Colleagues:
I "lurk" on the list serve of the American Physical Plant Administrators. I wanted to share a posting from that forum:
Hi All,
Two questions here: wondering if any Universities in the Pacific Northwest have a thermal comfort standard they adhere to for new building design on campus? UBC is currently undertaking a review of our indoor thermal comfort technical guidelines and we are wondering what other Universities are using in terms of design standards for mechanical cooling versus passive cooling and natural ventilation strategies.
Also, do any of you have a policy for classroom and office area operative temperatures for your existing buildings on campus?
We are seeing more hot complaints and requests for added cooling during the 2 week heat wave that is becoming more common in the summer months, and with a changing climate, we are working to "future proof" our buildings in order to be able to easily retrofit cooling (or air tempering) solutions in the future as temperatures continue to increase.
It is a bit of a tricky question on how to handle thermal comfort in our temperate climate where we find there are only a few weeks a year where offices, classrooms, and common areas need cooling and typically coincide with lower occupancy levels. Wondering what other Universities are using for their NC design standards and policies for expected operative temperatures and you are balancing these requirements with carbon reduction goals.
Many thanks!
Julie
Julie Pett, P.Eng
Sr. Energy Conservation Manager
Energy Conservation & Innovation | Energy and Water Services The University of British Columbia | 4th Floor CIRS
2260 West Mall | Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4 Phone 604-827-2563