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.[4] 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 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. Key facilities include a controlled environment chamber (designed to resemble a contemporary office, while allowing precise control over the levels of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting in the space), and an extensive 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 advances innovative 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,[5] creating an ASHRAE Design Guide on underfloor air distribution systems,[6] and analyzing potential advantages and limitations of advanced integrated systems.[7]
• Facade Systems: CBE continues several building envelope efforts. Major development includes developing an adaptive comfort model for thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings,[8] investigating multiple topics related to mixed-mode buildings,[9] and analyzing the impact of window views on thermal comfort, emotional states and cognitive performance.[10]
• Human Interactions: CBE’ multiple projects focus on perceptions, behaviors and relationship occupants have with the environments in which they interact, and provides 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 [11]and analyzing the occupant satisfaction in green and LEED-Certified buildings.[12]
• Sustainability, Whole Building Energy, and Other Topics.[13]

CBE provides information about its research areas and publications on its website.[14] More than 440 works by researchers affiliated with CBE are freely available to the public on the center's eScholarship page.[15]

CBE's research program is guided by its Research Team and Advisory Board. 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.

The Center for the Built Environment is directed by Professor Edward Arens.[16] Arens is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to serving as directory, Arens is technical and standards committees of American Society of Heating, refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and co-founded 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.

Gail S. Brager[17] is CEB’s Associated Director. Brager has been a Professor in the College of Environmental Design since 1984, She leads research efforts in mixed-mode buildings, which combine natural and mechanical ventilation. In addition to serving as associated director of the CBE, Professor Brager also serves as the Director of the Center for Environmental Design Research, and as the Associated 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.

The center partners with many public and private organizations including design firms, manufacturers, builders and government organizations, which together form an Industry Consortium and partially fund CBE research. The CBE maintains a list of current industry partners on its website.[18]

Notable CBE partners (past and present) include:

Design Firms:

• Arup
• HOK
• SOM
• Stantec
• Integral Group

Manufacturers:

• Herman Miller
• Steelcase
• Haworth
• Carrier Corporation/UTRC
• Ingersoll Rand
• Armstrong World Industries
• Big Ass Fans
• Daikin
• Ford Motor Company

Governmental Organizations:

• National Science Foundation
• California Energy Commission
• California Department of General Services (DGS)
• U.S. Department of Energy,
• U.S. General Services Administration
• U.S. Department of Defense

Utilities:

• Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
• Southern California Edison

• Center for the Built Environment - The homepage for the organization
• CBE Thermal Comfort Tool- free web tool for ASHRAE 55
• CED Industry Partners - A comprehensive list of industry partners
• Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - The homepage of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab