CASE Spring 2025 Open House Showcases Innovation and Climate Action in the Built Environment
May 2nd, 2025
The CASE Spring 2025 Open House was a vibrant event, drawing more than 80 guests to Industry City for a full day of exploration, discussion, and engagement around climate action and innovation in the built environment. The event spotlighted the pioneering research and design work happening at The Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology (CASE), offering attendees an interactive look into student and faculty-led projects that confront some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing New York City and beyond.
Set in Brooklyn’s Industry City, the event featured an interactive layout with a center stage for formal presentations, surrounded by tables displaying detailed models, prototypes, and cutting-edge computing and software demos. A dedicated area for student posters allowed guests to dive deep into semester-long projects, with students on hand to discuss their work in detail.
Visitors gained valuable insights from presentations before circulating among the exhibits, where they had opportunities for one-on-one conversations with CASE faculty and students. In addition to in-house research, the Open House featured contributions from industry partners, including OBMI and the Fort Miller Group, highlighting a growing ecosystem of collaboration in sustainable design and innovation.
The showcase included a wide range of work under CASE’s umbrella of research themes—Material Circularities and Ecology, Climate Adaptation, and Energy & Environmental Intelligence.
Highlighted projects included:
Hemp Circular Economy and Innovation Research: Led by CASE Associate Director Alexandros Tsamis, this initiative featured groundbreaking work on hemp-based insulation panels, hemp rebar, and a comprehensive framework for developing a hemp circular bioeconomy in New York State. Student projects such as BARN++—a proposed hemp processing facility—and C2M2, a design for machinery enabling continuous hemp composite manufacturing, illustrated proposed applications of this research.
Waste Acoustics and Material Reuse: Faculty member Josh Draper showcased innovative acoustic paneling made from jute (a biodegradable byproduct of coffee sacks) and rice starch. These plant fiber reinforced composites (PFRCs) demonstrate sustainable alternatives for basic plastics used to create products and design elements.
Computational Energy Modeling: CASE Director Dennis Shelden led projects on the integration of BIM, AI, and other digital tools to optimize building performance. Student projects such as a cross-domain interoperability framework and EP_AI, an AI agent for early-stage energy modeling, emphasized the role of computing in advancing environmental intelligence.
B.Arch Away Studio – City of Yes Reuse Research: Faculty Fleet Hower’s studio explored the opportunities for material reuse within the context of New York City’s upcoming “City of Yes” zoning updates. The projects addressed how materials from existing buildings could be identified, harvested, and reused in new residential developments, potentially reshaping how NYC manages construction waste during rapid housing expansion.
Expert Panel: Advancing New York Climate Action
A highlight of the day was the panel discussion, Advancing New York Climate Action, moderated by Jack Murphy, Executive Director of The Architect’s Newspaper, and CASE Director Dennis Shelden. The conversation brought together leading voices from the public and private sectors who are driving environmental progress in the built environment.
Panelists included:
Jennifer Cass, SVP of Sustainability and Resilience at NYCEDC
Sreoshy Banerjea, Executive Director, NYC Public Design Commission
Chris Hayner, Deputy Director of Zoning, NYC Department of City Planning
William Xia, Director of Multifamily Housing Programs, NYSERDA
Jared Della Valle, FAIA, CEO & Founder of Alloy
Each speaker provided insights into how their agencies or organizations are advancing sustainability—whether through resilient coastal infrastructure projects like LMCR and ESCR, strategic job creation through NYCEDC’s Green Economy Action Plan, or the development of New York’s first all-electric skyscraper by Alloy. Discussions covered critical themes including decarbonization, energy storage, zoning evolution, and the integration of distributed energy systems.
The day of Insight, Innovation, and impact concluded with a networking session, bringing together students, faculty, professionals, and city leaders for meaningful conversations and collaborative thinking. The event served as a powerful reminder of CASE’s role as a nexus for applied research, education, and industry collaboration.
By tackling the urgent challenges of our time—climate adaptation, equitable development, and sustainable material systems—CASE continues to lead the charge toward a more resilient and environmentally focused future.
Media Contact:
Kathie Brill, Program Manager
Brillk@rpi.edu