Advanced Manufacturing for Building Envelope Retrofits

Lead Performer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Oak Ridge, TN
Partner: Autodesk – San Rafael, CA
DOE Total Funding: $500,000
Cost Share: $125,000
Project Term:  18 months
Funding Type: Advanced Building Construction FOA Award

As part of the ABC FOA topic Integrated Building Retrofits, this project is one of a cohort of Phase 1 projects that will design and prototype a technology or approach that provides a deep energy saving retrofit solution for one or more building energy systems. Once completed, BTO will conduct a competitive review of this project, along with all Phase 1 projects, to down-select recipients for Phase 2 awards that focus on a whole-building deep energy retrofit solution. Phase 2 awardees will develop and field-validate their retrofit solution from Phase 1 on at least two occupied, operational buildings.

Project Objective

This project will use advanced manufacturing techniques to mass-customize and produce energy-efficient and moisture-durable overclad panels for envelope retrofits. To accomplish this goal, the project team will develop new printable materials, design methods to use multi-material printing to co-optimize structural and thermal performance, and integrate existing building materials with customized 3D printing parts that expedite the assembly of the overclad panel. This project will also develop preliminary digital manufacturing procedures that take 3D scanned measurements of existing buildings and efficiently progress them from panel design to assembly, as well as help industry identify which advanced manufacturing techniques can modernize building construction, improve productivity, and increase energy efficiency.

Project Impact

The results of this project will progress overclad panels for envelope retrofits. More specifically, this project will use advanced manufacturing techniques to streamline the mass-customization process, which is one of the main cost challenges preventing the wide deployment and adoption of envelope retrofits.

Contacts

DOE Technology Manager: Sven Mumme
Lead Performer: Diana Hun, Oak Ridge National Laboratory