Nupoor Kansara is #SDLivingtheDream:
Fueling a passion for sustainable design
Monday, August 16, 2021
Name: Nupoor Kansara
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2020
University team: Illinois Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: Baumann Consulting
Current role: Energy and commissioning engineer
How did participation in the Solar Decathlon affect the trajectory of your career?
The competition played a crucial role in fueling my passion for sustainable design. It helped me discover the value of energy modeling in the design process, occupant comfort approach, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
This has been instrumental in my day-to-day work with energy modeling and WELL, LEED, and other green building certifications. The competition was my first achievement during the pandemic as everything transitioned to a virtual environment, and it increased my confidence and helped me tackle unique situations using a positive and creative approach. I also learned about diverse sustainability approaches from participants from around the world, which has been beneficial while working on international projects.
Describe a work outcome, building project or other achievement you are most proud of and how (if) it relates to your experience with Solar Decathlon.
As a consultant, we help clients achieve their sustainability goals – whether it is through LCA analysis, commissioning, WELL certification, building envelope simulation, or energy modeling for LEED, code compliance, or ENERGY STAR. I implemented most of the above concepts in our net-zero design at the competition. I have worked on multiple energy modeling projects for residential buildings in Chicago. Most recently, I worked on an energy modeling project for a laboratory in the Netherlands. Lastly, I helped the residential building Optima Lakeview (shown below) achieve energy code compliance through energy modeling.
Optima Lakeview: https://optimalakeview.com/
Tags: #SDLivingTheDream, 2020 Design Challenge, Alumni, Design Challenge, Profiles