For this practice exercise, I attempted my best to apply all of the suggestions and tips Glenn provided during class. I commenced by familiarizing myself with the mechanical plan, then I proceeded by drawing in my section views to gain perspective on how I wanted to approach my HVAC design. Once I felt confident enough to begin sketching, I decided to implement an Air Handling Unit — AHU: Split System -- Horizontal 60000 BTU — and I placed it in the mechanical room. Once I solidified the configurations of my central equipment piece, I was able to begin my ductwork design and start branching out into the various thermal zones. Depending on the ventilation requirements, I added either one or two 500 cfm supply air diffusers.

The following HVAC equipment pieces were installed within the model:

This exercise not only challenged me, but also helped me identify my weaknesses and hone in on what skills I could improve on. The greatest challenge I encountered was avoiding the overlapping of supply and return ducts, as well as ensuring that the mechanical system is designed accurately enough to meet both cooling and heating demands.

I attempted my best to design an HVAC system within the spatial design goals, but I often times caught myself running into structural elements with my ductwork. My upstream ducts are large, and they become smaller downstream. I felt challenged by the 1:3 aspect ratio for the rectangular ducts and had to increase the fpm in order to maintain a smaller sized duct that did not exceed 10 inches considering the relatively low 12 ft. ceiling heights.

In order to meet the ventilation requirements of the various types of rooms within the building, I installed differing quantities of air diffusers -- most zones have either one or two diffusers. The supply airflow of each diffuser is 500 cfm. To further reduce cooling loads and optimize energy efficiency, I would implement shading devices in areas that have increased exposure to sunlight.