E-BOOKS, PANELS & CASE STUDIES

The 2030 Challenge is a national effort to encourage the building industry to prioritize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. This guide provides best practices for architects to adopt a performance-based design process and navigate the 2030 challenge.

Project teams are looking for performance data to guide their building design decisions. Manufacturers who can validate their products with data will gain a competitive advantage.

Whole Building Energy Modeling, or BEM, is a flexible, highly capable tool used in the design of new and retrofit buildings, code compliance, certifications, incentive programs, and more. This blog will walk you through best practices for interpreting the results of your BIM models.

If you work in the building product industry, you may have come across terms like ESG, EPD, Scope 3, or CBAM and wondered what they mean and how they pertain to your business. In this blog, we'll explore these terms in detail and discuss how they impact building product manufacturers.

The electrification of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has become an increasingly important trend in recent years. This blog explores the benefits and drawbacks, as well as the drivers of electrification and the impact of electric HVAC systems on the AEC industry.

The Union Tower development in California was a mixed-funded affordable housing project that started in 2019 by GGA+.  This case study details the steps taken to create a net-zero, mixed-use development that also promotes a healthy lifestyle for those living and using the spaces.

This blog explains how developing an understanding of commercial HVAC systems can benefit architects, building owners, and managers, in addition to engineers. It provides a quick overview of commercial HVAC systems and discusses some important factors to consider when choosing an HVAC system.

With 3D modeling tools, one can develop a detailed digital representation of a building design with efficient workflows and accurate data. This e-book provides guidelines on 3D modeling and its various use cases, specifically for building performance analysis. 

While hand-sketched designs certainly have a place in architecture, software programs make it simple for architects to create 3D models and renderings of their designs. This blog will outline key features and aspects to look out for throughout your search for free 3D modeling software. 

This case study highlights how an integrated design-build team leveraged technology during the pursuit phase to complete early-stage design analysis, collaborate across the team in real-time, and identify a unique and cost-effective approach to finding the lowest carbon solution. 

As technology continues to progress rapidly, design and building professionals must learn how to collaborate and communicate with one another so that the current silo-based means of practice transition to an integrated approach. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Building Energy Modeling (BEM) technologies afford such a pathway.

Change is difficult, but it can also be a deeply rewarding process. Check out this blog for an overview of what a change in load modeling software might look like, along with recommendations for successful adoption.

Choosing the right HVAC system for your proposed design is imperative, as it has a direct impact on building efficiency, utility bills, and occupant comfort. This E-Book provides guidance for architects around choosing an HVAC system during the early stages of design. 

This study uses cove.tool to highlight the impact of orientation on energy use intensity (EUI) and daylight quality in a typical medical clinic building. EUA Architects, in collaboration with RTM Engineers, took steps to evaluate their design decisions with data and contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate change. Find out how:

With the increase in complexity of buildings, if you are modeling geometry solely in 2D, you are missing out on a lot of detail. This blog outlines the numerous benefits of using 3D models for mechanical load calculations.

This blog outlines our recently published e-book, Understanding Thermal Load Modeling’s Impact on Cost and Time Savings, which provides crucial information around the calculation of loads, common load modeling methods available, and how design teams and owners can leverage modern tools for cost and time savings. 

This e-book outlines the basics of calculating loads, the common methods available, and how using modern tools can help the design team and owner. 

In this e-book, we discuss how architects can benefit from the new SEC disclosure requirements and the various tools that they can utilize to fulfill these requirements.

Typically, a well-designed and well-operated building uses envelope-level passive measures to minimize the thermal loads first. Then, it uses energy-efficient active modes of heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting. This blog posts highlights 4 key envelope-level passive strategies to implement for decarbonizing building systems.

We outline the prerequisite knowledge necessary to understand the metrics and frameworks cited in the report, define and break down the nature of the problem with buildings as greenhouse gas emitters, contextualize key mitigation scenarios, and discuss potential solutions and how they can be implemented within your next project. 

Hear from AEC leaders about the lessons learned from adapting to an everchanging regulatory environment and volatile market. View this panel of Founding Principals of architecture, engineering, and sustainability consulting practices to gain insights on process, success stories, learnings, and more.

This case study discusses PHA’s design goals - carbon reduction, resiliency, and equity – and examines how the design team used these goals to achieve net-zero carbon and net-zero energy while prioritizing the unique nature of the residents’ needs.

In a time when the market is saturated with a variety of software, finding the right fit for the company can be a tough decision. Through the lens of three different AEC leaders, here are the frameworks for how they think through software purchasing and ROI and the broader business context that helps inform their decision making.

Automated building performance analysis (BPA) tools combine the benefits of automation and high-performance design to propel AEC businesses to new heights of success. This blog describes how BPA tools can help your AEC business grow and diversify your revenue streams.

This blog outlines key pathways for optimizing the built environment to better address summer heat through the lenses of thermal comfort and energy efficiency.

cove.tool has joined efforts with the Carbon Leadership Forum to eliminate embodied carbon in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) building systems by 2040. MEP systems are becoming more of a focus as the need to holistically remove carbon from construction and building operations increases. 

The goal of this report is to determine the current and projected future national construction market conditions that may affect the cost of upcoming building construction projects. 

Sandeep Ahuja, cove.tool Co-Founder & CEO, joined fellow AEC thought-leaders, Sara Neff, Liz Crosson, Lindsay Baker, and Meishka Mitchell, at the My Green Building Conference & Expo for a thought-provoking panel around sustainability and green building.

Within the load modeling and system design software space, there are a few potential options you may consider before making your purchase decision. This blog outlines each option and highlights features that set loadmodeling.tool apart.

In this e-book, we outline five key steps design teams can use to simplify building performance analysis and project budget decisions to help them implement a repeatable, data-driven process that can be used on hundreds of projects successfully.

This e-book explains the importance of automated building performance analysis and makes a case for its use across a variety of building projects. It discusses the four key benefits of integrating automated building performance analysis into the design process.

In the age of rising AEC tech and automation, many firms are navigating the difficult decision around value and ROI.  Watch this fireside chat to get insights on process, success stories, and learnings from industry thought-leaders. 

Payback period is a critical component for assessing whether your technology investment will pay off in the long run. Therefore, it should be one of the first metrics you consider in your decision-making process.

This e-book explains the six passive measures that can be used as viable strategies for the decarbonization of building systems. It also explains how these strategies can be implemented into the design process to save energy and money.

In cove.tool's recent panel discussion, Sustainability Manager for Digital Products and Training at AIA, provided some background on the commitment and its importance by stating that the 2030 commitment is the AIA's effort to corral the industry and all of the players. Read the blog to learn more about the lessons learned from joining the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Design teams who want to take a closer look at cost vs. energy in the analysis.tool's cost optimization bundles now have a new option thanks to our partnership with enVerid. Learn more about the different ventilation calculation types VRP and IAQP and how that can help with optimization.

This e-book explains the importance of high-performance design, highlights key benefits and ROI, and shares a checklist with actionable tips to help you kickstart a transition to designing high-performance buildings.

Shifts in voluntary standards and mandatory energy codes have incrementally moved the AEC industry towards stringent zero-energy and zero-carbon targets. These challenges put firms working in the AEC in charge of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. 

The choice between purchasing an API software solution or building your own software solution can be daunting. We are providing you with this decision-making methodology so that you can choose more easily. 

With the release of the api.tool, developers can now get access to cove.tool’s powerful back-end calculations. Software companies and architecture firms can connect their pre-built applications to run energy, daylight, and glare models in just minutes.

In this discussion, we cover the LL97 Carbon Tax, which places carbon caps on all NYC buildings greater than 25,000 square feet and sets increasingly stringent limits on carbon emissions per square foot in 2024 and 2030. We will also dive into sustainability and time-management strategies for firms around the country and cover topics such as façade design and optimization.

When TruexCullins started designing the Burlington City Arts Studios, a 33,000 square foot art and educational center, they were tasked with meeting a net-zero energy target while remaining within budget.

loadmodeling.tool Version 2.5 comes equipped with new Air System types to improve the product's accuracy and help engineers reduce the time required to model and run complex systems, which are becoming more common in sustainably designed buildings.

Accurately forecasting the cost of each potential analysis and design software solution requires companies to take a holistic look into all variables surrounding the purchase - the total cost of ownership (TCO) should always be considered when making any new buying decision. 

quote.tool is the ideal combination of cove.tool's analysis platform (analysis.tool) and manufacturing leads portal. It identifies highly qualified leads by generating an ideal customer profile (ICP) made up of each BPM’s selected project types, locations and sizes, allowing BPMs full control throughout the entire material procurement process.

With over 1100 registrants from 100+ countries, the competition was a huge success. cove.tool received an abundance of high-quality entries and was pleased with how many architects, students, and enthusiasts displayed an interest in sustainable building design.

Learn how a conversation on strategies to meet the baseline 2030 target for energy reduction, quickly turned into the firm designing its first net-zero carbon project.

This blog highlights key industry trends from 2021, outlines the AEC report's top three takeaways, and provides an industry outlook of what to expect for 2022.

Join host Sandeep Ahuja and panelists Stefan Knust, Charlotte Dreizen, Riya Patel, and Alfonso Hernandez as we dive into the firms' Sustainability Action Plans and provide actionable examples to help your firm move toward this goal by designing buildings with less energy consumption and carbon emission.

From a small startup to a high-growth firm, engineers have been at the heart of our product development process. In an industry where the quality of products is so vital to successful operations, the work done by our engineers is much appreciated.

This e-book explores what participating in the 2030 Commitment entails; the challenges firms undergo in implementing 2030 goals and how to overcome them; and how automation and digital tools can help surmount some of these challenges.

In this blog post, we highlight the importance of integrating building performance modeling into the design process and provide key considerations design teams can implement to achieve 2030 targets.

Renovating historic buildings is the best way to save embodied carbon as the steel structure and foundation components are already there. With this in mind the design team led by Cooper Carry and Vines Architecture used analysis to show how minimal edits could save the library.

By comparing data on project trends produced in these tools, we can explore real-time global construction trends and their impact on GHG emissions. This report outlines key building design trends from 12,520 projects in the US and Canada between 1/21-12/21. It also analyzes previous findings from 2020 to provide year-over-year comparison data.

In this discussion, explore a wide range of topics including affordable housing and climate risks; current trends in multi-family housing; energy efficient design strategies, and ideas to create more sustainable communities.

In this blog , we outline some of the key climate risks currently facing regions in the U.S., address how these risks are impacting the housing market, and provide helpful tips all stakeholders in the building sector can implement to fight climate change and create a better future.

Hospitals present a wealth of opportunities for more efficient operations that reduce carbon emissions. Review key metrics, establish benchmarks, develop workflows, and work with key stakeholders to prioritize targets that minimize energy consumption and make business sense for your hospital.

With the sharp increase in climate-related disasters over the past few years, thousands of people have been displaced and housing costs have skyrocketed in areas prone to climate disasters. This e-book explores the interrelated challenges between the current affordable housing crisis and on-going climate risks. 

Microliving is an emerging trend that has the potential to become a mainstay in the real estate industry. This 30-minute chat dives into current state of housing instability and climate risks; benefits of microliving; and ideas to develop energy-efficient, sustainable communities in multiple neighborhoods across the world.

On November 5th, 2021, the House passed a $1.75 trillion reconciliation bill with plans of subsidizing several government agencies, including the Department of Energy (DOE) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the intent, to stimulate growth in sustainable energy and improve U.S. infrastructure.

In this blog, we identify cost-optimization strategies that help architects, engineers, and contractors proactively mitigate the costs attributed to HVAC systems, aiding them in creating sustainable buildings for the future.

Canada has played a critical role in the fight against climate change by enforcing energy standards across its provinces and territories. This article touches on the Canadian energy codes, how they differ on the provincial level, and how they compare to energy codes in its adjacent nations. 

YouTube personalities Dami Lee and Natalie Perri, recently released videos covering cove.tool and its role in democratizing building performance and sustainable design. In the videos, they cover the core functionality of drawing.tool and analysis.tool and provides viewers with a high-level overview of the software.

cove.tool rolled out new features and updates for loadmodeling.tool. Notable updates include the Project Data Editor, new Air Systems functionality, and an upgraded back-end calculation engine. 

In this e-book, we will outline the role of government in energy efficiency, how building energy codes have evolved in recent years, and key tips on how architects and engineers can be proactive in improving their workflows to meet energy targets moving into 2022.

The goal of this effort is to determine the current and projected future local construction market conditions that may affect the upcoming building construction project.

DBR, a client of cove.tool, reached out to share that they had recently completed a study comparing the difference between pEUI and overall energy breakdown, seeking to learn how the overall energy breakdown varied between cove.tool and the TRACE 700 methodology.

Accuracy of design loads used for the sizing of HVAC systems is of critical importance to sustainable building design. In order to assist engineers in their assessment of loadmodeling.tool accuracy, a test case has been run on several software platforms. 

While the use of computer aided design for mapping and designing a building is now standard practice in architecture, not all professionals are aware of the possibilities HVAC design tools have to offer. 

In this e-book, we outline the differences between net-zero energy and net-zero carbon and provide key design strategies to help architects and engineers meet performance targets.

Watch this panel to hear from change makers across different firms and find out what it took for them to help their teams implement a sustainable design workflow.

In this e-book, we will review the impact manufacturing facilities have on the environment; share key strategies designers can utilize for energy optimization; and provide tips to reduce environmental impact.

A long list of industry leading organizations have contributed to the extensive research behind improved workflows and automated holistic approaches, including US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED, American Institute of Architects,...

In a world where competition only grows in the market and where the big players win big projects, how can a small firm get its foot in the door to work on larger projects? In this e-book we cover 5 key practices to grow your business and...

In our panel, we meet with change makers are who are initiating conversations about sustainability and changing the way architects and engineers think about thier workflows.

In this e-book, we address how solar shading can impact the design of a building and explain how designers can use facade and shadow studies to make data driven decisions to enhance overall performance.

A comparison of different net-zero green building rating systems and how to employ them in the design of buildings.

cove.tool attended, by special invitation, the UN Science and Business Policy Forum and the UN Environmental Assembly from March 8th – March 12th. With a few thousand delegations from over 100 countries, including hundreds of...

Passively cooled with a unique central atrium, the common areas harness the climate avoiding energy use for ventilation, heating, and cooling. The design team used cove.tool to quantify the energy and cost savings. Armed with this data...

When it comes to urban design, analysis is a powerful tool for understanding the effect of context on the site. 

Many states have adopted the most recent energy codes, as they are known for placing high importance on sustainability and the environment. In this article, we cover six U.S. energy codes, what they are, and how they differ on the state level.

The 53,000 sq.ft multi-disciplinary building provides students and faculty modern general classrooms as well as health science labs on the Beatrice campus. The high performance three-story structure showcases day-lit, glare free spaces...

To realize its mission of design for the greater good, HMC Architects takes on the AIA 2030 commitment by focusing on typologies and built environments that positively impact communities, now and in the future. 

Get inside the mind of an data driven owner during this fireside chat with guest , Howard Wertheimer, formerly from the capital planning group at Georgia Tech and currently the Chief Operating Officer at the Piedmont Park Conservancy.

From our experience working with over 300 architecture firms, we’ve learned the key habits and values successful firms embody, helping them to increase performance, drive demand, and achieve both client and company goals.

Across the profession, architects are working to make the Architecture 2030 goals a part of their design process. This exciting panel features a discussion between the 2030 team and practice leaders from small, medium, and large firms.

This guide showcases the step by step process of taking various performance diagrams and utilizing the Adobe suite to create powerful communication tools.

Modern design is a rarity in the mountains north of Atlanta. With few exceptions, houses tend to be kitschy recreations of log cabins so it was surprising when developers Paige Thornton and Kim Bucciero approached Patrick Chopson,...

Arpan Bakshi is an Associate at internationally renowned Foster + Partners in London. Trained as an architect, sustainable engineer, computational designer and environmental analyst, Mr. Bakshi has worked at leading...

Natalia Quintanilla is a Building Science Specialist at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture where she leads research and computer simulation studies relevant to building performance.

Praxis3, an architecture and multi disciplinary  design firm based in the Atlanta, GA, is a leader in the design of automotive dealerships, historic renovations, and higher education.  They are great example of a firm with visionary... 

To help architects and engineers address this challenge, cove.tool has developed a new grid-based analysis method that provides a quantitative metric for evaluating floorplan layouts, called COVID Occupancy Assessment Score (COAS).

SUNY Cortland’s largest student residence is starting the new year with a $30 million renovation aimed at making the Casey and Smith Tower complex more modern, comfortable and energy efficient. As with all major construction and...

In the fall of 2019, BSA's design team worked with the University of Colorado to imagine an upcoming high performance student housing project. Following the principles of high performance design, Josh Vel, Design...

Between the global health pandemic and increasing pressures of the climate crisis, almost every aspect of the world that we live in is in the midst of transformation. Within the built environment, architects, engineers, contractors...

In this e-Book, we outline the 9 sustainable development goals that are impacted by green buildings and explain how an industry-wide focus on sustainability can bring us closer to achieving these goals.

This e-Book presents various properties of glass and is accompanied by an office case study showing how each specific glass property contributes to the overall energy use intensity (EUI) and the daylight quality of buildings.

COVID-19 is changing building design. Here are 3 ways to reduce the spread and their impact on Energy Use Intensity (EUI).

Architects, contractors, and owners all have a role to play in the climate emergency, but who can make the most impact to combat climate change and push the industry forward to achieve Architecture 2030 targets?

This 60 minute panel discussion with leading technologists outlines key opportunities and the role of technology when designing high performance buildings.

If you’re looking to reduce the energy use intensity on your building projects and are unsure of where to start, this e-book provides five important strategies to help you reach your targets.

There are many factors that go into creating a high-performance façade. In this e-book, we outline the top 5 things a design team should consider and provide case study examples to help choose the best strategies for your project.

While there are many computational design options available, this e-book focuses on parametric design and generative design and provides an overview of the key differences and benefits designers must be aware of to select the best...

This 60 minute panel discussion with 3 leading healthcare facility designers outlines key opportunities and the role of technology when designing high performance hospitals.

The shadow analysis allows a designer to study the amount of solar access to different parts of the site and building design.

If each site, project, and client is different, then how do we develop a consistent way to evaluate building performance for all projects?

Glare, also known as visual discomfort is defined by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) as one of two conditions: Too much light or excessive contrast, meaning the range of luminnce in the field of view is too great.

Solar Shading is a powerful passive strategy that if fully utilized can have a massive impact on your overall building’s performance. However, this is dependent on a multitude of factors including the amount of shading added and the...

Architects of today face a common task that defies intuition – how to balance building performance and strict carbon targets against cost. Sustainability in design is certainly a worthy and necessary goal, but the amount of options can...

Maintaining an appropriate lighting level, which varies by the task being performed in the space, is critical to ensuring occupant comfort.

Heather Jauregui is the Director of Sustainability at Perkins Eastman. Heather is passionate about using data to inform design decisions. She believes that rules of thumb can only get you so far and that getting the right data at the right...

We are highlighting top user and leader in sustainability, showcasing their efforts in promoting sustainable building practices and adopting efficient workflows, these users are  going the extra mile to save our planet.

There are many misconceptions about the Architecture 2030 challenge. We dispel these myths and highlight the benefits of joining the commitment.

cove.tool utilizes a simple payback methodology for the return on investment calculation. Energy efficient architecture requires the Simple Payback calculation of the various energy conservation measures to determine the...

Check out the new grid-based analysis method that provides a quantitative metric for evaluating floorplan layouts, called COVID Occupancy Assessment Score (COAS).

This eBook to provide an overview of how to choose which embodied carbon values to use and the typical range of values to be aware of when designing for embodied carbon reduction.

Watch this panel discussion to learn how Architects, Engineers and Contractors can join together to fight climate change.

By using a data driven design process, the integrated team incorporated building performance and budget with every design iteration from project pursuit all way to completion.

In this eBook, we outline the top 5 metrics for sustainable building design that every architect should know and provide key best practices to enhance your design process.

In this e-book, we outline six passive design strategies to help architects and engineers design energy-efficient buildings that are cost effective and help improve occupant comfort.

At 117,00 sq. ft., the Campus Life Center on the Emory University campus caters to the growing space demands, allows flexibility and efficient dining services, technology and infrastructure upgrades, and  more room for student...