Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

ASHRAE Technology Awards Highlight Outstanding Building Projects

ORLANDO, Fla.–Designers of systems for two office buildings, a warehouse and college library are recognized by ASHRAE for incorporating elements of innovative building design.

First place recipients of the ASHRAE Technology Awards were recognized at the Society’s 2010 Winter Conference, held this week in Orlando, Fla. The recipients have applied ASHRAE standards for effective energy management.

The first place winners in their respective categories are:

1.    The Terry Thomas (Michael Hedrick, Thomas Marseille, P.E. and Long Lam; Stantec Consulting; Seattle, Wash)

2.    Sobey’s Warehouse (Martin Roy, P.Eng.; Martin Roy et Associés, Inc.; Deux-Montagnes, Québec, Canada)

3.    IDeAs Design Facility (Peter Rumsey, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE; Rumsey Engineers; Oakland, Calif)

4.    The Richard J. Klarcheck Information Commons Building (Donald McLauchlan, P.E., Steven Maze and David Lavan; Elara Energy Services, Inc.; Hillside, Ill.)

For further information on these projects contact:

Amanda Dean
Public Relations
678-539-1216
adean (at) ashrae.org

RBc: Congratulations to the winners and of special note is the use of hydronics and floor heating in all the outstanding building projects.

 

Supportive Living Environments For Those Living With Dementia

Very little research exists on creating thermal comfort for seniors or those with physical and/or mental disabilities.

“Supportive living environments: A first concept of a dwelling designed for older adults with dementia” by J.V. Hoof and H.S.M. Kort in the August issue of Dementia is an excellent overview of challenges facing both the occupant living with dementia and designer responsible for these spaces. 

Excerpt: “People with dementia may have special needs regarding thermal comfort and the design and implementation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, since older adults with dementia have a different perception of their thermal environment due to the atrophy of parts of the brain that are responsible for the perception of thermal sensation (van Hoof, 2008; van Hoof et al., 2008a). To provide occupants with a sense of comfort with the thermal environment, temperature differences within the home should not be too large. Floor heating systems are very suitable, since one does not get hurt by wall panels in case of falls.”

Original source: Dementia, published by SAGE Publications 

See also: In Search of a Common European Approach to a Healthy Indoor Environment and The Health, Safety and Comfort Advantages of Low Temperature Heating Systems - A Literature Review

The effects of heating systems on (wood) floor performance in cool temperate climates

Excerpt: "Timber floors with under floor heating (UFH) systems represent a new and growing trend for the hardwood flooring market in Australia’s southern states. These systems are common in North America and Europe, but experience in Australia is limited with much debate concerning the suitability and performance of Australian flooring material in this application. Installing a wooden floor over a heated surface will lower the expected in-service Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC), thus floors with UFH should be installed at a lower Moisture Content (MC) than floors with no such heating system."

RBc: There are few better documents adressing the use of radiant floors with hardwood than R. Farrell and S. Gadient's research report for the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood.

If you don't want to read the entire 88 page report, the last words in the conclusion reads, "Wooden floors over UFH can perform well, and could even be argued that a wooden floor installed and operated correctly will out-perform those with conventional heating systems that cause hot-spots in the floor with extreme localised dimensional change. A wooden floor with UFH operated with moderate and gradual temperature changes will apply constant and even heat to the floor avoiding problems associated with localised heating."

Source and credit:hardwood with radiant heated wood floors.

Suggested study: Heat Loss to Head Loss - The Radiant Design Guide

Fundamentals of Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality

 

We’ve just uploaded our signature presentation which we do as part of our volunteer activities for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). This material focuses on the fundamentals of thermal comfort and indoor air quality.

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Building knowledge for a sustainable tomorrow - Construct Canada

Uponor Seminar Series Building knowledge for a sustainable tomorrow.

Date: December 4, 2008 Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Room 802 T, in conjunction with Construct Canada.

RSVP, visit www.uponorrsvp.ca and sign up.

The deadline to RSVP is November 28, 2008.

Are you interested in hearing from Canada’s foremost leaders in sustainability, hydronics and fire safety? Uponor is bringing these experts together under one roof in the inaugural Uponor Seminar Series. This must-attend industry event will feature discussions on:

• Some of the emerging trends in sustainable construction presented by John Godden:

John Godden brings more than 20 years of experience to the table as a designer/hands-on builder, working on projects that include the "Clearsphere" CHBC EnviroHome. A graduate of the Bachelor of Environmental Studies program at the University of Waterloo, he is heavily involved in the R2000, ENERGY STAR, EnerGuide and CMHC Healthy Home programs. John dedicates his time and experience to improving the quality of energy efficiency, air quality and building practices throughout the home building industry. John is currently working with twenty Greater Toronto Area builders who are constructing LEED model homes.

• The impacts of radiant-based HVAC systems on sustainability presented by Robert Bean.

Robert Bean is a registered engineering technologist in the field of building construction engineering. He is an avid student of industrial design (the way things look) and indoor environmental ergonomics (the way things feel). In 2007, Robert was selected as a distinguished lecturer for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers speaking on the Human Factor in HVAC, Radiant-based HVAC Systems and Snow Melting Systems. He is the editor for The Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality, and www.healthyheating.com, a not-for-profit website on anthropology, architecture and indoor environmental ergonomics.

• How an effective residential fire safety system can provide homeowners with a safe and sustainable home presented by John Caruso.

John Caruso is the Chief Fire Prevention Officer for the City of Vaughan. John has been involved in fire service for 23 years, spending 21 of those years in fire suppression. He is also the Community Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Vaughan.

Uponor Westcoast AIA ConEd slides now available

John Siegenthaler and I had the opportunity to work with Uponor, an AIA registered provider in delivering a continuing education program in Seattle, Portland, Oakland and Los Angeles. You can view the slides on indoor environmental quality and radiant cooling and heating at this link:

Thanks to Team Uponor for hosting a great event!
RB

Radiant Panel Association REX 2008 Slides Available

Thanks to the Larry and the entire staff from the Radiant Panel Association and to the attendees of the 2008 Radiant Exhibition held in Chicago, Il. It was another wonderfully warming event!

Slides for the conference are noted below.

Sustainable Construction Practices

Making Radiant Systems Simple and Affordable

Be sure to visit the Radiant Panel Association, where you can find all kinds of resources on panel heating and cooling.

Radiant Heating Meets Industrial Design

Uponor was honored by Professional Builder® magazine when the publication awarded the newly enhanced proPANEL® mixing panels with their 100 Best New Products for 2008 award. This top industry award recognizes the most significant new building products introduced each year based on technological advancement, significant product improvement and increasing competition of a product line. The goal for redesigning the proPANEL units was to offer customers a mixing panel that helped save them time and money while providing an innovative, high-quality, reliable product. Receiving this recognition from Professional Builder reinforces the idea that the new proPANEL line offers contractors an effective solution for their radiant system application needs.

RBc: Congrats to Uponor for this award...as we have been saying for the past decades...the heating components for radiant systems (and all hydronic systems for that matter) should be treated like any other appliance. Pre engineered and assembled to UL/CSA standards in an appliance factory with quality control and standardization. Use these and you'll reduce carbon emissions, installation times, wiring and start up challenges. Learn more about this here.

People who have read about the applications of industrial design and product ergonomics in heating systems also read this article.

Ontario Association of Architects Conference Slides on Radiant Cooling and Heating

Thanks to the Ontario Association of Architects for hosting a wonderful event and for the opportunity to share the knowledge on radiant based HVAC systems as a practical solution for indoor environmental quality challenges. The three hour workshop comprised of a history lesson covering 12,000 years of evolution, fundamentals of IEQ and radiant principles, design methods, applications and case studies. All of the workshop slides can be viewed at this link. Thanks to Ellen and the conference committee for all their hard work and to the world leader in radiant systems, Uponor for sponsoring the event.

Discuss this material online.

10th Global Engineering Conference - HVAC Systems Targeted Towards an Aging Population

Thanks and congratulations to the entire conference staff from Carrier Corporation and HPAC Engineering for holding an outstanding Event at Caesars’ Palace in Las Vegas Nevada. With over 700 attendees from 19 countries it was truly an international event featuring presentations on sustainability as it relates to the design and construction of buildings.

Attendees of the Global Engineering Conference acquired Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by participating in the various workshops and other events at the conference. Continuing Education Units were offered according the standards of the International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET).

Slides from Robert Bean’s HVAC Systems for An Aging Population can now be viewed online at this link:
Click Here.

Learn more about the 10th Global Engineering Conference.

Learn more about designing for an aging population, click here.