Center for the Built Environment (CBE)

Our mission is to improve the design, operation, and environmental quality of buildings by providing timely, unbiased information on building technologies and design techniques. Our projects fall into two broad program areas: First, our research team and industry partners are developing ways to "take the pulse"​ of occupied buildings - looking at how people use space, asking them what they like and don't like about their indoor environment, and linking these responses to physical measurements of indoor environmental quality. This feedback is highly valuable those who manage, operate, and design buildings. Secondly, we are studying technologies that hold promise for making buildings more environmentally friendly, more productive to work in, and more economical to operate. This helps our manufacturing partners to target their product offerings, and facility management and design partners to apply these new technologies effectively.