Create 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)
I spent longer than I’d like to admit struggling with HVAC terminal placement before I realized that the default reference level was different than the level I was working within, so that every time I clicked it just placed a terminal on the roof level, out of bounds of my vision. I also was confused that the ducting for the air return route only occasionally turns pink, though it seems to be consistently pink for other people. I was able to change some of the duct sections to “return air”, but not others and I’m not sure why. Furthermore, I couldn’t locate a specific mechanical room on the second story of the building, so I just treated a room in the vicinity of the first floor’s mechanical room.
I unfortunately do not think that I met the project’s spatial design goals. The most glaring flaw in my design for the ducts is that I have ducting placed directly beneath the second story skylight. This issue simply didn’t occur to me while I was routing the ducts in the mechanical project file, so I only noticed it upon exploring my coordination view, which is well-suited to finding problems like this.
To make the design more sustainable, I would recommend installing louvers on the windows to facilitate ventilation when the weather is favorable, as well as ensuring that all exterior walls and roofing are well insulated.
