RWB Wins 2020 Technology Award - RWB Consulting Engineers

Project Moves on to Regional Competition

This week, the Dallas Chapter of ASHRAE recognized RWB Consulting Engineers for exceptional HVAC design. Denton ISD’s Ray Braswell High School earned the chapter’s Technology Award for New Educational Facilities.

The ASHRAE Technology Awards recognize outstanding achievement in mechanical system design and operation. While other programs such as LEED recognize buildings for minimizing energy usage, the Technology Award celebrates designs with a holistic approach.

Winners of the technology award demonstrate competency and success in applying effective strategies for:

Energy management
Indoor air quality
Thermal comfort
Operational cost effectiveness
Innovation
Operation and maintenance
Environmental impact

RWB Consulting Engineers is well-known for their experience in successful K-12 MEP design, with Braswell High School being particularly exemplary.

Leaders of the Dallas Chapter presented the award on Wednesday, February 12th. As seen on the photo below, several members of the RWB leadership team were on-hand to accept the award.

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THE WINNING PROJECT: RAY BRASWELL HIGH SCHOOL

In Little Elm, Texas, this new facility for over 2,600 students in 9-12th grade opened in August 2016.

The HVAC design for Braswell High School features a geothermal system with over 1,100 wells serving 239 heat pumps. With so many wells, our team broke the geothermal system up into smaller well fields that serve different areas of the building. Ground source heat pumps were piped in parallel for redundancy. And three-way valves installed at the extremity of each lunch ensure proper water flow and temperature during operation.

Our team used an innovative humidity control system in high-latent areas like the auditorium, gymnasium, and cafeteria. Using a unique hot gas reheat system, the air in these spaces can be dehumidified without having to reject any heat to the associated well field. In addition, energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) were used in tandem with carbon dioxide sensors to provide the precise amount of fresh air to spaces. Both design strategies contribute to improved occupant comfort and reduced energy consumption.

This isn’t the first time that the design team for Braswell High School has been recognized. In 2017, the Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Association of School Board’s Exhibit of School Architecture awarded architecture firm VLK with the Design and Value award.

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ASHRAE DALLAS TECHNOLOGY AWARD

The Dallas Chapter of ASHRAE accepts nominations each year for their Technology Award competition. They can recognize multiple MEP engineering firms in 19 different categories as shown in the bulleted list below below.

As the winner of the Chapter award, this project will move to the Regional competition. RWB faces competition from other ASHRAE Chapters in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mexico. The regional judging committee will announce the winner of the region competition during the Chapter Regional Conference in April 2020.

Commercial Buildings – New
Commercial Buildings – Existing
Commercial Buildings – Existing Building Commissioning
Health Care Facilities – New
Health Care Facilities – Existing
Health Care Facilities – Existing Building Commissioning
Industrial Facilities or Processes – New
Industrial Facilities or Processes – Existing
Industrial Facilities or Processes – Existing Building Commissioning
Public Assembly Facilities – New
Public Assembly Facilities- Existing
Public Assembly Facilities – Existing Building Commissioning
Residential
Institutional Buildings – Educational Facilities – New
Institutional Buildings – Educational Facilities – Existing
Institutional Buildings – Educational Facilities- Existing Building Commissioning
Institutional Buildings – Other – New
Institutional Buildings – Other – Existing
Institutional Buildings – Other- Existing Building Commissioning