Summary:

 

This final report deeply discuses Chace Hall's design and construction, with an emphasis on its mechanical system. The report starts out by introducing the building and its function, then analyzes its original mechanical system. The rest of the report shows a proposal for a different mechanical design, and then evaluates it and compares it with the original design. The report also discusses some changes to the building's electrical system and construction management due to the implementation of the proposed redesign. 

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Report Executive Summary:

 

In this report, the mechanical system of one of Penn State’s new residence halls, Chace Hall, has been completely redesigned. The first part of the report discusses the building’s original mechanical system and thoroughly evaluates its performance. The original system’s advantages and disadvantages have then been identified and used as a basis of the redesign. The use of 2- pipe and 4-pipe fan coil units in the original design to meet the building’s heating and cooling demands has been replaced with a 4-pipe valance system. A valance system is a unique hydronic heating and cooling system that uses natural convection and radiation to heat and cool. As this system is relatively unpopular, a comprehensive analysis is conducted in this report to fully evaluate its performance. After the valance system’s initial evaluation, it was found that it would be best to incorporate radiant floor heating in the building’s ground floor to overcome any discomfort the valance system may cause.

 

Moreover, the original design has an energy recovery ventilator that is responsible for providing the building with fresh outdoor air while recovering energy from the building’s exhaust. To evaluate the performance of this ventilation system, the building’s ventilation requirements have been calculated using ASHRAE guidelines. After careful evaluation, it was found that this system is a great design decision and only needed to be resized in the proposed redesign.

 

After energy modeling both systems on Trane Trace 700, it was found that the new design caused a reduction in the building’s total energy consumption and emission production. Additionally, it was found that the new system saves a great amount of electricity. Therefore, some parts of the building’s electrical system have been resized, leading to potential cost savings in the building’s initial construction cost. Moreover, a cost estimation of both designs has been conducted, where it was found that the proposed redesign is more economical during its assumed life span of 25 years. The last part of the report concludes the findings of this report, where the proposed redesign was highly recommended for all of the building’s different zones except for the east and west vestibules.