Achieving substantial energy savings in existing building stocks is typically a result of accurate energy audits followed by retrofitting design and applications. Building energy retrofitting practices typically identify, diagnose, and design solutions that address issues of building usage, systems and envelope. Challenges to the associated diagnostic process include i) inaccessibility to areas such as roofs, ii) significant time-consuming inspection activities, with possibility of human error, and iii) unsafe and life-threatening settings for detailed inspection. The aim of this webinar, therefore, is to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for the automation of building envelope energy audits using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) platform (a.k.a. drone) to inspect performance and contribute to the development of Building Energy Models (BEMs).

This Research Committee webinar will investigate the use of emerging UAS technologies, combined with visible and infrared spectrum cameras, to develop capabilities of conducting rapid building skin performance diagnostics, and perform aerial assessment mapping of building energy.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Tarek Rakha is an architect, building scientist and educator. He is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Georgia Tech, and Faculty at the High Performance Building Lab (HPBL). He completed his Ph.D. in building technology at MIT, as part of the Sustainable Design Lab. Dr. Rakha seeks to combine multifaceted research approaches to issues of sustainability in design. He leads efforts in the acquisition and implementation of scholarly collaborations with government, industry and academic partners. This includes multiple externally sponsored research projects supported by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Dr. Rakha served the Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design (SimAUD) as the 2018 General Chair in TU Delft and as the 2019 Program Chair in Georgia Tech. He was also a Scientific Track Chair for the 2018 International Building Physics Conference (IBPC).