Caroline Hachem-Vermette

I am an architect by training and by profession. Architecture is by its nature a multidisciplinary profession, involving diverse spheres of knowledge, such as various technological, science and engineering fields, sociology, psychology and art.

With two master's degrees in architecture, an additional master and a PhD degrees in Building Engineering at Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), my research activities have been progressing from the conceptual aspects of my first master research, concerning the design and analysis of a cultural/art center, in a more technologically oriented direction. The topic of my second master research (Summa Cum Laude), at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology is structural aspects of deployable structural systems found in nature and potential structural/architectural applications. My third master, in Building Engineering at Concordia University (Quebec, Canada), focuses on detecting and measuring mold growth in the building envelope in cold climate.

My PhD research in Building Engineering at Concordia University, focused on the development a design methodology for energy efficient, solar optimized residential neighborhoods, with building shape, density and site layout as design parameters. My postdoctoral research under the NSERC Smart Net-Zero Energy Building Strategic Research Network extends this topic to mixed-use neighborhood designs with the goal of achieving net zero energy status, and development of energy efficient/energy generator building envelope components (facades and roofs).

The research that I am conducting is multidisciplinary by nature, playing a bridging role between building engineering and architectural and urban design. The objective of this research is the development of a community design approach integrating neighborhood characteristics, building design and construction, building envelope design and current issues of building technology and sustainability.

My current research activities have resulted in involvement in feasibility studies of several solar community designs, in different locations in Canada.

My work was granted several awards including IBPSA-Canada eSim 2012 Outstanding Contribution for Innovative Directions in Modeling, and the IASS (International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures) 2005 Hangai Prize for young researchers.

Graduate students (MASc or PhD) with background in building engineering including building envelope, heat transfer, building mechanical systems, building science, building construction and with knowledge of programming are needed to conduct research in the Solar Energy and Community Design Lab (SECDL). Please contact Prof. H-Vermette if you have the above background and are interested in researching the above mentioned topics. SECDL offers the opportunity to collaborate with industry partners, to develop industry experience in building sciences, energy efficiency and energy systems, and to tackle issues pertinent to the development of sustainable environment.

New fully-funded PhD position: Mixed-use, Energy Efficient, Solar Communities

The objective of this fully-supported four-year Ph.D. studentship is to develop novel Design Methodology of Mixed-use, Energy Efficient, Low Carbon, Solar Communities.

Selected publications in refereed technical journals

• Syed*, A. and Hachem, C.  2018, Climate change resilient urban prototypes – A Canadian perspective on net zero energy design for retail amenities, Journal of Energy Engineering,Vol 116, No 1.
• Hachem C., Guarino, F., La Rocca   V., Cellura, M., 2018 Towards Achieving  Energy Communities: Investigation of Design Strategies and Seasonal Solar Collection and Storage , Journal of Solar Energy.
• Hachem, C. 2018, Multistory Building Envelope: Creative Design and Enhanced Performance, Journal of Solar Energy; 159:710-721. DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2017.11.012
• Hachem C. and MacGregor A., 2017, Energy Optimized Envelope for Cold Climate Indoor Agricultural Growing Center, Journal of Buildings, 7(3), 59; (This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Decarbonization in the Building Sector: Innovating Net-zero Energy Buildings) doi:10.3390/buildings7030059 (registering DOI).)
• Hachem C, ElSayed, M. (2016), Patterns of façade system design for enhanced energy performance of multistory buildings, Journal of Energy and Buildings, in press.
• Hachem, C., (2016). Impact of neighborhood design on energy performance and GHG emissions, Journal of Applied Energy, Volume 177, Pages 422–434.
• Hachem C., Cubi, E. Bergerson, J. (2015). Energy performance of a solar mixed-use community, Sustainable cities and communities (Special issue), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2015.08.002.

• Hachem C., A. Athienitis, P. Fazio, (2014). Energy performance enhancement in multistory residential buildings, Journal of Applied Energy, in Press.
• Hachem C., Fazio, P., and Athienitis, A., (2013). Solar optimized residential neighborhoods: Evaluation and design methodology, Journal of Solar Energy,95, 42–64.
• Hachem C., A. Athienitis, P. Fazio, (2012). Design of roofs for increased solar potential of BIPV/T systems and their applications to housing units. ASHRAE Transactions RNS-00226-2011.R1.
• Hachem C., A. Athienitis, P. Fazio, (2011), Investigation of Solar Potential of Housing Units in Different Neighborhood Designs, Journal of Energy and Buildings, Volume 43, Issue 9,  Pages 2262-2273.
• Hachem C., A. Athienitis, P. Fazio, (2011), Parametric investigation of geometric form effects on solar potential of housing units, Journal of Solar Energy, Volume 85, Issue 9, Pages 1864-1877.
• Hachem, C., Fazio, P., Rao, J., Bartlett, K., Chaubey, Y., (2008); Identification and Transport Investigation of Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds in Full Scale Stud Cavities, Building and Environment, Building and Environment, Volume 44, Issue 8, Pages 1691-1698.
• Hachem, C., Hanaor, A., "Folding Sleeves – Variations on a Theme of the Earthworm", International Journal of Space Structure, Vol.20, No 3, 2005, 127-146.
• Hachem, C., Karni, E., Hanaor, A., "Deployable Structures in Nature: Examples, Analysis and Realization", Journal of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, Vol.45, No 3, 2004, 190- 198.

Selected conference papers (since 2011)

• Courses