• One of UI IDL’s recent alumni, Lyndsay Watkins, was named one of Idaho’s Women of the Year by the Idaho Business Review for her work in energy conservation and community impact. You can read more on Lyndsay’s work here.
• Idaho Power launched a new multifamily incentive program that encourages engineers and architects to pursue energy-efficient products. Over the last quarter, the lab has supported the program by analyzing whole-building energy-saving methods and developing and presenting a lunch-and-learn program on energy-efficiency best practices for new multifamily construction.
• In June, the lab collaborated with Dr. Yumna Kurda of UI’s Virtual Technology and Design program to jointly propose an educational method to raise awareness of building energy use and indoor air quality. The resulting paper, which appears in the proceedings of the American Society of Education Engineering (ASEE), describes methods to help students visualize the indoor air quality and energy use of the room they are in, and how various intervention strategies might change these dynamics.
• Inspired by former lab director Ken Baker, the PrinTimber project was recognized at the International Conference on Structures and Architecture in Belgium. UI architecture professor, Carolina Manrique Hoyos, led a paper compiling the findings and implications from the project’s previous six years of research.

Learn more about the UI IDL >

• In August, MSU IDL conducted a workshop focused on integrating daylighting and electric-lighting analysis into design, with an emphasis on balancing natural and artificial light to enhance visual comfort and support sustainable design decisions. Using ClimateStudio, participants explored a variety of daylight-performance metrics, including daylight autonomy and glare. Participants then used LightStanza to evaluate electric-lighting layouts and energy use.
• In collaboration with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, the lab is organizing a workshop on Montana’s building energy codes for architects, engineers, and builders. The session will focus on recent updates to state energy codes, compliance pathways, strategies to improve building performance, and best practices for energy-efficient construction in Montana. You can attend the workshop by registering here.

Learn more about the MSU IDL >

• The UO IDL is hosting Build Health, an annual event bringing together stakeholders in industry, government, and academia to collaborate on innovative, interdisciplinary strategies that dramatically reduce energy consumption and improve human health. This year’s event takes place at Swinerton’s Portland office on November 13, 4:00–7:00 p.m.
• The lab recently completed a preliminary analysis of the drafted 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) provisions, including a performance comparison to the 2023 ORSC. The Residential and Manufactured Structures Board (RMSB) technical code review committee is set to meet in October 2025 to review and finalize the 2026 ORSC. The lab will continue supporting Oregon Building Codes through the code review and adoption process, and by providing updated code comparisons to 2023 ORSC and 2024 International Energy Conservation Code.
• The lab recently completed a mass timber study that includes advancement in four areas:
  • Energy retrofit of an aging building stock.
  • Seismic upgrade of that same stock.
  • Utilization and adoption of mass timber panels for facade assemblies, including panelized retrofit applications.
  • Incorporation of passive daylighting strategies as part of a holistic facade design to improve occupant health and comfort and building energy performance.
• The lab recently collaborated with the indoor environments team at Quinn Evans to develop a circadian design guide using a novel digital simulation method that calculates melanopic light on an annual basis. Melanopic light is the specific portion of the light spectrum that stimulates melanopsin, a photopigment in the eye’s retinal cells, to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, affecting sleep and alertness. Using quantitative analysis, the guide presents beneficial design options, including surface treatments, facade design, and interior design.

Learn more about the UO IDL >

• In various venues, the UW IDL presented snapshots of energy efficiency tools and technologies, including luminaire level lighting controls (LLLC) and very high efficiency DOAS. These opportunities included engagement with a focus group of engineers, mechanical design-build contractors, ESCOs, and architects.
• The lab led the development and delivery of a webinar, The Metropole Project: Setting a New Standard for Building Reuse, Deep Energy Efficiency, and Community-Centered Design. The webinar covered the project’s ambitious design and community-driven goals, along with its achievement of deep energy efficiency while preserving historic character.
• The lab is working with AIA Seattle and the Committee on the Environment to update and provide technical training for the 2025 Energy in Design Award. The annual AIA Honor Awards event will be held in November.
• The lab is reaching out to leaders in lighting design, installation, and engineering to gather insights for the implementation of LLLCs, with an emphasis on learning from market actors who have not previously incorporated LLLC technology into their projects. The interviews will provide broad insights into lighting opportunities and barriers, with resulting analysis supporting Northwest market awareness and regional efforts to increase LLLC adoption.
• The lab continues to provide technical support to design teams and building owners to enhance building performance through integrated design and daylighting strategies.
• The lab is collaborating with NEEA to develop a new whole-building efficiency implementation program that leverages building performance standards to accelerate energy efficiency in existing buildings in Oregon and Washington. To support the program, the lab is developing regional program concepts that will help building operators and real estate professionals effectively communicate the business case for whole-building efficiency, along with educational resources and financial incentive programs to increase awareness of regional whole-building resources.
• Along with Olson Kundig, the lab received a 2024 AIA Upjohn award to develop a new residential carbon emissions calculator called DARA (Decarbonization Analysis for Residential Architecture). This open-source tool will enable residential designers to select key project attributes, such as location, envelope, structural design, window-to-wall ratio, and HVAC system, and interactively calculate both embodied and operational carbon emissions. The no-cost tool equips users with little-to-no experience in lifecycle analysis with the technical knowledge to evaluate the ways in which design decisions affect whole-building carbon emissions.
• The lab collaborated on a paper in Energy & Buildings titled Impact of a Dynamic Grid Mix and Climate on Operational Carbon Emissions Modeling for Different Building Typologies and Climate Zones. The paper presents a new method for modeling operational carbon emission in buildings that incorporates dynamic variables including future climate conditions and projected changes in electricity-grid emissions. Results show that grid decarbonization has a far greater impact on emissions accounting than climate change.

Learn more about the UW IDL >

• Over the past year, the lab’s director, Julia Day, has played a key role in developing IEA EBC Annex 95: Human-Centric Buildings for a Changing Climate, an international collaboration under the International Energy Agency’s Energy in Buildings and Communities program. Running from 2024–2029, Annex 95 focuses on the critical relationship between people and buildings amid accelerating climate change, recognizing that energy-efficient, resilient buildings must also support human comfort, health, and equity.
• During her 2024–25 sabbatical, Dr. Day explored the emerging field of neuroarchitecture and how the nervous system processes sensory stimuli in interior environments. She plans to apply this knowledge to new lecture content on light, circadian rhythms, and neurological responses for her building science courses, while also pursuing research funding in these areas.
• In his final year of graduate studies, lab member Jacob Roibal leads the WSU Energy and Comfort occupant engagement program. As he looks ahead to graduation in 2026, Jacob plans to rejoin his design position at Fisher Construction full time, equipped with a valuable combination of design, research, and energy efficiency experience.

Learn more about the WSU IDL >