“Getting an efficient operating infrastructure does help, and it's always cheaper to do it on the initial build than it is to go back and retrofit,” said Tim Peglow, P.E., Associate Member ASHRAE. Join Peglow and 2021–22 ASHRAE President Mick Schwedler, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, as they discuss practical energy-efficient applications in hospitals and the 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG), a sensible approach for engineers and building owners and operators to easily achieve advanced levels of energy savings without having to resort to detailed calculations or analysis.

Because energy costs have risen since the 1990s, there’s a greater willingness today to share information about energy efficiency, said Andy Pearson, Ph.D., C.Eng., Fellow ASHRAE. Join Pearson, Julie Godefroy, Ph.D., C.Eng., and Hywel Davies, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE, as they identify how careful measurements and management of energy in cold stores and office buildings can result in significant benefits for stakeholders. 

“I think just being visible and accessible is the key to mentorship. When you open yourself up to the opportunity—whether you’re giving it or receiving it—then friendships are formed and bonds are made,” said Jennifer Leach, P.E., Member ASHRAE.

Jennifer and Katherine Hammack, Fellow ASHRAE, talk mentorship, lessons learned from past experiences and how engineers should nurture their curiosity on this episode of ASHRAE Journal Podcast. 

“Equity is the goal we strive to get to,” says ASHRAE Vice President Dunstan Macauley, P.E., HBDP, Member ASHRAE, in the latest episode of ASHRAE Journal Podcast. 

Join Macauley; Regional Vice-Chair for the Young Engineers in ASHRAE Committee Carrie Anne Monplaisir, Associate Member ASHRAE; and Region X Director and Regional Chair Devin Abellon, P.E., Member ASHRAE, as they discuss how ASHRAE and the engineering industry can be more inclusive.  

The trio define diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) (1:37), explain what those terms do not mean (3:55) and share their personal experiences related to creating a more inclusive industry (8:55).

Then, Devin and Dunstan—members of the ASHRAE Board of Directors Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee—and Carrie Ann dive into how ASHRAE and its committees could be more inclusive (14:00) and discuss how ASHRAE members can help increase the equitable distribution of all resources (8:30), including energy equity (30:45).

Learn more about the ASHRAE Board of Directors Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee.

What would ventilation look like in space? 

As private companies race to space (22:00 and 25:15), researchers and engineers are working to create built environments in the final frontier (3:12).

To kick off ASHRAE Journal Podcast’s second season, John Constantinide, P.E., Member ASHRAE, and Hamidreza Najafi, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE, discuss how HVAC&R technologies used on Earth can be applied to extraterrestrial indoor environments (3:35) as well as opportunities ASHRAE has to help shape the built environment in space (3:50, 21:30 and 27:25).

The pair also talk about how the International Space Station is an example of a living environment in outer space (4:30) and how the station showcases the importance of HVAC&R technologies and indoor air quality (5:45). Then, they discuss the importance of designing HVAC&R systems that help people exist and survive in the harsh environments of space (5:20), among other topics such as design considerations, non-HVAC elements that affect the built environment and sustainability in space. 

Almost two years ago, Constantinide and Najafi co-authored an ASHRAE Journal article about (2:56) environmental controls in space. 

Download that article at ashrae.org/podcast/space.

“Lumens are for humans,” but not plants—including cannabis, says Kyle Booth, Associate Member ASHRAE. 

On the latest episode of ASHRAE Journal Podcast, Booth and Dan Dettmers, Member ASHRAE, discuss what controlled environment agriculture demands of HVAC systems (7:55), the patchwork regulations born from increasing legalization of cannabis (26:30) and how cannabis grow facilities are helping the CEA and HVAC&R industries develop equipment as the “grow local” food movement gets louder (40:55). 

Dettmers and Booth start the podcast talking about the three loads CEA facilities demand: lighting, cooling and latent loads (7:55). Then, the duo discusses the high energy use intensity of indoor grow facilities (4:30) and dive into a history lesson of legality and regulations that come along with growing cannabis (4:50 and 22:45).

The architect, mechanical engineer of record and project manager of ASHRAE’s new global HQ discuss what went into deciding which HVAC systems to use and how the building operates. ASHRAE Treasurer Ginger Scoggins, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, former chair of ASHRAE’s Building Ad Hoc Committee, Gregory Walker of Houser Walker Architecture and Stanton Stafford, P.E., of Integral Group also share lessons learned (1:55 and 16:15) from this high-profile project.

The trio discuss some of the challenges they came across, such as the task of creating a market-rate net zero energy project (2:13), building envelope issues (3:00 and 20:00) and adhering to a fast-paced construction schedule (3:19). 

Then, Ginger, Greg and Stanton talk about how the design team chose between two options for the building’s HVAC systems (6:13) and how ASHRAE took a more innovative approach by choosing a technology not widely used in the Atlanta area (10:37). 

More resources:

·  Read the Owner’s Project Requirements

·  View the concept schedule

·  Learn more about the HQ project 

Building decarbonization is an industry trend, talking point and hot topic. But why is it important, how specifically might it affect building professionals and how is ASHRAE involved?

On this episode of ASHRAE Journal Podcast, the co-chairs of ASHRAE’s Task Force for Building Decarbonization, Donald Colliver, Ph.D., P.E., Presidential/Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, and Thomas Phoenix, P.E., BEMP, Presidential/Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE, define decarbonization (2:45), discuss what the building industry is doing to reduce energy use and emissions (3:50) and share who will be affected by building decarbonization (6:10).

Later, Colliver and Phoenix talk about the plausibility of current carbon goals (10:40) and dispel common myths and misconceptions about decarbonization (16:39).

Then, they wrap up the episode by discussing the task force and its ongoing work (19:54).

Want to learn more about the task force? Check this article out.

For more information about the ASHRAE’s Task Force for Building Decarbonization, visit ashrae.org/decarb.

What topics do you want to learn about, and who do you want to hear from? Email [email protected] with suggestions and feedback.

The building industry needs to share its failures so future projects can be better, says John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng., Associate Member ASHRAE. In this episode, John and Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng., Fellow ASHRAE, discuss why human judgment is critical to a better built environment.

John and Joe start the episode by talking about how “there’s no such thing as a free thermodynamic lunch” (1:57) and the unintended consequences of striving for increased energy efficiency, sustainability and carbon neutrality (2:12).

Then, they discuss why it is important for the building industry to openly talk about failures so that professionals may build on the lessons from the past (4:27). John and Joe also talk about the importance of understanding building science to help diagnose problems and prevent future failures, and later, dive into lessons learned from building materials and enclosures as well as challenges from COVID-19 mitigation recommendations, such as ventilation and humidity (17:47).

In this episode, Sheila Hayter, P.E., Presidential Member/Fellow ASHRAE, and Chuck Gulledge, P.E., HBDP, Presidential Member/Fellow ASHRAE, talk about the future of the HVAC industry and the built environment as they evolve with the help of Industry 4.0 technologies and ASHRAE's Vision 2030.

They dive into how buildings will be integrated and work as a community (2:58) and how data integration and optimization can help engineers make better decisions to monitor and adapt energy use (10:30). 

Then, they dig into how digital connections create data-driven practices for operations (7:50), including creating the ability to process and transform data to help engineers make decisions (8:25) and how buildings will be able to better respond to occupants’ needs in the moment (8:45). 

Sheila and Chuck also talk about Industry 4.0 technologies, such as digital twins (11:00), Lidar (18:03), mixed and virtual realities (18:50), generative design (25:25) and computational fluid dynamics (19:49). 

The duo also discusses how the new ASHRAE HQ is using Industry 4.0 technologies—including a digital twin (12:47)—while serving as a learning lab for the HVAC&R industry.