TEDxRideauCanal: Occupant - Concious Sustainable Building Design by Liam O'Brien

Liam O'Briean, PhD, is an assistant professor in Carleton University new Architectural Conservation and Sustainability program. Liam is researching design processes and energy simulation for high performance solar houses. For his PhD, he developed a design tool for solar houses that will enable efficient and highly-visual exploratory design of both passive and active solar systems. The tool is directly inspired by some of Liam's experiences using simulation tools for consulting.

Liam is interested in studying energy use and production on all levels of society from building to communities and city-level. Specific research topics are on solar energy availability in urban areas and the impact of occupant behaviour on building performance. Liam aspires to use his skills to aggressively push the envelope towards more sustainable buildings and urban environments. He would like to use his research and models to influence designers, planners, and policy makers. His TEDxTalk illustrates how real world occupant behaviour can affect energy-efficient design in unexpected ways.