2025 Theses Master's

Passive Cooling Revisited: Assessing the Decarbonization Potential of Window Awnings for Existing Buildings in New York City

Maxwell Foster, Anne

This thesis investigates the overlooked potential of window awnings as a passive cooling strategy for historic and older buildings amid accelerating climate change and the rise in both global temperatures and air conditioning use. The research reevaluates awnings not as a decorative attachment for thermal comfort, but as an historically-grounded technology that holds a renewed relevance for operational carbon reductions today. With an interdisciplinary approach that integrates architectural history, building science, and three-dimensional computer energy modeling, a feasibility study evaluates the impact of a contemporary awning installation for a Harlem, New York apartment house constructed in 1901.

Energy modeling calculations demonstrate a potential savings of 98 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over a 15 year period. At scale, estimated across even a modest share of New York’s historic building stock, these savings represent a significant operational carbon reduction opportunity. This thesis argues that historic preservationists are uniquely positioned to champion the strategic reintroduction of awnings through both awareness and policy reform, positioning them not as nostalgic embellishments, but as valuable tools for passive cooling, energy efficiency, and decarbonization of the existing built environment.