In this episode of Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski welcomes Alpha Arsano, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Northeastern University, for a fascinating discussion about the future of buildings in a warming world. Alpha shares insights from her research on thermal comfort and climate-responsive design, offering a fresh perspective on how buildings can adapt to the needs of both occupants and the environment.

With innovative tools like the web-based Klima Plus, she reveals the potential for integrating passive strategies, such as natural ventilation, to reduce energy use while enhancing occupant comfort. Alpha also explores the importance of cultural context in design, pushing us to rethink how we approach sustainability and occupant well-being across the globe. If you’re ready to learn how architecture can rise to the challenges of climate change, tune in now!

More About Alpha Arsano:

Alpha Arsano is an Assistant Professor of Architecture in the Built Environment at Northeastern University. She earned a SMArchS and a Ph.D. in building technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was a Presidential Fellow and recipient of the TODA Award. Her research work has been funded by the TATA foundation and the MIT Energy Initiative. Before joining MIT, Arsano was an academic fellow at Transsolar Energietechnik, a climate engineering consultancy in Stuttgart, Germany, and interned at the architectural firm Allmann Sattler Wappner in Munich.

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Arsano’s research and teaching explore strategies to maximize low-energy, equitable bioclimatic building strategies in current and future climatic conditions. She studies the potential of low-carbon systems in buildings, thermal comfort and health of occupants, and the effect of climate change with a focus on the majority world. In addition, Arsano developed a digital design tool, ClimaPlus, to promote building design that integrates bioclimatic strategies with technology to reduce energy consumption in pursuit of a more sustainable and healthier environment. This simple web-app has been used to reach a MOOC course on edX for over 50,000 learners.

CONTACT:

https://camd.northeastern.edu/people/alpha-yacob-arsano/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alpha-yacob-arsano/

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