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Net-zero energy living could be coming to Syracuse University’s South Campus in the near future.

Two architecture professors, Nina Sharifi and Bess Krietemeyer, are spearheading a project to create net-zero energy housing using a $1.39 million grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority as well as a $200,000 grant from Syracuse University as part of SU’s Climate Action Plan. 

Called the “living lab,” the project is a three-year, multi-stage initiative. The professors plan on retrofitting existing South Campus apartments on Winding Ridge Road, which involves renovating buildings to improve the building’s mechanical and electrical systems, saving both time and resources.

The project is meant to both cut down on energy use at SU as well as lead to findings to create a replicable model for buildings across New York state. 

Sharifi and Krietemeyer are working on the project with seven groups of both SU professors and outside construction firms that form a pipeline of various stages for the living lab: construction, data collection and engineering for the project.

Sharifi explained how the South Campus apartments, built in 1972, have weak insulation which creates a thermal bridge, which occurs when poor insulation pushes hot and cold air out of the structure instead of keeping it inside due to flawed construction. The retrofit approach allows the team to focus on well-insulated buildings so energy demands decline and the buildings can thrive using renewable energy resources.

“In a climate like ours, we are just hemorrhaging heating energy to the exterior in the winter through these very leaky buildings that have no insulation in some cases,” Sharifi said. 

The team hopes that, as buildings rely on renewable energy, no energy will go to waste, Sharifi said. 

Lauren Staniec, founder of re-habitat, a sustainable construction company in Syracuse, explained that the best way to reverse the effects of climate change is through construction and architecture. 

“How do we make our buildings function with as little energy as possible?” Staniec said. “And how can we offset those energy loads with renewable energy?”

Investing in energy-efficient living environments allows building owners to save money as well, Staniec said.  

The team decided that the first stage of the living lab will be to find two buildings on Winding Ridge Road with the same exposure to daylight and retrofit one while leaving the other as a control variable. The construction is scheduled to be completed during next summer so the team can access the site without tenants.

The team will then collect data during the school year with students living in both the retrofitted apartment building and the original apartment building to compare energy usage and determine what needs to be changed. All data will be anonymous so no students are put at risk. 

Parker Kulis, a student in the School of Architecture, said he felt this project would be “cool” to witness. Kulis said that living without personalized heating and cooling preferences in dorms is frustrating and contributes to wasting energy. 

“Heat is just pumped in, so then people open their windows to cool down their room. But it’s wasting energy. I’m guilty of that because I’m just not comfortable in the rooms, ” Kulis said.

Kulis is living on South Campus this year and said that he has already returned to old habits of opening windows to get his desired temperature.  

The team doesn’t want the project to live in a bubble. Once data is collected, they hope to share findings with the public through working with the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse to create an exhibit at the museum. 

Sharifi said it is important that architects and designers become more politically engaged with issues surrounding the environment, Sharifi said.

As a replicable project, the team hopes this model can be used to improve affordable housing across New York. 

“The way in which we organize the built environment reflects our values as a society,” Sharifi said. “Architecture has a long history of being tied to the crème de la crème, but it has the potential to be a force of change and to address some of these issues of social justice and environmental justice.” 

Published on September 15, 2021 at 11:44 pm

Contact Iseabail: iakelley@syr.edu