In “Sneak Peek at the Future of Building Materials”, Dr. Diana E. Hun, manager of the Building Envelopes Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will present a few of the materials and technologies under development at Oak Ridge, with a focus on improved energy efficiency and durability in building envelopes.
The conversation will take place on the IBS Live stage (Booth SU873) at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 from 10:30-11:00 AM, as one of many the IBS Live events covering the future of housing and building products. As prospective end users, feedback is welcome from building professionals and audience members.
We spoke with Dr. Hun about her research and development process, as well as the goals of her upcoming panel at IBS 2020.
BD: What is your focus in building materials research?
Dr. Hun: I develop, evaluate and integrate new materials that improve the energy efficiency of new and existing building envelopes. To this end, I assemble multi-disciplinary research teams that typically include material scientists, engineers, and industry partners among others.
BD: Which materials and methods do you plan to display during your panel, and how will they be presented?
Dr. Hun: I will talk about technologies that we are currently developing such as insulation materials, sealants, prefabricated assemblies, non-intrusive air leak detection systems, and 3D printing applications.
BD: How will you incorporate feedback from the attendees?
Dr. Hun: Most of the technologies that I will cover are under development; therefore, there is room for improvement based on user feedback.
BD: How do you anticipate that the materials and processes you present today will be incorporated into the building products and methods of the future?
Dr. Hun: We intend to deploy our technologies by collaborating with potential industry partners that could eventually manufacture and make them available to the construction industry.
