Michael Ivanovich, Editor-in-Chief

Couching lighting design issues

In my study, there is a sleeper couch tucked into a nook defined by opposing partial walls. Above the armrests of the couch, and at just the right height for reading while lying down, are antique lights that I rewired with plug-in cords and mounted onto quarter-sawn-oak plaques. (I made them in the woodshop so we didn’t have to pay an electrician to route new circuits through the wall and...

Dual VFDs versus bypasses: engineers weigh in

Dual VFDs, bypasses, and spare VFDs: a look at costs, benefits, and design considerations.

Energy savings on a silver platter

As I moderated the Energy Star for Engineers webcast last month, it occurred to me how easy it is nowadays for building owners and engineers to save energy compared to 10 or 15 years ago. I like how Jean Lupinacci, chief of the Energy Star buildings program , put it during her portion of the webcast: She said that Energy Star distills the wisdom of its partners who have experience saving energy in thousands of buildings. Energy Star has benchmarking software (Portfolio Manager) for existing buildings, design analysis software (Target Finder) for buildings still on the books or without 12 months of performance data, a seven-step program for developing and implementing energy management plans, a resource guide for engineers who validate input and perform site surveys for Energy Star label applicants, marketing materials for partners, and statistics and information to help convince owners to think about energy and budget for savings measures and proper operations.

What’s new at CSE

Self-renewal is important at individual and corporate levels. Otherwise, products and processes get stale and moribund with repetition.

For 2010, it’s the economy, energy, and the environment

In July 2009, I wrote that building performance data is golden said that, consequently, there would be a greater call for retrocommissioning and ongoing commissioning services, a greater call for dashboard software for reporting status and trends to owners and occupants, and a continued shift in consulting engineering services toward improving the performance of existing buildings. Since then, enough has happened that I’m escalating my assessment that building performance data will be platinum in 2010. The new construction market continues to muddle through economic concerns such as high unemployment and tight financing restrictions.

Get shovel-ready for the new economy

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition The term “shovel-ready” became popular after the Obama administration announced that billions of dollars would be injected into the construction market to help resuscitate a dying economy. Shovel-ready projects —those that municipalities had on their books and were ready to begin after the dollars were secured—were given priority. While some economists are pointing to data indicating the national economic recession might be over, the commercial construction industry is far from feeling the impacts of recovery.

Trane converts unitary products from R-22 to R-410A ahead of schedule

Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand, completed a global conversion effort from hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) R-22 to the non-ozone-depleting hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerant, R-410A, for its entire unitary product line in the Americas. Trane accomplished this to ensure full compliance with federal U.

Bentley announces major product releases, subscription refinements, and acquisitions/partnerships

Bentley Systems Inc. released a series of announcements at its invitation-only "Be Inspired: Infrastructure Best Practices Symposium and Awards event" in Charlotte, N.C.

A microcosm of mentoring

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together, especially when the plan is realized in hindsight? In this issue, David Peters, PE, publishes his last technical article before retiring with 54 years in the HVAC industry. His article on page 20 describes a 700,000-sq-ft underfloor air distribution (UFAD) design for a headquarters office building for the Defense Information Systems Agenc y (DISA), which is within the U.S. Dept.

The voice of schools

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition A school is the voice of a community’s outlook and commitment to its future. One can determine how healthy a school is by listening to it. Are children playing and laughing on the school playground? Are there well-attended performances in its theaters and the buzz of excitement in its hallways? Are the grounds being actively used by students for learning and physical education, and being routinely maintained by buildings and grounds staff? MEP systems have voices, too—the sound of air moving through a grille, the start-up of a boiler, the alarm of a fire or security event.

Ensure persistence of energy conservation

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition Back in the 1980s, when I was a computer science student, I was taught that a good systems designer would design him- or herself out of the system. This meant that the system worked, it was well documented, operators were well trained, and the system could be maintained. The system designer, like a house builder, could close the door on a project with a clear conscience and whistle while walking away, content with a job well done. In the world of energy efficiency, there's a word for that: persistence.

There’s gold in building performance data

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition Buildings have entered into an information age like never before. Consequently, giant strides in building energy, economic, and environmental performance can be made and credibly documented. Reasons for this renaissance are: 1) It’s become technologically easy to generate and access data from installed equipment, meters, submeters, and BAS. 2) It has become good business practice to monitor energy and water usage for economic and environmental purposes.

The integration issue

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition Yes, folks: 1+1=3 when talking about integration. Integration happens at many levels. Components, such as circuit boards, are integrations of chips, filters, solder, and the boards. Subsystems, such as an economizer, is a an integration of dampers, controllers, and sensors.

When sheep bite, buildings suffer

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition   I was watching the NCAA basketball finals with a few friends, and one of them, Adam, seemed kind of upset. I asked what was up and he related how his company’s IT department updated the infrastructure behind its Web site, which impacted how he and his team did their jobs (which revolve quite a bit around the Web site). He said IT had been working on the project for a long time, but had never involved his team in the process.

CSE interviews Johnson Controls on Empire State Building retrofits

Long-term capital and retrofit planning enable "right steps in right order" as the "big Aha!"

Engineering info about stimulus funds

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition   After spending hours trying to find actionable information on where $787 billion in stimulus funding is going to pay for building construction and renovation/retrofit projects that benefit engineering companies, I gave up. I became angry at what should be a transparent process of identifying projects so that engineers can make inquiries. I became suspicious: sporadic announcements on projects being funded are only trickling through various media, and some companies are hosting paid-attendance seminars on stimulus projects and funding.

Are you Cx certifiable? Who isn’t?

View the full story , including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition ASHRAE will be unveiling its certification program for commissioning (Cx) in June. In doing so, it will become the sixth organization offering a Cx certification credential. Certifications are currently offered by Associated Air Balance Council (AABC), Assoc.

California’s power play on energy policy

California has long been a rogue state in terms of leading the nation on energy and environmental policy. From tailpipe emisissions to HVAC equipment energy standards, California has given bellyaches and migranes to national trade associations and federal agencies for years, some of which have gone to the Supreme Court for resolution. Through elections, appointments, and good old-fashioned power grabbing, California has recently established itself as a powerhouse for shaping national energy and environmental policy under President Obama's administration.

In these tough times, stay connected

In reading news stories about these tough economic times and in talking to numerous engineers and manufacturers in the field, I’ve become aware that we’re all standing at the edge of our own abyss, and all of our abysses are connected. For some, what keeps them awake at night is a business loan they cannot get to meet payroll. For others, it’s the people they have to face to lay them off. And for others, it’s having been laid off or the fear of getting laid off.

Meeting the challenges of 2009

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital editon On behalf of the editorial team of Consulting-Specifying Engineer , welcome to 2009. It’s shaping up to be a tough year for national and global economies. Even though the forecasts don’t look so bad in terms of overall volume, it seems as if all the news sources are competing to deliver the grimmest message. As I wrote in December, I remain optimistic that the year won’t be as bad for engineering, especially if there is a focus on infrastructure in the economic stimulus packages being planned at the federal level.

Commentary

Wouldn't life be easier for everyone if we could just run a wire from an outside pole to an inside panel and from that panel to everything in the building? But life isn't easy and, by extension, neither is electricity. The voltage and current must be stepped down, and safety, quality, and availability measures considered. Sizing, selecting, installing, commissioning, operating, and maintaining all these ancillary pieces is a team effort expended over time throughout the life of the building. Somehow, electrons are herded, cleaned, and massaged through all the devices that comprise electrical systems.

The half-full glass

While contemplating this month’s column, I noticed that the glass on my desk was half-full of coffee—cold, cruddy, day-old coffee from the community pot—that I poured into the glass so I could give my cup its annual cleaning. Why I didn’t throw the coffee away, I can’t imagine.

Interesting times, indeed

There’s a saying that many people pass along to others as a Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. The provenance of this saying is disputed; there is no written record of it occurring in Chinese literature, so says Wikipedia. It may, however, have something to do with a real Chinese proverb, “It is better to be a dog in a peaceful time than a be man in a chaotic period.

Putting a solar smiley face on the bailout bill

Ouch. The ideological collision of recent federal actions has my head aching with mixed feelings. On one hand, the government bailout of Wall Street financial firms, which constitutes the largest act of graft perpetrated on the public in history, has champagne corks kissing the gilded ceilings of Wall Street.

Settling the commissioning frontier

The commissioning (Cx) market is very strong these days. With so much work in play, firms that provide commissioning services are scrambling to hire staff to put into the field.

Roller coaster oil prices versus conservation momentum

The roller coaster of oil prices did something quite amazing this year: It went up long enough to catalyze lasting changes to America’s energy consumption patterns. Oil prices are in decline while American business and consumers are just getting into a committed consumption retreat.

Hey! Good news!

Rough year, eh? Prices for gasoline, metals, fuel oil, airline tickets, and food: going up. Real estate values and consumer confidence: going down. Floods, earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes, and wild fires: running rampant. Unsettled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; unsettling developments in Africa and Iran.

LEEDing construction safety a Natural Step

After the sixth construction worker in six months died at the $9.2 billion MGM Mirage CityCenter construction site, workers went on strike citing conditions were unsafe and Perini Building Co. was being unresponsive. It lasted only one day, but the largest-ever safety related strike in Las Vegas at the largest-ever private construction project in the United States attracted national attention.

Commissioning conference pegs vitality meter

Talk about buzz. The 16th National Conference on Building Commissioning (NCBC), produced by Portland Energy Conservation Inc. (PECI), had the noisy vibe of high-octane networking in hallways, at watering holes, and in expo booths that signaled a successful conference.

Engineering by the inch

I remember a “Get Smart” TV episode where Maxwell Smart, in describing how a Chaos agent fell to his death while trying to jump from a building to moving truck, said, “Missed it by that much,” and used his pointer finger and thumb to indicate a very small space. If engineering isn’t that way, I don’t know what is.

The psychology of decisions

Because this month’s issue features articles and columns on thinking differently, green schools, and semantics, I thought it would be fun to discuss some research on how the brain works and the psychology of decisions. For any designer who has had a client choose Option C instead of the much preferred Options A or B, these findings should interest you.

Sustainable semantics

Semantics, according to Merriam-Webster, is the study of meaning. Meaning is conveyed in words. The green movement needs to clarify its semantics—its words—if it is to lead us to sustainability. To start, the words “green” and “sustainability” mean different things, but often are used interchangeably.

Reviving the mentor mentality

Terry Brennan came into the Solar 101 classroom at Utica, N.Y-based Mohawk Valley Community College, in 1980, sat on the teacher’s desk, pulled off his sweater, looked around the room, noticed each of us, and said, “I’m going to teach you from the Book of Solar.” Thus began a typical teacher/student relationship that eventually became a mentor/mentee relationship, which...

What’s new for 2008? Plenty!

As the saying goes, you either are getting better or getting worse. Much preferring the former, Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s editorial team worked hard leading into 2008 to prepare a host of additions and refinements designed to meet the evolving information needs of our readers. Because you have a vested interest in how an engineering publication works and works for you, let me expla...

Seeing the forest of opportunity in the trees

We're flooded with all things green. How to decide what to read? Two articles bring the point home to MEP engineers.

Stocking stuffers for engineers

Every year around this time, I’m asked what I want for Christmas. And every year I say the same thing—nothing. I don’t need a thing, which translates to, “trust the Force.” I’m not one to hawk products, but in sympathy for people cursed with shopping for engineers, especially environmentally conscious ones, let me present a list of gifts for Christmas, Chanuk...

Fan the flames of innovation

With green becoming as ubiquitous as denim in the fashioning of buildings, what’s the next buzz that will have substance and credible empowerment for engineers? Innovation. For this assertion, I have more reasons than space, so here’s a few and the rest are on my blog at www.csemag.com. Market forces are compelling owners and other financial decision makers to move toward lifecycle ...

CSE helps you optimize E-media

CSE and its sister publication, Plant Engineering, recently hosted a roundtable discussion among consulting engineers, plant engineers, manufacturers, and Internet experts to discuss the future of e-media. I learned a few things worth passing on. For one thing, engineers clearly are looking to the Internet for answers to project questions, not only about products and engineering techniques, but...

Engineers are superheroes

On this month’s cover is a caped superhero battling killer microbes besetting a hospital. Today, a rising tide of microbial menaces threatens patients, staff and visitors with an increasing risk of contracting and spreading contagious, potentially lethal diseases inside and outside hospitals. What raises engineers to superhero status, in my book, is that these so-called superbugs are yet ...

Giant firms, tall buildings, high hopes

Since humans learned to place one stone upon another and construct buildings, the direction eliciting reverence, ego and awe has been up, not out. The design and construction of tall buildings has taken an upswing, so to speak, with the incomplete Burj Dubai already being the world’s tallest building and projects started or on the boards for the 150-story Chicago Spire, the 1,776-ft.

Make the Call

I recently received a telephone call from someone dear to me—it had been more than four years since I’d heard from her. She said that she’d wanted to call, but it had been so long since we had spoken, well … you know how it is. Of course you do—time feeding on itself, devouring friends, family, colleagues and even customers, suppliers and other business relationships.

Hotel IAQ Getting Better, Says This Traveler

I'm writing this from my hotel room at the NFPA World Safety Conference and Expo in Boston. Through the rain-pelted window, I have a sweeping view of Boston Harbor and the city skyline. From the sky to the water, everything is expressed in shades of gray. Boats of various shapes and sizes are passing one way and then the other.

Engineer Shortage: Employers to Blame?

At least once a week, my phone rings or I get an e-mail message from someone looking to hire an engineer. And whenever two or more engineering managers are in a room together, one of the most passionate discussions they have is about the shortage of engineers—not just experienced engineers who can lead projects, but engineers fresh out of school, too.

GPS Helps Navigate More Than the Road

As part of my becoming chief editor of CSE, my wife, Amanda, and I agreed to relocate from Portland, Ore., to the Chicago area. Selling a house, finding a new place and preparing for an interstate move had our plate so full we couldn't spend a lot of time planning the long and logistically complex drive (pet-friendly hotels are few and far between these days).

Remember the Walter Reed

Walter Reed Army Medical Center has become the new poster child for sick buildings—an Edmund Fitzgerald of sorts, where the best of the fleet sank in a storm with no one watching. Like many of you, I've been following the news, and find the matter disheartening. When I saw a report on television that showed water-stained ceiling tiles and peeling wallpaper revealing what looked like mold ...

Welcome to a New Era for CSE

Consulting-Specifying Engineer is celebrating 20 years of excellence this year and as your new Chief Editor, I will work hard to build upon the history of excellence, relevance and timeliness. CSE already has in place a dynamic team of editors and publishing professionals, with the powerful and extensive resources of its parent company, Reed Elsevier and its divisions, Reed Business Information...