The future of sustainable multifamily housing in cold climates may be residing in two retrofitted student apartment buildings on 51爆料网鈥檚 South Campus. The buildings鈥攑art of the ambitious 鈥攏ow serve as real-world testbeds for state-of-the-art energy efficiency technology.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Building Construction (ABC) Initiative and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the project combines prefabricated insulated wall panels, high-performance windows and doors, real-time monitoring and next-gen HVAC systems to significantly cut energy use while improving indoor air quality and occupant comfort.
We鈥檙e expanding this network and this cohort, and Syracuse is really a hub now鈥攔ecognized as one of the leaders in this area.
Bess Krietemeyer, associate professor, School of Architecture
鈥淭he big-picture goal is to demonstrate that retrofit approaches like ours can be cost-effective and scalable, while achieving 75% thermal energy savings,鈥� says associate professor Bess Krietemeyer, the project鈥檚 lead investigator who collaborated closely with (ECS) professor Jianshun 鈥淛ensen鈥� Zhang, an expert on built environmental systems and executive director of the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. 鈥淥ur data so far is showing we鈥檙e hitting the target.鈥�
Members of the Taitem Engineering team monitor blower door testing on the retrofitted Lambreth Lane apartments. Taitem is among the project鈥檚 partners.
According to recent reports, buildings account for about 75% of total electricity consumption and 38% of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. With energy savings, reduced emissions, improved comfort and indoor air quality, the retrofit offers insights on how buildings adapt to extreme changes in weather conditions and how the building materials moderate indoor temperatures.
With the project鈥檚 success, one goal is to implement similar projects in low- and middle-income housing. The Syracuse Housing Authority (SHA) has served as an advisory partner, and Krietemeyer鈥攁n expert in sustainable built environments鈥攈opes the retrofits can be applied to some SHA buildings as well as other properties in the area and in New York City. 鈥淭he idea is that we can expand the retrofit solution to multiple building types and climate regions,鈥� she says.
Tracking Change
Researchers Shayan Mirzabeigi (left), Sameeraa Soltanian-Zadeh and Bess Krietemeyer check a smart thermostat.
One standout innovation is the HydroPod, an outdoor HVAC module developed by Tom King of TKFabricate. The compact units handle heating, cooling, hot water and ventilation equipment, including air-to-water heat pumps and energy recovery ventilators that continuously draw in fresh outdoor air and exhaust stale indoor air through high-quality filters. The entire system is monitored in real time via a cloud-based system. Indoors, sensors collect performance data and track how residents interact with the systems.
Workers prepare to install a HydroPod, an outdoor HVAC module developed by Tom King of TKFabricate in Syracuse. The entire system is monitored in real time via a cloud-based system. Photo courtesy of Bess Krietemeyer.
Apartments are equipped with smart thermostats and sensors in the living rooms that collect real-time data on temperature, relative humidity, indoor air quality and electrical use, as well as motion detectors that indicate occupancy. 鈥淚n the two research units, we have installed additional sensors to better understand how occupants use different spaces, how their behavior impacts building performance and how they themselves are impacted by the building systems,鈥� says Shayan Mirzabeigi, an ECS doctoral candidate and an assistant professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) specializing in sustainable construction. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about the system or enclosure, it鈥檚 also about the people鈥檚 living behavior, which is one of the greatest uncertainties in a building鈥檚 efficiency.鈥�
Along with collecting and analyzing the data and studying how residents interact with the thermostats, Mirzabeigi and ECS doctoral student and DOE IBUILD Fellow Sameeraa Soltanian-Zadeh troubleshoot issues with the smart thermostats and teach the student residents how to use them. Applied data analytics major Diamone Cromer 鈥�28, who was awarded a Fellowship to do research on the project, gained a better understanding of predictive maintenance and how the project 鈥渃onnects data, sensors and real building systems in a way that matters,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t has made me more curious about how data science can be applied to improve real-world environments in everyday life.鈥�
Making a World of Difference
In summer 2025, blower door tests were done on the apartments to monitor and measure air leakage.
Architecture major Isaac Chin 鈥�27 experienced the pre- and post-retrofit conditions while living in an apartment at 221 Lambreth Lane for two years. 鈥淚t was really fun to see the transition because it represents everything I鈥檝e learned,鈥� says Chin, who became interested in sustainable architecture in one of Krietemeyer鈥檚 classes and added a minor in sustainable construction through SUNY ESF. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what I love about architecture.鈥�
He says the upgrades not only saved energy, but enhanced comfort, improved kitchen ventilation and provided more stable temperatures. He cites how the project鈥檚 scalability and retrofitting can be applied to older buildings, making them more viable and well-suited for the environment, rather than using valuable resources to destroy them. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a monumental step in showing how we can use this technology to re-adapt buildings to become more sustainable using quick and efficient technology and expert planning,鈥� Chin says.
Becoming a Hub for Sustainable Retrofits
The Sustainable South Campus project is a collaborative initiative that features industry partners, researchers from the School of Architecture, the College of Engineering and Computers Science and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, as well as members from Campus Planning, Design and Construction. Photo courtesy of Tammy Rosanio.
Syracuse stands at the forefront of the DOE-funded ABC projects, the first to complete the retrofit and incorporate monitoring. As the project continues, more research questions arise to explore鈥攕uch as the impact of solar radiation and insulation acoustics鈥攁nd team members are collaborating on other grants to build retrofits. 鈥淲e鈥檙e expanding this network and this cohort, and Syracuse is really a hub now鈥攔ecognized as one of the leaders in this area,鈥� says Krietemeyer, acknowledging the collaborative teamwork and contributions of team members throughout the project. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in this together and will keep moving this forward in different projects, different applications鈥攊t鈥檚 setting up an interesting trajectory for years to come.鈥�
