ASHRAE Award Leads to Unique Educational Opportunity

Every year, ASHRAE hosts a global competition that challenges students to design an HVAC system that performs well within certain parameters. Designs are to consider, life cycle costs, comfort and health, performance level, etc. In 2021, Noah Wells, a Kansas State University student at the time, and three of his classmates rose to the occasion.

Noah and his team were challenged to select an HVAC system for a higher education dining hall located in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Based on the opportunities and limitations presented, and the desires of the owner, the Water Source Heat Pump system was selected by the team. The design allowed for heat to be recycled throughout the building, which given the amount of heat already being generated by cooking equipment and large cooler/freezer spaces, was a great opportunity.

A report and presentation were created to outline the design decisions and compare the system to a baseline system performance. In August 2021, ASHRAE announced the results. Noah’s team placed second in the competition!

Noah and his teammates were invited to ASHRAE’s Winter Conference where they could attend seminars covering relevant issues and changes within the industry. They were able to attend the AHR Expo where they could meet manufacturers and learn about equipment and programs.

“This was an amazing experience as a very new engineer. I got to catch a glimpse of where this industry is headed in the future.” said Noah Wells, engineer at GBA. “I am very thankful to work for a company like GBA that cares about its employee’s education, and I hope to express that gratitude through the lessons I have learned at this conference.”