Arq. Chris Benedict
Chris employs both ancient and modern building science techniques to design sustainable buildings that are durable, long lasting, healthy and use very small amounts of energy. She will discuss the "inner life" of buildings - what she calls their "Architecture Vita" and show how this understanding can reduce energy loads and improve the quality of the building. Chris will describe the approach she takes to rehabilitate existing residential and commercial buildings in the North Eastern United States, she will also outline the similarities and differences between approaches to be taken in cold climates vs. warm climates. Chris will end her talk with a discussion of the merits of reusing existing "high mass" building stock in lieu of building new buildings with low thermal mass and large amounts of glass.