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For Release:
January 27, 2007
Contact:
Wendy Angel
Public Relations
678-539-1216
wangel@ashrae.org
 ATLANTA – A range of innovative technologies, including natural ventilation, use of grey water and incorporation of phase change materials, are highlighted in the winning ASHRAE Technology Award projects.
The awards recognize members' exceptional achievements that incorporate elements of innovative building design in the areas of occupant comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy conservation. Winners have applied ASHRAE standards for effective energy management and IAQ. The awards were presented at ASHRAE’s 2007 Winter Meeting being held this week in Dallas.
Matt Younger, P.E., principal of Stantec Consulting, Seattle, Wash., received first place in the new health care facilities category for his design for the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, Retsil, Wash.
The fully naturally ventilated building features large, independently operated windows that aid with a passive cooling system. The system’s design is predicted to save 45 percent over Standard 90.1 requirements, even without taking into account the deletion of comfort cooling requirements because the building is naturally ventilated.
Younger used intensive thermal modeling as a critical design tool on this project. Through testing of different design parameters, a whole-building integrated design solution was developed.
Receiving first place in the new industrial facilities or processes category are Pierre Roussel, P.E., vice president of the mechanical division, and Jacques Lagace, P.E., vice president of innovation and major projects, at Bouthillette Parizeau & Associates for their design of the thermal plant at the Pierre-Elliot Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
One of the challenges they faced was the proximity of the air traffic control tower and the possibility of the smoke plume from boiler combustion gases interfering with traffic control activities.
The team designed a system to avoid this scenario, incorporating measures such as running the boilers’ flue gases through a direct contact economizer to cool them using grey water. This also allows the system to reclaim the heat and creates efficiency of up to 99 percent.
Daniel Pare, project manager for IBM in Bromont, Quebec, Canada, received first place in the existing industrial facilities or processes category for his design for an IBM semiconductor packaging facility in his hometown.
His use of a thermal energy system with phase change materials combined with free cooling, a variable frequency drive chiller and predictive algorithm control is a first in North America. Phase change materials are substances that can accumulate and release energy during phase change. In this case, a change from liquid to solid.
His design will produce energy savings of six percent annually in part by using artificial phase change materials in the chiller with different melting points between 28°F and 40°F. The system also uses a natural cooling exchanger, which runs from September to May to take advantage of Mother Nature’s natural cooling season.
Honorable mention winners are as follows:
- Ronald Gagnon, president, Concept-R Inc., Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada, new commercial buildings category, Comptoir Richelieu Botanix, Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada.
- George Karidis, P.E., vice president and director of mechanical engineering, SmithGroup Inc., Detroit, new commercial buildings category, Visteon Village's corporate headquarters in Van Buren Township, Michigan.
- Ronald Henning, P.E., principal, SmithGroup Inc., Detroit, new institutional buildings category, University of Michigan's Life Sciences Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Norman J. Brown, P.E., principal, CDi Engineers, Lynwood, Wash., public assembly category, Seattle Center Marion Oliver McCaw Hall Renovation, Seattle, Wash.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of 55,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.
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