Tall Buildings
ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.12

Past Programs

Table of Contents

 

January 2016 - Orlando

Do Tall, Super Tall and Mega Tall Buildings Consume More Energy Than Conventional Buildings or Do They Conserve More Energy?
1. Benchmarking Energy Performance of Tall Buildings (OR16-C007)
Mehdi Jalayerian, P.E., Member and Edna Lorenz, Member, ESD, Chicago, IL
2. Do Taller Buildings Require More Energy? (OR-16-C008)
Stephen Ray, Ph.D., Associate Member and Luke Leung, P.E., Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Chicago, IL
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June 2016 - St. Louis

Energy Use Index (EUI): Breakdown of Energy Components of Tall, Supertall and Megatall Buildings Both Domestic and International
1. EUI Breakdown for Tall Buildings in Chicago and Internationally
Mehdi Jalayerian, P.E., Member, ESD, Chicago, IL
2. Specifics of EUI for Selected Buildings around the World
Stephen Ray, Ph.D., P.E., Member, North Park University, Chicago, IL
3. Energy Breakdown of Tall Buildings in the Bay Area
Robert Henderson, ARUP, San Francisco, CA
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January 2018 - Chicago

From Concept to Commissioning: How to get a 1000 Ton Chiller Plant in a 60+ Story Condominium Building
1. Proposing, Managing, and Commissioning the New Chiller Plant
Francis Kohout
2. The Owner's Perspective on Installing a New Chiller Plant in an Existing Condominium 
Amy Eickoff
3. Designing and Instlling a New Chiller Plant on Top of an Existing Building 
Owen Putman
Climate Effecs on Tall, Supertall, and Megatall Buildings
1. An Engineers Solution to the Problems
Peter Simmonds
2. An Architect's Perspective of the Problem 
Russell Gilchrist
Stack Effect: Friend or Foe in Tall Buildings
1. Methods to Mitigate Stack Effect in Supertall and Megatall Buildings
Mehdi Jalayerian
2. Measurements of Stack Effect in Existing Tall and Supertall Buildings 
Duncan Phillips
Next Generation Tall Buildings HVAC Design
1. The Current Tallest Building Design Update 
Mehdi Jalayerian
2. Low Energy Tall Building Design and Modular Tall Buildings
Robert Tazlaar
3. Low Carbon and Healthy Tall Buildings
Luke Lueng
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June 2018 - Houston

HVAC for Tall and Super Tall Buildings in Hot Humid Climates
1. Meteorological Data in a Humid Climate at Grade and 1970ft / 600m
Duncan A Phillips, Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, Guelph, ON, Canada
2. Natural Ventilation in Supertall Buildings in Hot Humid Climates
Peter Simmonds, Fellow ASHRAE, Building and Systems Analytics LLC, Marina Del Rey, CA
3. Designing Supertall Buildings with Geography and Height in Mind
Medhi Jalayerian, Member, Environmental Systems Design, Inc., Chicago, IL
4. Active Systems at Grade and Height in Tall and Supertall Buildings
Luke Leung, Member, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill LPP, Chicago, IL
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June 2019 - Kansas City

The Climate Aloft: Designing for Tall Buildings
1. Evaluating Environmental Conditions Aloft Using Analytical Tools and Observational Data
Michael Roth, Ph.D., Member, Klimaat, Guelph, ON, Canada
2. Vertical Temperature Conditions and Their Effect on Heating and Cooling Load Calculations
Peter Simmonds, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, Building and Systems Analytics LLC, Emneth, CA, United Kingdom
3. Investigating Climatic Design Values at Elevated Heights by High-Resolution Numerical Weather Modeling
Xin Qiu, Ph.D., Member, Novus Environmental Inc., Guelph, ON, Canada
4. Managing Building Microclimate on Observation Decks and Natural Ventilation at the Top of Tall through Mega Tall Buildings
Duncan Phillips, Ph.D., P.E., Associate Member, RWDI, Guelph, ON, Canada
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January 2020 - Orlando

Measured Stack Effect Impact on Tall, Super Tall and Mega Tall Buildings
1. Measured Temperature and Pressure Effects on Tall Structures
Duncan Phillips, Ph.D., P.E., Associate Member, RWDI, Guelph, ON, Canada
2. Design Basis Variations to Counteract Stack Effect in New Tall Buildings
Mehdi Jalayerian, P.E., Member, Environmental Systems Design, Inc., Chicago, IL
3. Lessons Learned from Stack Effect Problems in an Existing Building
John Carter, Member, CPP, Fort Collins, CO
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June 2021 - Virtual

Stack Effect and Wind Induces Building Pressure Mitigation Strategies in Tall Buildings
1. The Impact of Uncontrolled Building Pressure on HVAC Systems Design & Performance of Tall Buildings
Mehdi Jalayerian, P.E., Environmental Systems Design, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA
2. Retrofit of a Tall Building Ventilation System to Address MUA Shortages
Duncan Phillips, Ph.D., P.E., Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, Guelph, ON, Canada
3. Climate Effects on the Performance of Supertall and Mega Tall Building
Peter Simmonds, Ph.D., Buildings and Systems Analytics LLC, Emneth, CA, United Kingdom
The Challenges Encountered When Commissioning Tall Buildings
1. Commissioning Processes and Lessons Learned for Tall Buildings
Benjamin Skelton, P.E., Cyclone Energy Group, Chicago, IL, USA
2. Commissioning Processes and Lessons Learned for Tall Building
John Bell, RWDI, Toronto, ON, Canada
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June 2023 - Atlanta

Special design challenges in large and tall multi-family buildings
Large Residential buildings are often tall buildings. Tall buildings have their own challenges associated with transportation, static and dynamic pressures and wind and stack effects. When the tall or large building is a residential facility codes dictate certain design and construction requirements which are often ignored. For example, delivery of outside air should be introduced directly into each residence but designs often introduce that air into the corridor and count on exhaust in each unit to draw the correct amount of air into each residence.
Chair: Dennis Wessel, PE
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January 2024 - Chicago

Tall Building Design: An Owner's/Operator's Perspective
The panel consisted of four people who own, operate, or have to perform their professional duties in tall buildings. They will share their experiences when managing or interacting with a tall building's HVAC and plumbing systems. Their discussions will focus on design elements that have long-term operational impacts on these systems.
Chair: Dennis Wessel, PE
Does Solar And/Or Wind Energy Have A Role In Large And Tall Building Systems?
Tall buildings are prevalent in our society. With our future trending toward Net Zero energy, how can designs incorporate sufficient renewable energy to accommodate this requirement?  Roof areas in tall buildings are a very low percentage of the overall floor area. Title 24 requires that 35% of roof contain solar panels. This leaves little tall building roof area  for HVAC equipment for a limited energy benefit. Some countries require that buildings over 80 stories have 2-1/2% of total energy consumption from renewable sources.  With limited onsite generation capability, will this requirement dictate that owners construct a renewable energy farm offsite?
Chair: Dennis Wessel, PE
Indoor Air Quality, Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Tall Buildings
The recent technological advances in digital building control system can generate dynamic system operational data and space environment characteristics. This data can be used to actively manage buildings IAQ and temperature spikes and by leveraging the artificial intelligence process an automated and smart mitigation can be implemented to facilitate best space indoor air quality and comfort condition. This seminar discusses intelligent/smart building solutions and operational data management approaches for Class A Tall Office Buildings.
Chair: Mehdi Jalayerian
Climatic Impact on Internal Pressures and Indoor Environment of Mega Tall Buildings
External wind conditions and local climate contribute to the building stack effect and change the character of the building HVAC System operation and indoor air quality. The envelope performance of the building also impacts the building’s HVAC operation. Many tall buildings throughout the world are experiencing significant air movement both inside and outside the building. There are practical strategies that could be utilized to mitigate the impacts of building HVAC Systems. Current testing standards versus live measuring conditions show the difference. This session aims to improve the operation and conserve the energy.
Chair: Suzan Sun-Yuan, PE
Emerging Technologies in Tall Buildings
As more people flock to cities, the world is building vertically. This seminar aims to share the environmental and technological advancements in engineering design in high-rise buildings. Come tour buildings in Chicago and Japan. Explore technologies in decarbonization, carbon capture, machine learning, hybrid wind ventilation and artificial intelligence. Get a glimpse of the present and future of smart and tall buildings.
Chair: David Norris, Mechanical Engineer
Electrification of Tall Buildings for Decarbonization and Future Proofing
To meet decarbonization goals, several cities in the U.S. and abroad have prohibited using fossil fuels to heat buildings. Tall buildings within these cities present unique challenges to decarbonize, especially heating in cold-climates. The objectives of this seminar are to provide tall-building design strategies for electrified heating systems, future-proofing electrical infrastructure and evaluating life-cycle carbon. The speakers will draw from pioneering cold-climate projects on the east coast and mid-west along with Chicago's rich history of all electric buildings in order to provide future-proofing tactics for the tall buildings of tomorrow.
Chair: Rick Heiden
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