This course provides students with the necessary fundamentals of thermodynamics as they relate to building thermal systems and applications. Topics cover a range of principles from basic energy and mass balances to refrigeration cycles and heat exchangers.

This course introduces students to the basics of building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning design.  Emphasis is on introducing the topics within the context of the basic fundamentals of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer and include an introduction to comfort parameters, moist air properties, building heat loss calculation methods, building heat gain calculation methods, basic heating and cooling processes, and heating and cooling equipment.

This course continues the development of heating and cooling systems design, building on the basics learned in the Principles of Building Mechanical Systems with an introduction to solar radiation and the principles of cooling load calculations.  The course covers manual calculations for designing and sizing HVAC equipment, studying part-load performance, in addition to the ASHRAE Standards 55, 62.1, 90.1, and 189 with a detailed discussion on HVAC systems and equipment. This course provides an understanding of energy, ventilation, and human comfort, and the capability to handle design characteristics, and selection, of HVAC systems components.

This course continues the development of heating and cooling systems design, by applying what has been learned in the Principles of Building Mechanical Systems and Building Mechanical Systems I.  The course applies a systematic approach to the use of heating and cooling design as required by building simulation software currently used in the industry as an actual commercial building case study is utilized as the term project.  Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to comprehensively design an HVAC system in a real building using a building energy simulation program and to produce all the necessary mechanical drawings.

This course familiarizes the students with a basic knowledge of HVAC, electrical, illumination and communication system controls and control theory.  Topics covered include pneumatics, electric and electronic control systems, and components.  Building energy management and its connection to control systems are discussed with an introduction to motors starters and power sources.

This course is part of a year-long series in designing a building for a real-life client using the design-build project delivery method that is team taught by architects, structural engineers, HVAC engineers, plumbing and fire protection engineers, building electrical power distribution engineers and construction managers.  The course concentrates on preparing and developing the required “program” a designer must complete in order to understand the client’s building and design goals and requirements. The students must understand spatial relationships, building users, building codes and budget constraints in the development of the final program. The course requires an interdisciplinary team of students to utilize their respective engineering design specialty courses or construction management expertise as they design a building and plan for its construction by using estimating, scheduling, budgeting, and construction project management techniques and ultimately produce a full set of construction working drawings for the project.

This course focuses on hydronic heating and cooling design for commercial buildings of all sizes.  The course will include a review the foundations of pumping configurations, calculating pump head, hydronic accessories, as well as investigating alternative hydronic systems used in the industry.  Alternative systems to be discussed include water and ground source heat pumps, solar thermal, chilled water storage, ice storage systems, chilled beam systems, condensing boilers, and radiant systems such as in-floor heating and snow melt systems. 

This course focuses on elements of building energy simulations through an introduction and study of building energy assessment principles and protocols for new and existing commercial buildings.  Course topics include hands-on techniques of energy measurement and verification, indoor environmental quality parameter identification and measurement, and energy metric comparison/analysis for the application and submission of a building disclosure, rating, and labeling program.  The course will also focus on energy modeling to inform and guide design of a new commercial buildings.

This course focuses on elements of indoor air quality.  Topics include the physical and chemical characteristics of contaminants in indoor air; source of contaminants (indoor generation and outdoor pollutants in ventilation air), health effects of contaminants; ASHRAE Standard 62.1; and the calculations to show building design code compliance.

This course evaluates district energy as a part of integrated systems that provide one or more forms of thermal energy or a combination of thermal energy and electric power from a central plant(s) to meet the heating, cooling, or combined thermal energy and power needs of end-users.  The course will cover the design, performance, operation and maintenance, transmission and distribution networks, heat transfer, fluid flow, and measurement of thermal energy from district energy systems in addition to covering the environmental impacts compared to on site generation at each facility.  This course will also stress the coordination and integration with electric district energy system components typically housed within on the same site.

Work with graduate students in preparing their capstone papers/projects.  Examples of past research projects include field sampling and analysis of indoor air quality concentrations, retro-commissioning, waste heat reutilization on super computers for building heat, and the impacts of duct sizing methodologies.