Energy & Sustainability in Construction (ESC) Lab
The Energy and Sustainability in Construction (ESC) Lab promotes energy efficiency and sustainability (EES) in the built environment through the development of sustainable design, innovative project delivery practices, and risk-based financial models for EES investments. Our work focuses on integrating advanced financial analysis, project development, and management strategies to enhance the delivery of energy-efficient buildings and sustainable infrastructure.
Through innovative solutions, the ESC Lab addresses complex challenges in current project development practices that slow the transition toward a more sustainable society. Our research spans a wide range of critical areas, including commercial energy retrofits, community solar projects, green datacenters, healthy commercial buildings, and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. By tackling these pressing issues, the ESC Lab is at the forefront of driving transformative changes in the built environment.
Financial and Management Questions that Lead to Sustainable Solutions
The ESC Lab targets to help project stakeholders evaluate the risks and rewards of energy efficiency and sustainability (EES) investments by addressing some of the industry’s most pressing financial and management challenges, including:
- What policies, financing mechanisms, and project delivery systems best support the advancement of EES?
- How can we categorize and accurately model the unique risks associated with EES investments?
- What analytical modeling methods can be applied to ensure the effective implementation of EES measures in projects?
- How can we optimize investment strategies to balance environmental benefits with financial returns?
What best practices can enhance stakeholder engagement and collaboration to drive successful EES project outcomes?
Pursuing Innovative Solutions to Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
The ESC Lab has developed a series of analytical models and evaluation practices that facilitate the effective delivery of energy-efficient commercial buildings and sustainable infrastructure, including:
- Cost and power demand model for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure
- Conceptual cost and carbon estimating model for mass timber structure
- Energy-Related Risk Management in Integrated Project Delivery
- Phased Investment for Energy Retrofit (PIER)
- Energy Retrofit Loan Analysis Model (ERLAM)
- An optimized portfolio analysis for community-based photovoltaic investment
ESC Research Funders and Selected Projects:
- UW Clean Energy Institute: “Equitable Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Expansion—From the Tribal Community Perspective”
- King County Metro–Sound Transit–Seattle City Light: “Electrified Mobility Hubs: A Blueprint for the Future of Transit Infrastructure”
- UW Global Innovation Fund: “Mitigating Effects of Future Pandemics with the Use of Risk-Responsive Building Codes: A Developing Country Framework”
- King County Metro: “Evaluation of a Public/Private Partnership (P3) Model for Bus Base Electrification”
- UW CBE INSPIRE Fund: “Investigating the Health Requirements and Risk-Responsiveness Criteria in Office Building Codes for Mitigating COVID-19 and Future Airborne Diseases”
- UW CBE INSPIRE Fund: “Investigating Energy Justice in Washington State in Terms of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems and Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers”
- Google: “A Proposal to Grow a Greener Data Center with Google”
- UW Population Health: “Economic Impact of Office Workplace Transformation due to COVID-19: How Can Buildings and Surrounding Areas Recover?”
- UW Transportation: “UW Transportation Electrification and Solar Study”
- RERI–LBNL–DOE: “Effect of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure on Office Building Marketability”
- Pankow–Skanska–Oregon DEQ: “Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Low Carbon Construction Commercial Office Building MEP & Interiors Data”
- BE Innovation: “Impact of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure on the Performance of Office Buildings”
Selected Journal Publications:
- Min, Y. and Lee, H.W. (2024). “Adoption Inequalities and Causal Relationship between Residential Electric Vehicle Chargers and Heat Pumps.” ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 04024025.
- Min, Y. and Lee, H.W. (2024). “Quantifying Clean Energy Justice: Impact of Solarize Programs on Rooftop Solar Disparities in the Pacific Northwest.” Sustainable Cities and Society, 105287.
- Shang, L., Dermisi, S., Choe, Y., Lee, H.W., and Min, Y. (2023). “Assessing the Office Building Marketability Before and After the Implementation of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure Policies – Lessons Learned from Major US Cities.” Sustainability, 15(11), 8883.
- Min, Y. and Lee, H.W. (2023). “Characterization of Vulnerable Communities in Terms of the Benefits and Burdens of the Energy Transition in Pacific Northwest Cities.” Journal of Cleaner Production, 135949.
- Min, Y., Lee, H.W., and Hurvitz, P.M. (2023). “Clean Energy Justice: Different Adoption Characteristics of Underserved Communities in Rooftop Solar and Electric Vehicle Chargers in Seattle.” Energy Research and Social Science, 96(1), 102931.
- Su, S., Li, X., Zhu, C., Lu, Y., and Lee, H.W. (2021). “Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment: A Review of Research for Temporal Variations in Life Cycle Assessment Studies.” Environmental Engineering Science, 38(11).
- Droguett, B. X. R., Huang, M., Lee, H.W., Simonen, K., and Ditto, J. (2020). “Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Tenant Improvements Over the Building Lifetime: Estimating Material Quantities and Embodied Carbon for Climate Change Mitigation.” Energy and Buildings, 226, 110324.
- Ho, C., Lee, H.W., and Gambatese, J. (2020). “Application of Prevention through Design (PtD) to Improve the Safety of Solar Installations on Small Buildings.” Safety Science, 125, 104633.
- Gomez Cunya, L.A., Fardhosseini, M.S., Lee, H.W., and Choi, K. (2020). “Analyzing Investments in Flood Protection Structures: A Real Options Approach.” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 43(2), 101377.
- Shang, L., Lee H.W., Dermisi, S., and Choe, Y., (2020). “Impact of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure Policy on Office Buildings.” Journal of Cleaner Production, 250, 119500.
- Shakouri, M., Lee, H.W., and Kim, Y.-W. (2017). “A Probabilistic Portfolio-based Model for Financial Valuation of Community Solar.” Applied Energy, 191(1), 709-726.
- Shakouri, M. and Lee, H.W. (2016). “Mean-Variance Portfolio Analysis Data for Optimizing Community-based Photovoltaic Investment.” Data in Brief, 6(1), 840-842.
Current and Former Lab Members:
- Abdul-Razak Alidu
- Byungju Jeon
- Chitika Vasudeva
- Yohan Min
- Matt Wiggins
- Novi T.I. Bramono
- Yong-Hyuk Oh
- Chuou Zhang
- Jonghyeob Kim
- Wenqi Zhu
- Julie Knorr
- Zhila Mohammady
ESC Lab Posts:
Professor Chris Lee Delivers Special Lecture on US Construction Technology Trends to GS Engineering & Construction
On November 15, Professor Hyun Woo “Chris” Lee delivered a special lecture to a delegation of 25 directors and senior managers from GS Engineering & Construction, one of Korea’s largest contractors. The lecture, titled Technology Trends in US Construction, was part of the group’s Innovation Training Program during their visit to the United States. Professor Lee highlighted cutting-edge advancements in construction technology, including…
Prof. Chris Lee Presents Insights on Public-Private Partnerships (P3) for Electric Bus Base Conversion to Washington State Transportation Commission
On October 15, 2024, Prof. Hyun Woo “Chris” Lee presented findings of his research project to the Washington State Transportation Commission, focusing on the application of public-private partnerships (P3) for converting electric bus bases to support a zero-emission fleet. Funded by King County Metro through the UW Mobility Innovation Center, the project aimed to assess…
CEI awards Collaborative Seed Grants to boost AI data centers, EV charging infrastructure – Clean Energy Institute
Transportation is responsible for 39% of Washington’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Strategically expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) is crucial to support the electrification of this sector, as existing research consistently demonstrates a strong correlation between public EVCI availability and EV ownership at both national and municipal levels. However, reports have revealed that EVCI planning often neglects the specific needs and challenges…
Dynamic production scheduling model under due date uncertainty in precast concrete construction.
Journal of Cleaner Production 257, 120527 Abstract: Precast concrete structures (PCs) are widely used in the construction industry to reduce project delivery times and improve quality. On-time delivery of PCs is critical for successful project completion because the processes involving precast concrete are the critical paths in most cases. However, existing models for scheduling PC…
Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability & Project Schedule Performance
Journal of Management in Engineering 36 (3), 04020004 Abstract: This study applies empowerment theory to production planning at the level of frontline managers in a construction project. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate how empowering frontline managers impacts their planning performance. In contrast to prior studies, we find that although psychological empowerment of frontline managers…
Impact of Make-Ready Process on Project Cost Performance in Heavy Civil
Production Planning & Control 30 (13), 1064-1071 Abstract: The research investigates the relationship between the production plan reliability and the project cost performance using project data in the heavy civil construction sector. The research also investigates the attributes of a make-ready process using statistical analysis. This study shows that production planning reliability (i.e. Per cent…
Prevention through Design (PtD) for Solar-Ready Houses
Supported by CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training (https://www.cpwr.com/), a UW CM research team recently completed a funded study regarding Prevention through Design (PtD) for Solar. The team consisted of Prof. Hyun Woo “Chris” Lee (PI), Prof. John Gambatese (Co-PI, Oregon State University), and Yohan Min (UW PhD student researcher). The study aims to…
Impact of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure Policy on Office Buildings
DOWNLOAD ARTICLE Abstract: Building energy benchmarking policies require owners to publicly disclose their building’s energy performance. In the US, the adoption of such policies is contributing to an increased awareness among tenants and buyers and is expected to motivate the owners of less efficient buildings to invest in energy efficiency improvements. However, there is a…
Analyzing Investments in Flood Protection Structures: A Real Options Approach
DOWNLOAD ARTICLE Abstract: The soaring number of natural hazards in recent years due largely to climate change has resulted in an even higher level of investment in flood protection structures. However, such investments tend to be made in the aftermath of disasters. Very little is known about the proactive planning of flood protection investments that…
Prof. Chris Lee Presents: Lean and Safety Manual
On June 6, Prof. Chris Lee presented a “Lean and Safety Manual” to AGC (Associated General Contractors) member companies at the AGC-WA Building. Funded by the WA State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), the manual is the final product of his research project, entitled “Develop a Lean Practice Manual for Improving the Safety of…
CM Faculty Research Updates
Ahmed Aziz published and presented “The USA PPP Payment Mechanisms – the Path Toward Comprehensive Systems” at the Construction Research Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bill Bender published “A Model for Collecting Replacement Cycles of Building Components: A Hybrid Approach of Indirect and Direct Estimations” in ASCE’s Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. Carrie Dossick…
Effect of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure on Office Building Marketability
VIEW REPORT CM Associate Professor Dr. Hyun Woo “Chris” Lee and Runstad Endowed Professor of Real Estate Dr. Sofia Dermisi were awarded a College of Built Environment Innovation Collaborative Award. Launched in January 2017, the work continues through March 2018. Title: Impact of Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure on the Performance of Office Buildings Abstract: The…
“Prevention Through Design to Solar Systems in Small Buildings” featured in Safety & Health Magazine
A funded research project performed by CM Faculty Dr. Chris Lee and PhD student Chung Ho, along with a collaborator from Oregon State University, was recently featured in Safety and Health Magazine. Check it out below! http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/16452-prevention-through-design-methods-can-make-solar-panel-installation-safer-cpwr-report
Improving Solar Safety from the Design Process
Dr. Chris Lee presented a FREE webinar on improving solar construction safety from the design process: Applying Prevention through Design (PtD) to Solar Systems in Small Buildings Solar technology has grown cheaper and more economically attractive in recent years, and a growing number of homeowners are having rooftop solar panels installed. Employees of the small…
What can we do better? Convening the best minds to re-imaging capital construction at UW and WSU (2016)
Researchers at the Center for Education and Research in Construction supported an effort by UW and WSU to explore capital construction costs. DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER Why do university buildings cost so much? Most capital project groups have a series of pat answers to this question, but at the UW and WSU we think it is…
Implications of New Construction Technology for Western Washington Mechanical Contractors (2011)
This research was supported through generous funding from the Mechanical Contractors Association of Western Washington, the University of Washington Royalty Research Fund, the College of Built Environments and the Departments of Construction Management and Communication. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0823338. Any opinions, findings, conclusions…
Modular Prefabricated Residential Construction: Constraints & Opportunities (2013)
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT In 2012/2013, CERC received a Skanska Innovation Grant to study the potential for modular prefabricated construction for mid- to high-rise residential buildings in Seattle. The current practices in the construction industry are labor-intensive and surrounded by significant risks associated with market, site and weather conditions. In addition, the construction industry has been…
