composite, for use in residential and light commercial construction as an alternative to dimensional lumber and sheet products. C3 consists of cellulose excelsior (wood wool), cellulose nano material (CNM), and low carbon cement binders. The team will create C3 from small-diameter logs and branches that are unsuitable for lumber production. Removing small diameter wood from the forest as a potential fuel source can help lessen wildfires.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will develop a cost-effective, easy-to-fabricate bio-based insulation from celium (a cellulose-mycelium composite) to reduce the embodied and operational CO2 footprint of new and retrofitted residential housing. NREL will create celium by valorizing cellulose with mycelium, the root network of fungi, to create a new class of high-performing, carbon-capturing and -storing textiles, foams, and composites. The team will fabricate a net CO2 negative celium material with high-performance thermal, acoustic, and antimicrobial properties.

The University of California, Davis, will develop novel models that integrate material properties and characteristics into greenhouse gas sequestration scenarios to inform technological breakthroughs in carbon storing building materials. Models will also be generated for rapid assessment of uncertainty in the life cycle assessment of novel building materials that can inform ARPA-E-funded HESTIA teams of target areas for improvement during the material development process.

Aspen Products Group (Aspen) will develop a microfibrillated cellulose-based thermal insulation with high thermal resistance, low flammability, and low moisture absorption. The use of microfibrillated cellulose enables a substantial amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to be incorporated into the insulation microstructure.

The University of Washington's Carbon Leadership Forum will develop a rigorous and flexible parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework, aligned data, and process integrated tools to assess the environmental impact of novel carbon storing materials and buildings during their rapid prototyping and design. The team will then develop custom LCA models to evaluate individual ARPA-E-funded building materials and designs to optimize their environmental benefits and net-carbon negativity.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will pursue novel cubic gallium nitride-based green LEDs that, when combined with blue and red LEDs, will enable more efficient white light SSL without the use of down-converting phosphors. This project will close the “green gap” in the visible spectrum through an innovative green LED technology and create new opportunities in mainstream SSL (e.g., general lighting) and advanced SSL (e.g., connected smart lighting, visible light communication, horticulture, and medicine).

Zephyr Innovations is developing an alternative to the standard, vapor-compression (VC) driven air conditioner that uses no synthetic refrigerants. Zephyr’s solution employs evaporative cooling preceded by efficient liquid desiccant dehumidification. The key challenge in any desiccant-based dehumidification system is the removal of moisture from the desiccant so it can be reused. This is typically done by heating the desiccant to boil off water.