Democratizing net-zero design

cove.tool

Sandeep Ahuja Ajuha is the CEO and co-founder of cove.tool, the end-to-end building-performance and data app. Most recently, Sandeep presented at the U.N. Environment Assembly, with 1,500 global delegates, on the impact of buildings on climate change, showcased at the TedX Atlanta and won the Forbes 30 under 30.

With her desire to bring automation into the AEC world, she is pioneering the integration of data-driven thinking into the design and construction process by developing intelligent software.

Remote working proved that having an efficient workflow is valuable to our professional and personal lives. Being able to understand how to design sustainably is as important as meeting our project budget. Sandeep Ahuja, AIA, co-founder and CEO at cove.tool, will tell us about reducing embodied carbon in our projects assisted by the software she developed.

Tannia Chavez (TC): How did cove.tool begin? What was your vision?

Sandeep Ahuja (SA): When I learned about the impact buildings have on the environment, I wanted to find a way to make significant changes in the building and construction industry. I decided to become a sustainable architect and work with firms to reduce energy consumption while reducing costs for their projects. I collaborated across 26 offices to build the internal in-house green team at my first sustainability consulting office. My goal was to integrate sustainability into every single project from start to finish. During this time, I realized that many of the clients we worked with were from large firms that could afford this type of consulting service. But there were smaller firms that didn’t have the same resources. If we were really going to have an impact on climate change, firms of all sizes needed to have access to our services.

My co-founder and I started using computer scripts to automate processes and take on more clients. We were able to support more than 200 projects on the East Coast and a few on the West Coast in the time span of a year. But it was clear that we needed to streamline processes to accomplish our goals and expand the business. We brought our third co-founder onboard and started developing the cove.tool app, a data-driven platform designed to optimize building projects for energy and cost. We’ve come a long way since then, and the tool has grown from a building-performance and energy-modeling platform to adding 3D modeling and HVAC design for mechanical engineers. Honestly, it was a gradual transition. But now, we continue to expand the software and grow our team, and most importantly, we have offset more than 29 million metric tons of carbon to date—and we’re not done yet. TC: How much life-cycle energy can I save in a project by using cove.tool?

SA: It depends on the ambitions of the project team, their goals, and the actual design. The spectrum of the project and whether the project is a new construction versus a renovation also has a significant impact. However, we’ve had clients that were able to achieve net-zero carbon in newly designed projects, too.

For us, it is extremely important to talk about the total cost of the construction. If it’s not affordable or not included in the project budget, it is simply not feasible. We believe that managing the budget is how we help small projects with a low budget to make a better decision. Our platform currently holds over 25,000 projects, and many of them have a high budget. But we focus on supporting every scale of the project, not restricting the design intent or the realizations. Cove.tool provides a minimum of three compatible and affordable options to fit each specific budget. There are an infinite number of options affecting the project’s budget. Cove.tool narrows down all the possible solutions that can include focusing on one option or several, like mechanical systems, roof, wall sections, glass, including TEI renovations. It’s easier to visualize the area with a higher priority when looking at the whole analysis report. It’s kind of pushing and pulling to find the best solution for a tight budget. We also have an in-house team of experts that can guide you in choosing your best-suited alternative. We offer training, coaching, and live-chat support, as we understand that this topic is broad and very new to many of our worldwide clients

TC: Can you provide an example of an unusual building project that has succeeded with the advice of your experts and platform?

SA: One that instantly comes to my mind is the Living Building Challenge project at the Georgia Tech Student Center—now known as the Campus Center. Our experts at cove.tool helped the university’s design group realize that by renovating the

Above: cove.tool’’s 3D Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) analysis feature. Above: cove.tool’s 3D Sun Hour analysis feature.

building, instead of demolishing it, they were going to save so much more carbon. The carbon comparison report, along with the cost comparison of the renovation, showed a significant reduction in carbon and cost. It was a clear winner!

Besides being a successful story, Georgia Tech is where I went to school. I have so many associations and ties there, and it was cool to see that the software that I built with my team was able to have a high impact on my alma mater!

TC: If I understood correctly, cove.tool is very supportive of preservation projects, right?

SA: Absolutely. In fact, there are dedicated resources on historic preservation within the tool because saving buildings is how we save carbon.

TC: What is cove.tool’s strength?

SA: I feel like it’s unique and high-level. One key difference is the functionality of the tool, and it is 100% agnostic! It is like a blender that works with any software. It brings architects, engineers, and contractors in the same workflow, helping them check the carbon emissions and cost of the project. Back in the day, as a consultant, it took me 40 to 50 hours to do a simple task, but cove.tool takes 30 minutes to obtain the same exact results. What’s most exciting about cove.tool is that it includes cost versus energy optimization and cost versus carbon optimization. TC: Are there any additional features to come?

SA: Yes, tons of new features are launched consistently. The cost estimator will be added as a core part of the platform. Also, we are continuing to grow the embodied-carbon calculations to automatically estimate mass timber versus concrete. This one is incredibly essential in the early phases of design, and it makes it easier when you don’t have to wait for the structural calculations to make a final decision in the project.

TC: Is cove.tool adapted to the 2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon and local mandates?

SA: Yes, all of the above apply. The 2030 Challenge report was published two days ago for the 2020-year data, and I was so excited to see cove.tool among the top five tools used for 2030 reporting. There is literally one button for the 2030 auto report within the platform. We have also partnered with committees across the country to continue along with the education piece. Making sure that we can continue to educate and provide resources. And since we are super committed for this challenge to be put in motion, cove.tool launched a discount through March 2022 to make it even more accessible to smaller firms across the country to start reporting.

In terms of the local energy codes and zoning mandates, we have a dedicated research team checking the current prevalence in the energy code. And every so often, we get heads up

Above: cove.tool’s 3D Daylight analysis feature with new chat functionality.

from our users and the people involved in putting the amendments together. It is great to know that there are so many dedicated groups focused on these initiatives.

TC: How is cove.tool positioned in the current AEC market? How do you feel it is improving the workflow?

SA: Well, most of our clients are starting to use it at the proposal phase and winning projects, but it is really when their competitors meet the codes and design with good daylight views (showing a cove.tool analysis) that we noticed more firms keep using it through the final design process to late design development and early construction drawings.

In the last two years, the AEC industry has changed drastically, and there is so much uptake in technology within this space. Through the pandemic, technology became an unseen benefit, helping architects figure out new workflows and collaborating comfortably online.

Technology is starting to play a more important role along with the macros. Two years ago, I did not hear the word climate change as often as I do now. People are getting aware of climate change across the world; we hear about it now so much because of floods and hurricanes. The economic destruction has caused people to wake up and start moving in the right direction. Firms are being more conscious about climate change and are starting to implement tools for building performance.

TC: Can you give a few reasons why young architects should advocate for cove.tool to be implemented in their firms? SA: Carbon, carbon, carbon! Buildings are 40% of all global carbon emissions, and we have the ability to fix it. That’s why I wake up every day—to fight climate change! For young architects who don’t have consultants on their design team, we are here to help.

TC: Can you provide any recommendations to have an efficient collaborative workflow?

SA: Well, of course, implementing tools and technology drastically helps, but you must continuously evaluate them to make sure they are efficient for your team. Look for tools that support team collaboration and integrate with your current workflows.

TC: Our communities are getting more informed about embodied carbon materials and are looking for long-term sustainable designs. Being well informed makes you demand better services and better designs. Is your platform user-friendly for community leaders?

SA: Yes. When building cove.tool, we felt that our mission was to make it user friendly, and we did it! I am happy to say that we studied all the possible end users and their different levels of comfort with technology to make it easy to navigate our platform. All you need is to be enthusiastic about fighting climate change—as our team is!

Tannia Chavez, International Assoc. AIA

Chavez is a project manager at OMFPE Consulting in New York City and is serving as New York Regional Associate Director to the AIA National Associates Committee.