Glenn KatzCreate a posting that includes:
- A screenshot of an interior view of your merged model from Model Coordination showing the HVAC elements.
- A brief paragraph discussing:
- any challenges that you encountered in this supply duct routing exercise
- whether your proposed design meets the project’s spatial design goals
- any recommendations to make the design more sustainable (and lower the heating and cooling loads)
One challenge I have encountered during this exercise is the existence of clashes between the structural system and the HVAC system. As shown in the screenshot, because I sized the beams before the HVAC system and didn’t refer to it while designing the HVAC system, the bottom flanges of the beams ended up cutting into the ducts which is unrealistic. Apart from the clashes, I think the proposed design generally meet the project’s spatial design goals. The supply diffusers required to each space have been added according to the Space Schedule, and the supply ducts were placed and routed to the mechanical room.
Some recommendations I can think of to make the design more sustainable include using enhanced building insulation, high-performing (e.g., triple gazed) windows and passive solar design. Implementing smart controls and automation can also be very efficient especially if it is adapted to the specific occupancy and usage of each space. In terms of the HVAC system itself, minimizing the length of ductwork can reduce energy losses.