ATLANTA — Registration is now open for 2021 ASHRAE Building Performance Analysis Conference in Denver, Nov. 10-12.

This will be ASHRAE’s first hybrid conference, where virtual attendees will have access to live sessions, participate in speaker Q&A, and interact with both virtual and in-person conference attendees. The theme of the conference, “Design and Operation for Resilient and Healthy Buildings,” focuses on the practices of energy modeling and building performance simulation using existing simulation tools, software development, and future simulation research and applications.

“The past year has brought forward new challenges for the design and operation of new and existing buildings, in particular challenges related to the health and well-being occupants,” said John Bynum, conference chair. “This conference will provide an opportunity for building professionals across disciplines to share and learn about these topics and many others as we continue to work towards a better built environment.”

Conference attendees will learn from more than 60 presentations by industry practitioners and academic researchers on topic such as machine learning, exascale computing, data visualization, and zero-carbon initiatives along with advanced techniques, innovative workflows, and future trends in building performance modeling.

The conference will also feature the seventh annual ASHRAE LowDown Showdown modeling competition. Ten teams with members from across the globe have signed on to compete in this year's competition. Teams are comprised of building analysts, designers, architects, engineers, and other participants and will be responsible for creating the architectural design and a performance analysis model based on model building data. The teams may use any software or a combination of software to complete their projects. The 2021 competition will ask teams to expand their comfort zones and take on the challenges of a tropical climate with particular challenges for resiliency and "near net zero" design. 

Early bird registration cost to attend the conference in-person is $675 for ASHRAE members ($725 for non-members) through Aug. 29. Virtual registration cost is $225. For more information, visit ashrae.org/BuildPerform2021 and ashrae.org/2021lowdownshowdown.