Mechanical engineering students Jayson Bursill, Natasha Palmer, Angela Walton and Gavin Wong have won first place in their category at the 2013 ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) Design Competition. The team was skillfully mentored by UBC professors Steve Rogak and Nima Atabaki, as well as their industrial advisor Geoff McDonell from Integral Group Deep Green Engineering.
The students competed in the HVAC Design Calculations category, in which they were challenged to design an energy-efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system – a crucial technology for ensuring the future of sustainable building.
The students demonstrated a creative engineering approach and were judged on their ability to meet five major design goals: low life cycle cost, low environmental impact, comfort and health, creative high performance green design and synergy with architecture.
This year’s competition focused on the residential 20-story Dallas Power & Light Building in the heart of Dallas, Texas.
The students will receive $2,000 and their design will be recognized at the 2014 ASHRAE Winter Meeting in New York on January 28, 2014.
About ASHRAE
Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is a building technology society which focuses on building systems, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry.