Powering Design: Integrating BIPV for Sustainable, Safe, and Aesthetic Building Envelopes

This podcast explores the integration of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) into modern architectural design as both a functional energy source and a defining aesthetic feature. Participants will learn how BIPV systems can transform façades into renewable-energy generators while maintaining compliance with critical safety standards and design codes. Through discussion of system fundamentals, design applications, lifecycle benefits, and fire-testing standards such as NFPA 285, the course will illustrate how architects and design professionals can advance occupant welfare, building performance, and sustainability goals. By connecting design innovation with measurable environmental and safety outcomes, this session provides a framework for incorporating BIPV into projects pursuing LEED, WELL, or other green-building objectives.

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Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the SpecShaman podcast, the show that explores the world of building product manufacturers, architects and engineers, sustainable design and technology and trends. We engage in thought provoking discussions with renowned experts, industry pioneers, and visionaries who are making a significant impact in the construction industry. Join us as we explore groundbreaking ideas, revolutionary concepts, and the latest advancements shaping the built environment.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode. Let's get started. And today we'll explore how solar technologies are being seamlessly integrated into architecture, enhancing both aesthetics and performance.

We're joined today by Jill Chen, business development manager and Corey Fry, sales director from Metrix, a company leading the evolution of building integrated photovoltaics or BIPV. Together, they'll help us understand how this technology is transforming facades into energy generating systems that contribute to sustainable net zero and design forward buildings. To start us off, can you each tell us a little about your origin story and how you came to be in this segment of the industry? Yeah, absolutely.

This is Jill Chen here. As for my origin story, I kind of just fell into it to be completely honest. I've always been interested in architecture and sustainability and BIPV just combines both in a really practical way.

Once I learned more about it, it felt like a space where I could really make an impact and not to mention being part of such an innovative industry is incredibly rewarding and exciting. And my origin story is not quite the same as Jill's, but I also kind of fell into it. I've always worked in the construction space selling building materials, but more commodity type materials like gypsum products and electrical wire and that sort of thing.

This opportunity came to me from a recruiter and everybody knows you get approached by recruiters all the time and usually it's fluff. But when I saw the product and I saw the company and I saw the opportunity for me to continue selling products in the construction space, but products that were actually going to be market disruptors and have a positive impact both in the sustainability of construction and a positive impact in the planet. It was something that I really saw myself getting excited about.

And today, five years later, I'm still very excited about selling BIPV into the space. Oh, fantastic. Thank you both for being here today and sharing your background and expertise with us.

Let's start with the basics. To set the stage, can you explain what BIPV is and how they might differ from conventional solar systems? You know, it's funny. Most people instinctively want to compare BIPV with solar panels, but it is really so much more than just that.

Traditional solar systems, they're typically an add-on. There's something that you mount onto a roof or onto a rack. And BIPV, on the other hand, it actually replaces part of the building itself.

It becomes the cladding. It becomes the spandrel. It becomes the balcony rails.

So it's both the building material and the energy generator. That dual function makes it a true integration rather than just an attachment. And really, at its core, BIPV is a building material first rather than a solar panel.

It's designed into facades like a typical cladding material. It meets building codes. It's installed as a building product and then also offers the added advantage of generating energy.

Building on that, how does BIPV integrate into the building envelope while still serving as a functional energy generating system? Yeah, so like I just touched on, you know, what's interesting about BIPV is that at its core, it's treated just like any other cladding product. The most common application we see is in rain screen assemblies, where the BIPV module simply replaces the outer fascia panel. Everything else behind it, like the subframing, the insulation, and the air barrier, it's going to stay exactly the same.

It doesn't stop there. The BIPV can also be integrated into curtain wall and into other glazing systems, balcony railings, shading devices, canopies, really any part of that building envelope that gets good sun exposure. And that flexibility is what makes it so exciting.

It's not limited to just one application. It's truly a building material that can adapt to different design intents and different construction systems. From an installation standpoint, what are the key considerations for ensuring safety, durability, and energy performance? Well, like any other building material, there are strict codes and standards for things like fire safety, wind resistance, and impact resistance.

It's crucial that BIPV systems meet or exceed these same requirements so that they perform as both a safe and durable cladding material. On the energy side of things, factors like panel orientation, color, shading, and even the building's geometry are going to play a role in how much power you can generate. And that's why coordination early in design is an important element so that the system can be optimized for both the aesthetics and also for the performance.

The goal is to make sure that it looks great, it lasts decades, and performs efficiently, all without adding complexity for installers. You know, there's a lot of curiosity but also, at times, misunderstanding around solar. So what are some common misconceptions about BIPV among design professionals, owners, or even the public? You know, we get asked this all the time, day in and day out.

The biggest misconception is that it's too expensive or that it's overly complex. In reality, when you factor in the fact that BIPV replaces a conventional cladding material while also generating energy, it can actually make very, very strong financial sense. This is, again, where it comes to comparing it to solar panels, right? Solar panels are an add-on, and BIPV actually replaces a material.

Another misconception is that it's complicated to install, but the panels are designed to integrate just like standard façade materials. The electric connections are handled by licensed solar contractors, and the rest is very familiar territory for façade installers. And then finally, I would say some people think that all solar, all BIPV, it all has to look the same.

Plain dark panels, but in reality, you can customize color, texture. You know, you can even print artwork or patterns directly onto the surface of the panel. Could you touch on how this technology has evolved? You know, what improvements have been made over time, and how do they really benefit design professionals today? Yeah, absolutely.

BIPV has come a long way from the early days. It used to be limited in color and format, but now we can produce panels in almost any shape or size, in a wide range of colors, and even with curvature. The integration methods have evolved as well.

So they're now designed to mirror conventional façade installation systems, which means less learning curve for contractors and smoother design coordination. These improvements don't just make it more flexible, but they also make it more practical and easier to adopt. It's now easier for design professionals to consider BIPV early in their projects and use it to promote sustainability without sacrificing that creative freedom, which was always a hindrance when BIPV was first brought into the market.

Amazing. So now that we've established the fundamentals, let's shift a bit toward design, because form and function are really both important. What kinds of customizations or façade design options are available with BIPV that support architectural creativity? Yeah, well, like Jill touched on one of the previous questions, honestly, the sky's the limit.

You can customize the shape of BIPV, the size, the colors, or like she said, even do something like create printed patterns or scan an art mural onto the BIPV panels. In fact, one of the projects we installed earlier this year now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest solar art mural. So it's proof that energy generation and art can live side by side.

Architects can use BIPV both as a design feature and a performance tool. Whether you want a sleek, modern finish or something bold and expressive, there's almost no aesthetic limitation anymore. It's really become a material for creativity, not a constraint.

That sounds amazing. So in practice, how can BIPV be integrated into a project without compromising design intent or aesthetics? Yeah, the thing that's great about BIPV is that it doesn't force a design compromise. Oftentimes architects are working on projects with something like metal panels or stone panels or glass panels, and that design doesn't need to change at all for them to swap out one of those more traditional materials and replace it with BIPV.

Beyond that, BIPV isn't limited to flat surfaces. It can take on complex geometries, include cutouts for vents or windows or unique facade lines. We've done projects with tilted or faceted facades that add real depth and visual interest to the project.

It's about using solar as a material, not an add-on, so the architecture stays true to its intent while becoming energy positive or energy active. Now there seems to be a bit of a shift in perception around solar technology from something that was really bulky to something more beautiful. So in what ways has BIPV helped overcome that outdated image of solar? Yeah, that's a funny one.

And as I'm sure you can imagine, we run across this all the time. The reality is a lot of BIPV projects are so integrated that you wouldn't even realize that the panels on the wall were generating electricity. They look like standard building material but are quietly generating electricity in the background.

A funny story, early on when we were demonstrating these panels at trade shows, people would walk up to us and think that we were selling marble or stone surfaces because the BIPV panels looked so much like other materials. So that kind of seamless integration really changes how people perceive solar technology. How can design professionals really strive to balance energy performance requirements with design flexibility and visual impact when specifying BIPV systems? It really starts at the beginning of a project and understanding the project's energy goals.

Are they trying to meet lead requirements or are they trying to offset a specific amount of energy, satisfy a regulation, or qualify for some sort of specialized financing? Once those goals are clear, architects can make informed decisions about panel sizes, colors, layout, etc. Energy modeling and performance studies at the design stage help guide these choices, so energy goals and design intent work hand in hand. Now let's take that creative potential and apply it to the real world.

We'll talk about when BIPV makes the most sense in a project and how teams can evaluate if it's going to fit. So what types of projects are the best candidates for BIPV integration? From a sector perspective, in our experience, higher education, institutional buildings, airports, hospitals, multi-res projects, and retrofits, these are all going to tend to be great candidates for a material like BIPV. And that is due to the fact that, you know, these owners, they're going to be the ones who see the long-term benefits in energy savings and revenue generation over the building's lifespan.

And that's not to say that other sectors or other building profiles can't benefit from BIPV. I think, you know, all buildings can benefit from having on-site renewable energy, especially if they also have sustainability targets, whether that's regulation-driven, whether that's ESG-driven, or somewhat related to green financing. BIPV can also be beneficial for retrofits in the fact that some retrofits needed to be reclad, or they are using them to beef up their energy performance.

I'll add to that one. Another project segment that we're seeing a lot of use for BIPV is in the data center space. You know, we know that data centers are being put up all across, all around the world, really, and they're large buildings that consume a ton of electricity.

So, any of that electricity that they can offset from the grid, or they can generate on-site, is hugely beneficial. And the nice thing about data centers for BIPV is that there's usually not a lot of windows in those buildings. They have large, opaque surfaces, like Jill was just referencing.

So, just wanted to add that that's one more product segment or project segment that really can see huge benefit from BIPV integration. Now, how should design professionals evaluate whether or not BIPV is the right fit for their project? Like Corey mentioned earlier, one of the first steps any team should take is just to really understand what their goals are, right? Not just from the energy side, from the sustainability side, but also from their design priorities. When it comes to BIPV, this is not just a panel, but this is a solution that can address a lot of these different aspects of their project from energy, from sustainability, from the design, and even to the constructability of the project itself.

So, really understanding what their goals are, this can help determine the value that BIPV can bring. And then from there, manufacturers like ourselves, we can provide energy generation analysis and feasibility insights, recommendations, because we're seeing it from the lens of, okay, how do we impact this project in the best way possible, where we are meeting all of these energy and sustainability targets, but we are still keeping in mind the design elements and we're still keeping in mind the constructability elements of things. For many clients, this is their first BIPV project, so kind of understanding where to start and getting guidance in that aspect is really helpful and critical to making sure that their project works smoothly.

Are there certain climates or building conditions where BIPV is less effective? And if so, how can those challenges be addressed? Yeah, this is something that comes up and is quite a common question for us. And the short answer really is that this is going to depend on the building. Generally speaking, BIPV is designed to perform across a wide range of climates.

You know, our system is tested from negative 40 Celsius to positive 85 Celsius, so it's going to be durable almost anywhere in the world. The real consideration is how and where you use it on the building. It's not going to cover 100% of your facade, and it's not about that.

It's about being strategic in where you use BIPV. You want to target the sunniest, the most visible, or the most impactful areas of the building to be able to drive the most value. For instance, a south-facing elevation with consistent sun exposure is going to be ideal.

And that's where we come in. We can help run analysis to determine where BIPV will perform best, both functionally and aesthetically. That way, the building gets the maximum return on its solar investment without over-designing or over-complicating the facade.

Another element where you kind of want to consider is also what you're replacing with BIPV, right? Because again, drawing back to the comparison between typical solar panels and with BIPV, we're going to see quicker returns when we are replacing a material that is going to be similar in cost to us. So ultimately, that plays a part in where you're implementing BIPV as well, because if it is going to be similar in cost, even if it is on the north elevation, for instance, it is still going to see ambient sunlight. It is still going to see some sun to drive revenue and to generate some value.

From a sustainability perspective, how can BIPV contribute toward LEED credits or other sustainability frameworks? So BIPV can contribute to several categories within sustainability frameworks like LEED, most notably in energy efficiency, on-site renewable energy generation, material transparency, and even innovation credits. It's a versatile solution that supports a holistic sustainability strategy rather than just being a standalone feature. So what is particularly powerful is that BIPV can be combined with multiple other strategies such as passive design, efficient HVAC systems, high-performance glazing, all of this to strengthen the building's overall sustainability performance.

And because the façade is always required, you're taking that necessary surface and you're making it do more. It doesn't just enclose the building, it's actively generating clean energy and it can play its part within all these other strategies. What's especially interesting is that BIPV can essentially pay back its own embodied carbon, something that just simply isn't possible with traditional façade materials.

Every product has an initial carbon footprint from manufacturing and from transport, but BIPV goes a step further. Over its lifespan, it's going to produce renewable energy that offsets the emissions tied to its production, and then once it has paid back, so to speak, its own embodied carbon, it's going to continue to act as a net positive element, offsetting the carbon footprint of the entire building as a whole. So what role can BIPV play then in adaptive reuse, retrofits, or projects pursuing net zero or net positive energy targets? BIPV is a fantastic option for adaptive reuse and retrofit projects, especially when the façade is due for replacement anyway.

It gives building owners the chance to modernize the look of their property and generate renewable energy at the same time. In some retrofit cases, we've even seen owners access sustainability-related financing or improved lending rates because of the energy performance gains. The façade is often one of the most visible upgrades, so it really becomes a statement piece of a broader sustainability strategy.

I'll add to that too, Jill, talking about the net zero projects or the net positive projects. Net zero is kind of a buzzword that we hear a lot of in our industry these days, and a lot of clients want to build net zero buildings, and quite frankly, a lot of them get to the point of finding out what net zero entails, and quite often that puts an end to a net zero strategy on a project just because it is so difficult to get a building to net zero. Net zero requires on-site energy generation, and most people in our industry think about solar panels on a roof or solar canopies over a parking lot as being the way to generate that energy on-site or with things like wind and geothermal, but as I said, it's quite difficult to get to that.

If you're including all those types of elements but also adding something like solar energy generation from the façade of the building or from the balcony railings of the building or the spandrel panels in a curtain wall, it just helps bring projects that much closer to reaching those net zero goals without having to, you know, compromise or to add additional building materials to the building. Now, of course, design and performance are part of the equation. Let's take a closer look now at how BIPV impacts cost, return on investment, and environmental value.

So, how do the upfront costs of BIPV compare to traditional façade materials or conventional PV panels? Yeah, of course, we talk about this with potential clients all the time, and a lot of people are surprised to hear that the costs are actually quite similar. BIPV today can often match or come very close to the price of conventional cladding materials. Sometimes, depending on the cladding material, it will even come in at a lesser cost upfront than traditional cladding materials.

You know, there's a perception out there that this is a state-of-the-art technology or that anything with solar in the name automatically comes with a big cost premium, and that's really not the case anymore. What's really important to understand is that the cost model for BIPV is different from conventional rooftop solar. Traditional solar panels need to generate enough energy to pay back the entire cost of their system.

So, everything from the racking to the wiring to the panels themselves, the installation labor, it has to offset that cost in order to show a positive return. With BIPV, it's a totally different equation. The facade is something that you have to build anyways.

You have to clad your building with something. So, the BIPV only needs to offset the incremental cost difference between the standard cladding material and the energy-generating one to show a positive return. And again, quite frankly, sometimes that's on day one if we're talking about cost parity with the alternate building material that would be used instead of BIPV.

So really, instead of asking, can the solar pay for the whole system? The question becomes, can it pay for the small cost delta or the difference between the traditional material and the more sustainable BIPV material? And when you factor in things like tax credits and green financing and long-term energy savings, it becomes very compelling and realistic investment for building owners. When building owners generate their own renewable energy, what are the long-term financial and operational benefits that they could expect? Well, financially, essentially, you're getting free energy over the lifespan of the material. If your building is generating green energy on-site, every kilowatt hour that's generated from your BIPV material is one less kilowatt hour of electricity that you need to pay the local utility company to take that energy from the electrical grid.

Operationally, you gain on-site energy, energy independence, and more predictable utility costs, basically turning a building material into an energy asset. How do government incentives, rebates, and regional energy policies impact the financial feasibility of BIPV? Yeah, these types of incentives and rebates can make a huge difference in the overall cost of a project by implementing BIPV. Programs like the investment tax credit in Canada or a similar U.S. tax credit program or regional incentives across North America can significantly improve on the return investment for BIPV projects.

It's important for governments and government agencies to push construction and buildings being built in their country towards more sustainable buildings, and not just that, but push them towards as much energy independence as possible. Those incentives have been made available by various different governments, and they can make a huge impact on the costs of BIPV in a project. I just told you how BIPV can be cost-comparative with a lot of traditional building materials, and when you start to factor in tax incentives, very, very quickly, BIPV becomes the most economical solution while also being the right decision from a sustainability standpoint.

Beyond that, because BIPV directly contributes to a building's sustainability performance, it can also open the door to sustainability-related financing or preferential green lending programs. Essentially, these policies and incentives help bridge the gap between upfront costs and long-term value, making it quite a lot easier for owners to choose high-performance building materials like BIPV. And then from a lifecycle perspective, how does BIPV reduce a building's carbon footprint compared to a standard cladding material? When you think about traditional cladding on a building, it's just a shell.

It protects the building but doesn't really do anything else. BIPV flips that script because it's actually producing energy while also being the shell and protecting the building. Over the life of the building, that energy offsets carbon emissions that would otherwise come from the grid.

And the really interesting part is that BIPV is just one strategy. When you combine it with other strategies like energy-efficient systems, smart glazing, or on-site energy storage, you can drastically increase on-site energy generation and reduce the building's overall carbon footprint. It's like getting two, three, or even four benefits for the price of one.

On a human level, in terms of occupant wellness, how does producing clean energy on-site contribute to a safer, more sustainable built environment? Yeah, when you're producing clean energy on-site, that's less reliance on the electricity grid, which often depends on fossil fuels, depending on the market that you're in. This means cleaner air, less pollution in the surrounding environment. And again, BIPV is just one piece of that puzzle.

When paired with other energy strategies, you can really maximize clean energy production on-site. Plus, there's a sense of pride in well-being. Occupants know that they're in a building that's actively contributing to sustainability, which can improve comfort and engagement in ways that traditional buildings can't.

One kind of cool story that we have is one of our clients integrated a BIPV cladding system, and they monitor the output from that system and measure it in terms of the amount of clean energy generated on-site, what would that mean as far as an equivalent to planting trees, or taking cars off the road, or powering X number of homes for a year, that sort of thing. And they actually put that on a display monitor in the building's lobby. So it's kind of a cool way, touching on that point of the pride of the tenants.

They walk in and they see every day that building has done tangible things to improve the environment around them. That is really cool. Now pivoting now to one of the most essential aspects of maybe any building product, but the compliance and safety.

BIPV has to meet energy performance goals, but also some of the highest standards of building safety. So what are the primary fire, wind, and structural safety codes that govern BIPV systems? You know, it's funny, I think a lot of people think that because BIPV is a newer technology to some, that it's not as heavily tested as what we see more commonly in building industries today. But it really is quite the opposite.

Because it is a dual-purpose product, we're actually holding it up to those two different sets of standards. So from the building side of things, it's governed by the same construction standards as any other facade or cladding product. In North America, for example, relevant fire tests include NFPA 285 or ULS 134, which evaluate flame spread and multi-story facade performance.

Impact and structural safety are covered under standard building codes as well, including tests for wind loads and for hail and for impact resistance. And then on the other side of that coin is the fact that BIPV is also a solar product. So that means it must meet additional photovoltaic-specific standards like IEC 61730, which ensures electrical safety, and IEC 61215, which tests long-term performance and reliability of the modules.

So essentially, BIPV has a dual set of requirements. It needs to function safely as part of the building envelope and as a solar energy generating system. Meeting both sets of standards gives architects, engineers, and owners confidence that this product is going to be both safe and durable.

You did mention it, but NFPA 285 is a key fire safety test. Can you take us on a little deeper dive on why that test is important and how it applies specifically to BIPV? Yeah, absolutely. With the construction industry today, with the importance of the safety of our inhabitants and occupants of building, fire testing has obviously become a very, very critical element of ensuring the safety of our buildings.

We've heard so many horror stories, unfortunately, of incidents and accidents throughout the world, so it really has become a very critical element. NFPA 285 is a fire test that evaluates flame spread. It tests how flames can jump from floor to floor and just ensuring the safety of the building should something catch on fire, should that flame spread, and how quickly that is going to happen.

BIPV, obviously, given that it's an electrical product, it's important that it's also tested to NFPA 285, and this is a growing concern for engineers and for architects. Now, how does certifications such as UL, CSA, and IEC provide confidence in product safety and reliability? UL and CSA confirms that products have been independently tested for fire for electrical safety and mechanical performance. IEC standards, they can add an international layer.

They cover things like energy output and durability, and when architects and engineers see these marks, they know that products are reliable and safe and third-party tested. We hear more and more lately about documentation like EPDs, HPDs, and ISO certifications. How do those tie into specifying BIPV? EPDs, HPDs, and ISO certifications are the environmental and health transparency tools.

Given this day and age where building sustainably is also a very, very critical path, it's important that we understand exactly where our materials are coming from and the sustainability that goes behind the materials themselves. So, EPDs tell you the carbon footprint of that product. HPDs reveal material health impacts for occupants, and ISO standards show sustainable manufacturing practices.

For specifiers, these help justify BIPV choices and other material choices in green building frameworks like LEED or WELL. And in your view, how do today's codes and standards strike a balance between safety and innovation, enabling professionals to confidently specify cutting-edge systems like these? Codes are here to protect people, there's no question about that, but they're definitely not meant to kill any creativity. Standards create a safety framework while still leaving room for architects and for engineers to experiment different shapes, textures, colours, sizes, without risking occupant safety.

It's a delicate balance, but it's certainly working, and given all the advancements we've made in engineering and architecture today in the construction space, clearly we're able to build safe but still impressive buildings. Sure. So, to wrap up, let's look forward.

Innovation in this space is moving pretty quickly, and BIPV is increasingly being recognized as part of mainstream architecture. You know, what key innovations in BIPV have emerged in the past decade, and how are they shaping modern façade design? There have been quite a few advancements in BIPV technology over the last decade. Things like semi-transparent panels, or thin-film photovoltaics, or customizable colours and patterns, you name it, these are all things that didn't really exist more than a decade ago.

But the innovation isn't just in the technology itself, it's also in how it can be applied. Most people think of BIPV as flat panels, but it can also take the form of fabricated assemblies and complex geometries. For example, we recently completed a project with tilted panels, and we'll be releasing a new series that explores even more creative applications shortly after that.

BIPV isn't just a functional product anymore, it's becoming an aesthetic driver. Façades can now generate energy while being visually dynamic and open up a ton of creative possibilities for architects and building designers. And looking ahead, what technological or policy advancements do you anticipate will expand the role of BIPV in the next five to ten years? We're always trying to push the envelope.

On the technology side, solar cells and overall module performance will continue to improve and become more efficient. There are new solar technologies being studied out there. Some of them exist already and are readily available, just not necessarily commercially available.

But as we know with these type of technologies, as they grow and as they get better, as time goes by, usually the cost comes down and makes them more viable for larger scale applications. On the policy side, we expect stronger regulatory pushes globally, and we're already starting to see it in the US. Places like California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts already have renewable energy mandates that are encouraging more building integrated solutions.

Internationally, countries like Germany, France, the UK and Japan are promoting stricter building codes and incentives for solar ready and energy positive buildings. Personally, I look forward to things like this, and I think that eventually and hopefully policy becomes one that includes BIPV as a standard. Like I said, in places like California, they're already mandating that there's solar panels on projects.

But those mandates are kind of in the more traditional sense, in the sense that you should be putting panels on the roof of your building. And as that continues to grow and people become more aware of BIPV and it gets used more readily across the country and around the world, it's not going to end at just panels on the roof, but expand into government incentives or government mandates that have to include BIPV on projects. If I can add to that as well on the technological side, I would say that we're also seeing advancements that are moving past just buildings.

Where else can we integrate PV? Because ultimately, it really is any opaque surface that gets a lot of sun exposure that you could potentially integrate PV into. So one technology that we're in the process of developing right now are photovoltaic noise barriers for highway applications. So think about all those barriers that you see when you're driving day in and day out.

They're just out there sitting in the sun, something like that, we can also integrate PV and start capitalizing on all of that unused and abundant. How is the growing North American BIPV market creating opportunities for design professionals to deliver sustainable high-performance buildings? Yeah, the North American market is adapting very quickly and creating those opportunities very quickly. In early days of BIPV, some of the more earlier products, most of them came out of Europe and a lot of the first BIPV integrations that we saw globally were in the European market with some of the older, you know, more rudimentary panels that were coming out.

But it's here now in North America and it's real in this market. As Jill and I have referenced, there are several projects being installed or that have been installed in North America. So, you know, for this, you know, what that means is for design professionals, it's real, it's here, there's already projects using it.

We all know that sometimes new technologies can be slow to come off the ground. Sometimes developers are hesitant to use a new technology that maybe someone else in their market hasn't already used. There's a very small percentage of the population that truly wants to be first with things like that.

So, you know, we're getting past that hurdle now and BIPV is getting installed in projects in North America and that's growing rapidly. For design professionals, this means a lot of opportunity. Owners and developers are looking for buildings that are energy efficient, future ready, and sustainable.

And BIPV really allows designers to integrate energy generation directly into the building rather than adding it afterwards as an afterthought. How are developers and building owners responding to energy generating facades? Well, like I touched on, sometimes there's a hesitancy at first with a new technology, but overall, they're really, really excited. I said before, you know, I've worked in the construction industry virtually my entire career and I laugh with people all the time.

I've never had such an easy time getting in to see architects or getting in to see developers to talk to them about our product because genuinely it's something cool and I've yet to meet someone that wasn't impressed by what BIPV had to offer. Now, obviously, because it's not installed all over the place and it's a somewhat new technology, there's some hesitation from some folks or, you know, a lot of questions, a lot of uncertainty. But beyond that, many owners and developers are all becoming more and more environmentally conscious anyways, whether it's for incentives or whether it's for mandates or whether, you know, they're just making a decision to do the right thing for the future of their environment.

So, much more of them now we see caring about long-term sustainability and they want buildings that are future ready. Owners are recognizing that these facades can pay for themselves over time, reduce the environmental impact and boost the building's value, all while supporting a forward-thinking, sustainability-minded approach. So, really, it's, you know, the best of both worlds.

One, it's the right thing from a sustainability standpoint, but also makes a lot of economic sense for developers, too. How early should design professionals begin discussing BIPV integration during their project planning? Yeah, good question. Like a lot of building materials, the general rule of thumb is the earlier the better.

If we're involved in design discussions from the beginning, architects and design professionals can use, you know, our standard panel sizes or our standard panel layouts and integrate that into the design of the building right up front. So, a building designed to use BIPV from day one is always going to be the path of least resistance and always be the best solution. But the flip side of that is, you know, projects that are already really far along in the design phase oftentimes don't take a lot of design changes to integrate BIPV.

Like Jill and I have mentioned a couple times already, they're very similar to some other facade panels like metal panels or things like GFRC or really any sort of panelized facade solutions. BIPV panels from a construction standpoint really are no different than those other traditional materials. So, what that means is, you know, you could have a building that was designed with metal panels on it from day one and very, very late in the process, you could switch those metal panels over to a BIPV panel and very little would need to change in the overall design of the building.

The backup wall is the same, the attachment details are the same, the way that the, you know, air and water barrier behind the panels or the insulation is integrated into that overall facade is no different whether it's a BIPV panel or, you know, a metal panel or something like that. So, overall, generally, earlier is better, but we can come in at very late stages too and seamlessly integrate into a project. And Corey, you talked about, you know, getting into to see architects, but can you talk a little bit about that collaboration that does happen between design professionals, you know, architects, engineers, and the manufacturers during the design phase? Yeah, that collaboration is important and I would say, you know, our company specifically takes a very involved role in assisting engineers and architects and designers.

There are a lot of professionals out there who may be working with BIPV for the first time in their career, especially, you know, long-term seasoned architects or engineers may have done hundreds of projects over their career and never used BIPV. So, the unknown factor that may come with that for them is something that may seem daunting and quite frankly, for us, it may be something that would discourage them otherwise from using BIPV on a project. The fear of the unknown can be a powerful force.

So, specifically, we stay very heavily involved in projects. We work with architects. We have architects, designers, and engineers in-house as well that can communicate directly with those professionals on each project.

As a manufacturer who also installs, we stay really, really close to all the projects that we're working on to make sure that any of those uncertainties or any of those challenges that they may come across, that would be new for them. We help, you know, take the challenge out of that and make it as easy as possible for them to get over those challenges. How do you see client or design professional awareness maybe evolving over the next few years? I see it evolving a lot and I've seen it evolve a ton just in the short five years that I've been working in this space.

There was several times earlier in my tenure in the BIPV space where I would speak to architects or design professionals and talk to them about building integrated photovoltaics or solar cells integrated directly into cladding panels. And it was quite common actually that I would get reactions that, oh my gosh, I didn't even know stuff like this existed. I didn't even know this was a possibility to integrate solar cells directly into the facade of a building.

And that's just, you know, three, four or five years ago that I was having those conversations. I will say today, now that some projects have been installed in North America and we've been quite active, you know, at trade shows and doing AIA presentations that I run into that much less than I did, you know, just a few short years ago. But, you know, like with any new technology, the evolution curve is usually steep.

And again, I see it changing now from where we're at today, where I would say most architects or design professionals are aware of BIPV, but likely have never worked with it to fast forwarding, you know, three years into the future or five years into the future that there's going to be much more of them that have experience working with BIPV. And hopefully we see a lot of them just starting to integrate BIPV into their projects as sort of a second nature thing. It's what makes sense both for the project, for the environment, and also to the bottom line of projects.

And I see it evolving that way where it becomes just more commonplace rather than a new cool technology that's being integrated into a project. Yeah, absolutely. And are you seeing or do you expect any policy shifts on the horizon that could accelerate awareness and adoption even sooner? I certainly do.

And we touched on it a little bit already. There are some markets across North America and globally that are mandating PV on-site energy generation on projects anyways. We've run into some situations, specifically in places like California, where they mandate on-site energy generation, and that mandate is based on, you know, certain different criteria.

What's the size of the building? What's the type of the building? What's going to be happening inside the building? That gets put into a formula, and it spits out an answer that, you know, this building needs to have 127 kilowatt solar system on this building, just using that number as an example. And so what will happen sometimes is when that mandate is put in place, the initial first thought is to go to putting solar panels on the roof. And what we're finding is some of these projects, quite frankly, just don't have the space.

They can fill their entire roof with solar panels and not meet that minimum requirement. So then they start looking at alternate solutions, again, like canopies that include PV cells or parking garage covers or just really anywhere where they can put PV panels to meet that minimum requirement that's mandated of them. When you start to add BIPV into that equation, it becomes much, much simpler.

The example that I'm thinking of in my mind where they were given that mandate of 127 kilowatts, you know, they were only able to get up to about 100 on the roof. So they talked to us about using BIPV to supplement that, to get them that last 27 kilowatts to meet their mandate. And when we did our initial studies and we checked all the areas that really made sense to integrate BIPV, and we put that study together, we could actually achieve far beyond that 127 kilowatts from the BIPV alone.

So now all of a sudden, this building owner can look at that and say, okay, for maybe a small incremental cost increase on my building envelope on day one, I can now meet my mandate. That cost is going to pay for itself over time with the electricity generation. And now I no longer have to put solar panels on my roof.

I can use that space for other things like amenity spaces or stuff like that that are going to add value to their building. So it really makes a lot of sense from that standpoint. And that's where I see things shifting.

You know, markets like California and New York are usually leaders in that space. Anything sustainable usually starts in those markets, but then permeates out into all other markets after that. And I think we'll eventually see that too, where these mandates for solar that we see in some markets are going to stretch out into virtually all markets.

Can you share an example of where aesthetics and sustainability goals worked hand in hand in a successful BIPV project? I can. Absolutely. Yes.

And this is one of my favorite projects to talk about. It's the Sunrise Tower in Edmonton, Alberta. It's one of the building's facades was actually a custom art mural created by a local indigenous artist named Lance Cardinal.

And it celebrates the community's roots in a visually striking way. So there's actually an art mural on the side of the building and that art mural is built out of BIPV panels. So not only is it artwork on the side of the building, but it's also generating electricity.

And it's not just a beautiful art piece. It has a lot of meaning for that community. So the location of that building, Edmonton has a large population of First Nations people in Canada.

So there's a huge First Nations influence in that part of the city. And it's also located right on the edge of the city's Chinatown. So what the artist Lance Cardinal wanted to do was kind of tie those two things together.

So if you ever see photographs of that project, the Sunrise Tower in Edmonton, one side of it is the seven spiritual animals celebrated by the local First Nations community in Alberta. And the other side of that art mural is 12 Chinese zodiac animals. So it's a really, really cool tie into the community.

It ties into that First Nations community to the Chinatown community. It's a beautiful art piece. It's part of the building envelope that's actually protecting the building.

And it's also generating electricity all in one. So it's a really, really cool story. And as I said, one of my favorite ones to talk about.

Wow, absolutely. Yeah, that sounds like a really powerful building. Really shows how design, innovation and sustainability can work together.

If you could leave our design professionals with one takeaway today about the role of BIPV in creating healthier, safer, more sustainable buildings, what would it be? It would be that BIPV is a proven real world technology that integrates energy generation directly into building surfaces. It can enhance a building's visual appeal, while also contributing to sustainability goals. In many cases, it offers cost effective performance with a relatively quick payback.

And Jill, did you have a closing thought? No, I think Corey took the words right out of my mouth there. BIPV is here. It's now and it really is the future of architecture and our construction industry today.

Fantastic. Thank you both so much for sharing your insights and expertise with us today. It's clear that BIPV represents far more than a technological advancement.

They're a design opportunity that unites energy generation, material efficiency and architectural vision. We appreciate you joining us on the Spec Shaman podcast as we continue exploring the details that make great architecture possible. Thank you for listening to the Spec Shaman podcast.

If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe to our show and leave us a review. A huge thank you to our guests who made this show possible. Thanks all for this episode, folks.

See you next time.