Undergraduate students were challenged by the ASHRAE 2000 Student Design Competition to design a two-story education building on a college campus in Greenville, SC.

The students participated in three categories – selection and design of the hvac system and architectural design.

The new building, as determined by the top student projects, would feature an hvac system with geothermal ground-coupled, closed-loop water source heat pumps, with each zone having its own ground source heat pump for comfort control.

The building also would use an hvac system design featuring a hybrid ground source, heat pump bank that uses a closed loop, four-pipe, water-to-water design. A common ground loop would serve as a condenser for summer and as an evaporator in the winter. First place in the hvac system selection went to Leye Adegbite, Jason Cooper, Kevin Dettling, Ken Frieling, Bill Hoch, Troy Milan, Jeff Oosting, Adrian Subryan, Jeremy Tell, Chris Weaver, and Adam Wilson of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI. Their advisor is Mitchell LeClaire, P.E., .

The team found that units in the geothermal ground-coupled, closed-loop water source heat pump system would not have to be exposed to ambient conditions, making it ideal in coastal applications.

In the hvac system design category, John Damoth, Leon Greiner, Brian Holton, Sam Lampe, Martin McDonough, John Quilitzsch, Glenn Remington, and Steve Turnbull of Ferris State University, Big Rapids (MI). Their advisor is Michael Korcal.

For humidity purposes, a steam-to-steam system was used in the hybrid ground source heat pump bank, which would be segregated from the main campus supply to ensure that all contaminants and impurities are removed.

First place teams will received $1,500 and financial support for a representative to attend ASHRAE’s 2001 Winter Meeting, January 27-31, in Atlanta, to receive their awards. Each of the projects will be represented in a poster session during the meeting.