| Building Technology and Urban Systems

About Us +
Researchers in the Building Technology & Urban Systems Division (BTUS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory develop data and technologies that increase energy efficiency and improve the health, safety and comfort of building occupants, in the United States and worldwide.

We work closely with industry partners, academics and government officials to achieve these goals, and share our research widely
Research +
We are at the forefront of cutting-edge research that redefines building technology and explores all areas of urban systems.

We have been leaders for decades in developing energy-efficient windows, improving indoor air quality, coming up with new ideas to fix the nation's electricity grid, and so much more.

Visit our research areas at the right to find out more.
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Publications +
Enjoy presentations from Building Technology & Urban systems research experts on a wide variety of topics in the areas of building energy efficiency, the electricity grid and how it relates to buildings and much more.
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Tools & Guides +
Explore our tools, guidebooks and software and download for free.

We offer a variety of technologies designed to simulate and model real-world circumstances to assist in energy-saving programs and help building owners build better buildings. These tools can help calculate performance of building systems like windows and shades, help consumers and builders pick the best windows for a variety of applications and much more.

1998

McPherson, E. E Gregory, Klaus I Scott, and James R Simpson."Estimating cost effectiveness of residential yard trees for improving air quality in Sacramento, California, using existing models."Atmospheric Environment 32.1 (1998) 75-84. DOI

Sanchez, Marla C, Jonathan G Koomey, Mithra M Moezzi, Alan K Meier, and Wolfgang Huber."Miscellaneous Electricity Use in U.S. Homes."ACEEE 1998 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings (1998) 11.

Hong, Tianzhen, and Yi Jiang."Outdoor synthetic temperature for the calculation of space heating load."Energy and Buildings 28.3 (1998) 269-277. DOI

Clear, Robert D, and Francis M Rubinstein."A Cost-Benefit Analysis Applied to Lumen Maintenance Controls."Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society 28 (1998) 113-126.

Haves, Philip, Leslie K Norford, and Mark DeSimone."A Standard Simulation Testbed for the Evaluation of Control Algorithms & Strategies."ASHRAE Transactions 104.Pt. 1A (1998).

Rubinstein, Francis M, and Stephen G Johnson."Advanced Lighting Program Development (BG9702800) Final Report." (1998).

Akbari, Hashem, Steven J Konopacki, Danny S Parker, Bruce A Wilcox, Charles N Eley, and Martha G VanGeem."Calculations in support of SSP 90.1 for reflective roofs."ASHRAE Transactions 104.1A (1998) 984-995.

Spitler, Jeffrey D, Simon J Rees, and Philip Haves."Comparison of North American and U.K. Cooling Load Calculation Procedures - Methodology."ASHRAE Transactions 104.2 (1998) 47-61.

Rees, Simon J, Jeffrey D Spitler, and Philip Haves."Comparison of North American and U.K. Cooling Load Calculation Procedures - Results."ASHRAE Transactions 104.2 (1998) 36-46.

Rosenfeld, Arthur H, Hashem Akbari, Joseph J Romm, and Melvin Pomerantz."Cool communities: strategies for heat island mitigation and smog reduction."Energy and Buildings 28 (1998) 51-62. DOI

Michalak, Franck, Klaus von Rottkay, Thomas J Richardson, Jonathan L Slack, and Michael D Rubin."Electrochromic Lithium Nickel Oxide Thin Films by RF-Sputtering from a LiNiO₂ Target."Electrochimica Acta 44 (1998) 3085-3092.

Isidorsson, Jan, Claes G Granqvist, Klaus von Rottkay, and Michael D Rubin."Ellipsometry on Sputter Deposited Tin Oxide Films: Optical Constants Versus Stoichiometry Hydrogen Content, and Amount of Electrochemically Intercalated Lithium."Applied Optics 37 (1998) 7734-7741.

Akbari, Hashem."Introduction, energy savings of reflective roofs."ASHRAE Technical Data Bulletin 14 (1998).

Parker, Danny S, Yu Joe Huang, Steven J Konopacki, Lisa M Gartland, John R Sherwin, and Lixing Gu."Measured and simulated performance of reflective roofing systems in residential buildings."ASHRAE Transactions 104 (1998).

Rubin, Michael D, Rebecca Powles, and Klaus von Rottkay."Models for the Angle-Dependent Optical Properties of Coated Glazing Materials."Solar Energy 66 (1998) 267-276.

Bretz, Sarah E, Hashem Akbari, and Arthur H Rosenfeld."Practical issues for using solar-reflective materials to mitigate urban heat islands."Atmospheric Environment 32 (1998) 95-101. DOI

Webber, Carrie A, and Richard E Brown."Savings Potential of ENERGY STAR Voluntary Labeling Programs."1998 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings 9 (1998) 9.271-9.282.

Konopacki, Steven J, and Hashem Akbari."Simulated impact of roof surface solar absorptance, attic, and duct insulation on cooling and heating energy use in single-family new residential buildings." (1998).

Haves, Philip, and Edward F Sowell."The application of Problem Reduction Techniques Based on Graph Theory to the Simulation of Non-Linear Continuous Systems."EUROSIM’98 (1998) pp. 203-207.

Lee, Eleanor S, Dennis L DiBartolomeo, and Stephen E Selkowitz."The Effect of Venetian Blinds on Daylight Photoelectric Control Performance."Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society 28 (1998).

Finlayson, Elizabeth U, Robin Mitchell, Dariush K Arasteh, Charlie Huizenga, and Dragan C Curcija."THERM 2.0: a PC Program for Analyzing Two-Dimensional Heat Transfer through Building products." (1998).

Sullivan, Robert, and Frederick C Winkelmann."Validation studies of the DOE-2 Building Energy Simulation Program. Final Report." (1998).

1997

Klems, Joseph H."Greenhouse Window U-Factors Under Field Conditions."ASHRAE Transactions 104, Part 1 (1997).

Arasteh, Dariush K, Elizabeth U Finlayson, Dragan C Curcija, Jeff Baker, and Charlie Huizenga."Guidelines for Modeling Projecting Fenestration Products."ASHRAE Transactions 104, Part 1 (1997).

Griffith, Brent T, Elizabeth U Finlayson, Mehry Yazdanian, and Dariush K Arasteh."The Significance of Bolts in the Thermal Performance of Curtain-Wall Frames for Glazed Façades."ASHRAE Transactions 104, Part 1 (1997).