Center for the Built Environment

The Center for the Built Environment was founded in 1997 under the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) program. CBE is located in the Building Science Group at the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. CBE is one of the research centers in the Center for Environmental Design Research (CEDR). The Center for Environmental Design Research is an Organized Research Unit at the University of California, Berkeley.

It is one of the largest university laboratories devoted to building research in the United States.[https://www.lbl.gov/capabilities/BERKELEY LAB/Our impact is built on team science led by top researchers using one-of-a-kind facilities.] Retrieved 5 September 2023[https://www.energy.gov/ea/lawrence-berkee-national-laborato/NationalLaboratoryBerkeley] Retrieved 5 September 2023 Facilities include a controlled environment chamber (designed to resemble a contemporary office, while allowing control over the levels of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting in the space), and a collection of portable equipment for acquiring and analyzing data from field experiments.

CBE's research areas include

• Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ): CBE’s thermal comfort research program explores ways to advance energy and comfort in buildings, vehicles, clothing and the outdoor environment.
• Building HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) Systems: CBE is pursuing multiple projects to advance emerging HVAC systems and control strategies. Major development includes developing guidelines, tools, and resources for radiant system designers,{{Cite web|title=Radiant Systems Research|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/radiant-systems-research/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}} creating an ASHRAE Design Guide on underfloor air distribution systems,{{Cite web|title=Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) Design Guidance|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/ufad-design-guide/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}} and analyzing potential advantages and limitations of advanced integrated systems.{{Cite web|title=Advanced Integrated Systems|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/advanced-integrated-systems/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}}
• Facade Systems: CBE continues several building envelope efforts. Major development includes developing an adaptive comfort model for thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings,{{Cite web|title=Adaptive Comfort Model|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/adaptive-comfort-model/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}} investigating multiple topics related to mixed-mode buildings,{{Cite web|title=Mixed-Mode Building Research|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/mixed-mode-building-research/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}} and analyzing the impact of window views,{{cite journal |last1= Ko |first1= Won Hee |last2= Kent|first2= Michael | last3= Schiavon | first3= Stefano | last4= Levitt | first4= Brendon | last5= Betti | first5= Giovanni | date= 2021 |title= A Window View Quality Assessment Framework | url= https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15502724.2021.1965889?scroll=top&needAccess=true |journal= LEUKOS |volume= 18 |issue= 3 |pages= 268–293 | doi= 10.1080/15502724.2021.1965889 |arxiv= 2010.07025 |s2cid= 222341349 | access-date= 2021-11-30}}{{cite journal |last1= Kent |first1= Michael |last2= Schiavon|first2= Stefano | date= 2022 |title= Predicting Window View Preferences Using the Environmental Information Criteria | url= https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15502724.2022.2077753?journalCode=ulks20 |journal= LEUKOS |volume= 19 |issue= 2 |pages= 190–209 | doi=10.1080/15502724.2022.2077753 |s2cid= 251121476 | access-date= 2022-11-09}} and their related impacts on thermal comfort, emotional states and cognitive performance.{{Cite web|title=Impact of Window Views on Thermal Comfort, Emotions and Cognitive Performance|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/impact-of-window-views-on-comfort-emotions-cognitive-performance/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}}
• Human Interactions: CBE’ multiple projects focus on perceptions, behaviors, and relationship occupants have with the environments in which they interact, and provide tools to examine occupants’ relationship with their spaces. Major development includes developing a web-based occupant indoor environmental quality survey tool to assess the performance and success of the design {{Cite web|title=Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality Survey and Building Benchmarking|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/occupant-survey-and-building-benchmarking/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}} and analyzing the occupant satisfaction in green and LEED-Certified buildings.{{Cite web|title=Occupant Satisfaction in Green and LEED-Certified Buildings|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/research/occupant-satisfaction-in-leed-buildings/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}}
• Sustainability, Whole Building Energy, and Other Topics.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/research/index.htm|title=Center for the Built Environment: Research|website=www.cbe.berkeley.edu|access-date=2017-11-05}}

CBE provides information about its research areas and publications on its website.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/research/index.htm |title=Center for the Built Environment - Our Research Portfolio |website=www.cbe.berkeley.edu|access-date=2017-11-06}} More than 440 works by researchers affiliated with CBE are available to the public on the center's eScholarship page.{{Cite web|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/cedr_cbe|title=eScholarship -Open Access Publications from the University of California - Center for the Built Environment|access-date=2017-11-15}}

Its Research Team and Advisory Board guides CBE's research program. The CBE Advisory Board includes manufacturers, building owners, facility managers, contractors, architects, engineers, government agencies, and professional associations. The research team includes people from across UC Berkeley's campus, with both staff scientists and graduate students, as well as scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and visiting experts from industry and other research institutions.[https://cancer.ucsf.edu/about/leader Directory of Faculty & Staff /Executive Leadership/Faculty Member Labs] Retrieved 5 September 2023

The Center for the Built Environment is directed by Professor Edward Arens.{{Cite web|title=Edward Arens|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/about-us/people/edward-arens/|access-date=2020-11-16|website=Center for the Built Environment|language=en-US}} Arens is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to serving as director, Arens is active in technical and standards committees of American Society of Heating, refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and co-founded the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE). He has been principal investigator for a large number of state, federal, and industry grants addressing building energy performance, indoor environmental quality criteria, field monitoring procedures, and architectural aerodynamics. His research focuses on commercial/institutional buildings. Professor Arens started UC's Building Science Laboratory in 1980 after heading the Architectural Research Section at the National Bureau of Standards.

Gail S. Brager{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=College of Environmental Design faculty page|url=https://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/faculty-staff/gail-brager|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520103035/http://ced.berkeley.edu:80/ced/faculty-staff/gail-brager |archive-date=2013-05-20 |access-date=2020-11-16|website=ced.berkeley.edu}} is CBE’s Associate Director and has been a Professor in the College of Environmental Design since 1984. Her primary research efforts are in mixed-mode{{Cite book |last= |first= |date= |title=Adaptive comfort and mixed-mode conditioning (2018) |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_1049-1 |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media |doi=10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_1049-1 |access-date=2022-11-21 }} buildings, which combine natural and mechanical ventilation. Brager is the Director of the Center for Environmental Design Research and Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at University of California, Berkeley. Professor Brager was the founding Chair of the Research Committee of the US Green Building Council. She won the Ralph Nevins award in 1989. She is also an ASHRAE Fellow and past-president of the Golden Gate ASHRAE Chapter.[https://cbe.berkeley.edu/about-us/people/edward-arens/Edward edward-arens/Edward] Retrieved 5 September 2023[https://cbe.berkeley.edu/about-us/people/gail-brager/Gail BragerCBE Associate Director and Professor of Architecture] Retrieved 5 September 2023

== Industry Consortium ==

The CBE has multiple partners from industry and government organizations, which contribute to research activity by keeping the Center focused on current issues/research. As a CBE member or as a sponsor, partners have opportunities that include:{{Cite web|title=Benefits of Membership|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/membership/benefits/|website=www.cbe.berkeley.edu|access-date=2022-11-14}} influencing the direction of the research, access to facilities, access tools and trained personnel, access to research studies results, influence cost-effectiveness, association with diverse industries, staff training and recruiting opportunities, corporate responsibility and community relations.

Member agreements rank on different levels:{{Cite web|title=Joining CBE|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/membership/joining-cbe/|website=www.cbe.berkeley.edu|access-date=2022-11-14}}

• Industry Sponsoring Membership
• A/E/C (Architectural, Engineers, Construction) Membership
• Small Business Membership
• Team Membership

The CBE maintains a list of current industry partners.{{Cite web|title=Industry Partners|url=https://cbe.berkeley.edu/membership/industry-partners/|website=www.cbe.berkeley.edu|access-date=2022-11-14}}

{{reflist|34em}}

• [http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu Center for the Built Environment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211035924/http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/ |date=2010-02-11 }} - The homepage for the organization
• [http://comfort.cbe.berkeley.edu CBE Thermal Comfort Tool]- free web tool for ASHRAE 55
• [http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/aboutus/industrypartners.htm CED Industry Partners] - A comprehensive list of industry partners
• [http://www.lbl.gov Lawrence Berkeley National Lab] - The homepage of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

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Category:University of California, Berkeley