Cal Poly Engineering Students Win National ASHRAE Design Competition
August 30, 2011
Contact: Amy Hewes
Cal Poly Engineering
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly Engineering won first place in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System Selection category of the 2011 student design competition held by the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
This year's competition involved selecting and designing the HVAC system for the Drake Well Museum in Titusville, Pa., site of the world's first oil well in 1859, which launched the modern petroleum industry.
The Cal Poly team included students Lynn Gualtieri, Evan Oda, Kristin Porter, Navid Saiidnia, Jeffrey Wong and Cameron Young; faculty advisor was Jesse Maddren. Cal Poly's entry was among more than 20 submittals from around the world.
The winning entry emphasized "green and sustainable design" and included a solar panel array that would offset approximately 95 percent of the energy consumption of the museum. According to the Cal Poly presentation, the group's design was guided by ASHRAE standards to exceed LEED minimum requirements and Energy Star score expectations, both of which comprise industry sustainability indexes.
The first-place teams will present their projects at the 2012 Winter Conference in Chicago, Jan. 21-25.The competition recognizes outstanding student design projects, encourages undergraduate students to become involved in the profession, promotes teamwork and allows students to apply their knowledge of practical design.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 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.
For full competition results, go to:
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Photo caption: Working replica of original Drake Well. (Photo credit: The Drake Well Museum)
San Luis Obispo, California 93407