2024-09-16T14:58:45-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150438539/federal-green-proving-ground-program-secures-9-6-million-to-test-emerging-building-technologies Josh Niland 2024-07-24T13:08:00-04:00 >2024-07-31T12:38:06-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/c1/c1e4ab3005f6c2898276e28e6bfc7650.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Last week marked the announcement of the <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/1509401/general-services-administration" target="_blank">U.S. General Services Administration</a>&rsquo;s collaborative Green Proving Ground program with the&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/338911/u-s-department-of-energy" target="_blank">Department of Energy</a>. The initiative is aimed at producing &ldquo;real world&rdquo; evaluations of 17 different emerging technologies that may have a considerable impact on the future of the building industry and architectural design. Funding for the GSA&rsquo;s latest $9.6 million investment comes from the Inflation Reduction Act.&nbsp;</p> <p>This year&rsquo;s program focuses on the following areas: building envelopes and enclosures, healthy and resilient buildings, <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/16256/hvac" target="_blank">HVAC systems</a> for commercial buildings, and on-site renewables. The group being evaluated includes everything from <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/2132562/heat-pumps" target="_blank">heat pumps</a> to <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/973898/geothermal-energy" target="_blank">geothermal</a> retrofitting solutions and energy-saving ceiling tiles. Select testing will occur at the GSA's Applied Innovation Learning Labs with the first evaluations becoming available in 2026.</p> <p>The GSA hopes this will ensure a transition to a <a href="https://archinect.com/features/article/150434670/the-us-just-defined-a-zero-emissions-building-is-it-enough" target="_blank">net-zero emissions</a> federal building portfolio by 2045. On...</p>