So Charles Dickens, Ferris Bueller, a chicken, and a pig walk into an HVAC article … and try to sort out proper use of outdoor air in data centers. As you might imagine, it’s not simple. But if you remember these three design absolutes and consider your client’s specific perspective, the resulting efficiencies might have you singing Wayne Newton at the prospect of repeat business.
The people in the industry don’t necessarily make a loud argument for it, but the results often do. How to get this ball rolling, sell it, and see it through from design to occupancy? Look ahead by looking below.
This month, our life safety coverage arrives from the commissioning side. From design phase to tips on navigating a seemingly untenable number of observations, and on to post-testing tasks, here’s one consultant’s solid reference to keep you and your client from getting unnecessarily alarmed.
Where do things stand in the never-boring world of refrigerant evolution? An industry veteran looks at life since the Montreal Protocol, a range of alternative refrigerants, and the political climate around the issue. For more than one reason, he writes, it is beneficial to keep up on the details and lead this refrigerant ‘charge.’
OK, not exactly simply. This lesson plan featured a one-two combo of radiant heat and displacement ventilation, along with smart use of sensors in its ventilation strategy. Multiple lighting/daylighting tactics drive costs down further while protecting comfort, and in every aspect, the team kept their eyes on cost vs. grants and equipment payback to keep the budget in check.
The truth is, you could have an extremely fruitful trip to the AHR/ASHRAE host city next month and never set foot on the Expo floor. Between the paid ASHRAE courses and all the free sessions hosted by various groups over at the Expo (see conveniently integrated list below), attendees may have some hard choices as they balance new products with hot topics.
University of Chicago has combined an underground library with a domed reading room. Throw in a restoration room for work on rare and sensitive materials, and you have a three-tiered
engineering challenge for ventilation, humidification, dehumidification, and filtration.
The building design and construction industry has been guided and encouraged by Federal legislation and private programs to reduce energy consumption in new buildings and major renovations with initiatives such as EPACT 2005 and USGBC’s LEED®. But what about existing buildings not slated for significant capital improvements?
Through a flexible design incorporating radiant heating and cooling, demand ventilation, energy recovery, and VAV, Manhattan’s Cooper Union leads its class in sustainable performance in
classrooms, labs, and beyond.