What if buildings did not just use energy but made it, stored it and helped stabilize the grid? That is the question driving one of the key Volt-Age Impact Projects at Concordia. The project, Design and Operation of Net-Zero Smart Resilient Buildings and Infrastructure, is sponsored by Volt-Age and led by Andreas Athienitis, a long-time researcher in smart buildings and solar energy systems.
A professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering since 1987, Chair of the Volt-Age Scientific Committee, Director of CZEBS and Concordia - Hydro-Quebec Partnership Research Chair Athienitis works at the intersection of building design, energy systems and grid integration. He focuses on turning buildings into active energy systems that can respond to changing conditions in real time.
A systems approach to net-zero buildings
The Impact Project brings together 10 researchers and a wide network of academic and industry partners. It is built on one principle: net-zero buildings only work when systems are optimally designed and operated as a system.
That means linking solar energy, thermal storage, batteries, heat pumps, electric vehicles and smart controls into one coordinated system.
Rather than treating buildings as fixed structures, the project models them as dynamic energy systems that can adapt hour by hour based on weather prediction, occupancy and grid demand.
A key tool is digital modelling. These "digital twins" simulate how a building behaves, allowing researchers to test strategies for reducing energy use, shifting demand and improving resilience before they are applied in real buildings.
From simulation to real buildings
The work is not confined to models. The Impact Project is grounded in real test beds and demonstration sites.
Earlier research by Athienitis' team and their partners helped deliver a solar-integrated façade system that generates electricity while preheating incoming ventilation air. The team also works with the Varennes Library, widely recognized as Canada's first net-zero institutional building, now used as a living lab for ongoing optimization.
A large-scale environmental chamber and solar simulator facility on campus allow researchers to test full-scale systems under controlled conditions. These setups combine solar technologies, heat pumps and storage systems to validate both performance models and control strategies.
The project also extends beyond campus through collaborations with municipalities and infrastructure partners, including airports and community-scale developments.
What changes for users
For building occupants, the shift is practical rather than technical.
Net-zero smart buildings aim to reduce energy consumption and operating costs while improving comfort. Better passive solar design increases natural light. Smarter controls maintain stable indoor temperatures and reduce overheating in summer.
Athienitis emphasizes that energy performance and comfort are linked, not competing goals.
"We are aiming for buildings that are efficient but also comfortable and pleasant to be in," he says.
Barriers to adoption
Despite strong technical progress, Athienitis points to policy and regulatory frameworks as major barriers.
Current building codes do not fully account for systems that include energy storage or bidirectional energy flows with the grid, and in some cases provincial rules that separate architectural and engineering work can limit integrated design. The research helps address these gaps by advancing integrated design and control approaches for net-zero, smart and resilient buildings in partnership with industry, drawing on lessons from both new builds and retrofits.
From buildings to infrastructure systems
The project is also tied to broader planning work. As lead author, Athienitis contributed to a national roadmap on decarbonized buildings and communities developed with the Canadian Academy of Engineering. It connects research outcomes to long-term infrastructure strategy.
Case studies such as the Varennes Library and Ontario's West 5 community show how integrated energy systems can operate at neighbourhood scale. The Varennes Library is a living lab with its performance continuously studied, modelled and optimized. Hydro-Quebec is a key partner in the grid interaction and predictive control of the Varennes Library.
The long-term goal is to move from demonstration to deployment, where buildings and infrastructure are designed from the outset as connected energy systems.
"We are trying to shift how buildings are designed and operated so they can actively support a low-carbon grid while remaining resilient to extreme weather events such as ice-storms," Athienitis says.
Learn more about Volt-Age Impact projects.
