Simi Hoque’s Urban Modeling

Dr. Simi Hoque is passionate about improving the ways in which buildings use the earth’s resources.  She teaches environmental systems and sustainable design principles in the Department of Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst. Her research, partially funded by the Center’s Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, is focused around the application and development of energy-efficient buildings. Dr. Hoque specializes in energy modeling, resource efficiency, and systems design. She is co-author of a recent online publication (October 2013) intended to provide a quantitative approach to assessing sustainability indicators in a city. Research Cities today generate almost two-thirds of the world’s primary energy demand. By 2030, this is projected to increase to three-quarters, matching the urban sector’s expected share of global energy-related CO2 emissions. The current urban outlook demands a comprehensive understanding of urban sustainability policies and programs to address climate change and energy security. Dr. Hoque’s research is aimed at developing an analytical framework to integrate the performance indicators for buildings, transportation systems, and green spaces...
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Designer RFP for UMass Integrated Design Building (the future home of BCT) has been released

Designer RFP for UMass Integrated Design Building (the future home of BCT) has been released

The University of Massachusetts (technically, it's the UMBA) is planning a building that will bring together BCT, Architecture, and LARP (Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning) on the Amherst campus. Since this will be our new home, we are envisioning this building to be a showcase green and sustainable building. The designer RFP has been released a little while ago (8/7/2013) and can be accessed via the link below: http://www.massachusetts.edu/buildingauthority/baamhertstbidocs.html If your company is interested in submitting a bid, please note the deadline at the end of the month. Please forward this to potentially interested parties....
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UMass Amherst Named to Princeton Review’s ‘Green Honor Roll’

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the top 22 among more than 800 colleges nationwide recognized this month as a “Green Honor Roll School” by The Princeton Review. Giving the flagship campus of the Commonwealth’s public university system a perfect 99 on a 99-point scale this week, the Review’s annual Best 378 Colleges guide salutes schools for being “environmentally aware and responsible institutions.” Specifically, the reviewers say the ranking considers whether students have a campus quality of life that is both healthy and sustainable, how well a school is preparing students not only for employment in the clean energy economy of the 21st century, but also for citizenship in a world now defined by environmental challenges, and how environmentally responsible a school’s policies are. This is the third time in four years that UMass Amherst has been recognized by the Princeton Review for its sustainability programs and accomplishments, but a first for making the Honor Roll. President...
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Hoque and Weil introduce Eureka! students from Girls Inc. to energy conservation

Hoque and Weil introduce Eureka! students from Girls Inc. to energy conservation

Girls from project Eureka! (Girls, Inc.) working with Ben Weil and Simi Hoque to test the duct dog for air leakage. In our workshop, they learned about energy conservation, heat transfer, and how to use a thermal imaging camera to detect heat signatures. They also had a really good time decorating 'Milo' the dog and cleaning him off after he was very well air sealed. More information: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/07/post_392.html...
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