About a2

About Architectural Applications

Architectural Applications is an engineering, architecture and design consultancy dedicated to developing smarter
and more elegant solutions to the use of resources in our natural and built environments. Funded through ARPA-E and SBIR programs, a2's flagship product, the AirFlowTM Panel, leverages efficient design and functionality from both HVAC and building envelope systems to provide cost-effective, energy efficient ventilation. Named as one of the top 3 products essential to the future of Net Zero buildings at the Green Build expo, and named the #1 Gamechanging Product by Building Green, the AirFlowTM Panel is an innovative solution for providing fresh and higher quality of air to the interior.

About the AirFlow Panel

The AirFlowTM Panel is a hybrid building envelope - ventilation component integrating an insulated, ultra-efficient polymer membrane exchanger into an elegant exterior wall panel.

Supply and exhaust airstreams are configured within the panel to transfer heat and humidity passively and ultra-efficiently. AirFlowTM Panels achieve their impressive energy performance as a modular series of exterior envelope panels, saving all of the space required by conventional HVAC technologies. Validated by a global team of experts and manufactured by an international leader in building envelope components, the panels are available in a wide
range of sizes and finishes to maximize compatibility with any architectural approach. With their “two-for-one” functionality, AirFlowTM Panels have demonstrated reductions in HVAC energy consumption of 55% at a lower construction cost than alternative high performance systems.

The transfer of heat and humidity across membranes emulates the transfer of oxygen and CO2 between water and blood stream in the gills of fish. In response to the ever-growing quest to create “smarter,” more “multi-functional” building envelopes, AirFlowTM Panels offer a bio-mimetic approach symbiotically combining ventilation and enclosure functions in a single component. The result is lower energy use, reduced space requirements, and healthier ventilation at a lower first cost.

 
 
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John Breshears, CEO & Founder

John Breshears is founder and President of Architectural Applications (a2), and the inventor of the AirFlowTM Panel, a bio-mimetic, wall-integrated ventilation technology that can reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning systems by 25-50% while delivering improved indoor air quality and  increased lettable floor area.

Mr. Breshears holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State
University and a Master of Architecture from Rice University, both in the United
States. John was the recipient of the first Peter Rice Memorial Prize, given by ARUP
in memory of their late director, with which he conceived the technology being
developed by a2. He teaches resource-efficient building design and technologies at
Stanford and Penn State Universities in the United States, the AA School in the U.K.,
and a variety of national and international conferences.

Carolynn Duncan, Vice President of Business Development

Carolynn Duncan is the Vice President of Business Development for Architectural Applications, a clean energy architectural ERV product in the hybrid facade-HVAC space. Prior to this role, Carolynn founded the Northwest Social Venture Fund and TenX, an impact venture fund and startup accelerator focused on reducing suffering in the world through maximizing social & financial returns. Carolynn has 10 years of experience with early stage investments and commercializing new technologies, through her work at TenX, EPIC Ventures, FundingUniverse, Eastern Idaho Entrepreneurial Center & Idaho National Lab, and Provo Labs Seed Fund. 

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Architectural Applications at a Glance

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