With buildings that consume about 40% of the energy worldwide, we have a responsibility to reduce their energy consumption.

At the same time, buildings have also a strong impact on the health of people. They can make us sick, or promote general well being and increase recovery.

Sunny Regards is on a mission to design buildings that are beneficial for humans and nature.

We are specialized in the design and modelling of sustainable, healthy buildings.

Examples of available services:

Diane Bastien holds a Ph.D. in Building Engineering from Concordia University, Canada. Diane is specialized in the integration of solar energy in buildings, which includes passive solar design, solar thermal, photovoltaic and daylighting. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on improving the performance of solaria and greenhouses by using high performance windows and shading devices and thermal storage systems.

In her quest to study extremely insulated buildings, Diane was one of the first Canadian to become a Certified Passive House Designer by the Passive House Institute. Her interests in healthy buildings also brought her to become a Building Biology Practitioner from the International Institute of Building Biology and Ecology. Diane has won several academic awards and was profiled by the magazine Les Affaires as one of the top 10 young engineers in Québec, Canada.

Ph.D. Thesis: Methodology for Enhancing Solar Energy Utilization in Solaria and Greenhouses

2017 Guarino, F. Athienitis, A.K., Cellura, M., Bastien, D. PCM Thermal Storage Design in Buildings: Experimental Studies and Applications to Solaria in Cold Climates, Applied Energy, 185: 95-106

2015 Bastien, D. & Athienitis, A.K. Methodology for Selecting Fenestration Systems in Heating Dominated Climates, Applied Energy, 154: 1004-1019.

2015 Bastien, D., Dermadiros, V. & Athienitis, A.K. Development of a New Control Strategy for Improving the Operation of Multiple Shades in a Solarium, Solar Energy, 122: 277-292.

2013 Bastien, D. & Athienitis, A.K. Evaluation of the Potential of Attached Solariums and Rooftop Greenhouses in Québec, 3rd Climate Change Technology Conference, Montreal, 1-11.

2013 Bastien, D., Leclerc, J, & Soarez, A. Use of Net Zero Energy Solution Sets for the Redesign of the New Zealand Meridian building, International Conference of the International Building Performance Simulation Association, Chambéry, 2783-2790.

2012 Wallin, J., Bastien, D. & Claesson, J. The influence of energy conservation on the performance of solar thermal systems - A cold country case studyThe influence of energy conservation on the performance of solar thermal systems - A cold country case study, International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry, San Francisco.