Meeting with Sterling
Sarthak Prasad met with Sterling on 6/29/2023.
Sarthak Prasad met with Sterling on 6/29/2023.
Please see attached the report from Integrating Green Technologies (IGT) regarding the project and results from the air quality assessment experiment conducted at the Astronomy Building in July 2022 as well as the Design Thinking Workshop held in November 2022.
Project name changed from "HVAC and Air Quality Assessment Pilot Project" to "Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control".
Sarthak Prasad and Morgan White are meeting with Sterling Laylock from SafeTraces on January 9 from 11 to 12 pm to cover the following:
Here's a short list of outcomes from our Nov 10th Design Thinking Session.
SafeTraces, Integrating Green Technologies, and Facilities & Services invited guests from across Illinois and throughout campus to discuss indoor air quality for Illinois buildings.
Following email was sent by Sterling Laylock regarding the update:
Hi Sarthak, Yes, we have completed the analysis and are prepared to present our findings for the Astronomy Building.
We will also be sharing relevant data and insights from additional buildings across other regions of the state as well.
Proposed Presentation Date
Thursday, November 10th is our proposed date to present our findings as requested by Morgan White.
We also plan to conduct a Design Thinking Session that will include numerous stakeholders as requested by Senator Elgie Sims, Vice-Chair IL, Appropriations II.
He is seeking input regarding a strategic allocation of funding for clean indoor air assessments in K-12 and public buildings around the state in order to elevate public outreach and awareness regarding this critical issue.
Design Thinking Stakeholder Attendees
Primary stakeholders from outside UIUC-iCAP who have expressed a high level of interest in participating include but will not be limited to:
Cook County Facilities and Sustainability
Cook County Asset Management
Chicago Transit Authority
South Suburban Mayor and Managers
Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Asset Management
The Obama Foundation Presidential Center
Sinai Chicago Health System
Indoor Climate Research and Training Center (ICRT)
Illinois Growth & Innovation Fund for Social Impact
Why Are They Interested?
As we all know, almost all buildings blindly struggle to have enough clean indoor air for us to breathe.
Stakeholders need help ending potentially harmful health and financial consequences, so people will feel safe using buildings again.
In order to do this, we have proposed an Illinois version of the EPA Clean Air In Buildings Program using eligible American Rescue Plan (ARPA), Bipartisan Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act Funding.
Although ARPA dollars have already been allocated in IL, a significant level of funding is still scheduled to be allocated specifically for ventilation and filtration in the near term.
We believe our Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control Project under iCAP can serve as an excellent hub for the many fragmented efforts being attempted across the state as we all seek to address this lingering pandemic and pre-pandemic issue.
Now that we're in the recovery period of our post-pandemic journey, it is imperative that we use this opportunity to address these issues.
Closing the gap between public health and building science is a key effort that will help us deliver on developing Applied Health Strategies for Climate Adaptation, which is why iCAP exists in the first place.
Let's set a time this week to discuss our proposed date and time so we plan accordingly for a successful event.
Thanks, Sterling
On 6/15/2022, Morgan White, Sterling Laylock, Ali Khan, Maria Thompson, and Alec McKay met to discuss revisions to the quote for the HVAC and Air Quality Assessment tests, and to confirm a date to start testing, which is July 22, 2022.
Ali Khan and Dhruv Gambhire are now on the F&S payroll as grad hourly employees, in the Sustainability Department. Their funding is from the Student Sustainability Committee, in support of the SSC-funded project for HVAC and Air Quality Assessment.
Morgan White, Dhruvaraj Gambhire, and Ali Khan met on 4-6-2022 to discuss what the next steps of the project are.
A file containing the notes from the meeting is attached below.
Dhuvaraj Gambhire and Ali Khan met with Morgan White on 2-11-2022 to discuss how they can acquire a Notice to Proceed and access to the Atmospheric Science Building for testing.
They will get a quote from Sterling, which will allow them to get a Purchase Order (PO). After they get the PO, they can get a Notice to Proceed and access to the building.
"The current schedule at Astronomy is 6:00am – 11:59pm, 7 days a week, Sunday – Saturday, which is the COVID schedule that we are running on units across campus." -David Hardin (11-17-2021)
According to F&S, Management Engineer, Mike Halm:
1. Currently, this unit is in occupied mode on weekdays, 6AM to midnight. Normally the occupancy schedule will more closely follow the hours the building is open, but runtimes were extended across campus as a precaution during the pandemic.
2. When the building was originally designed, there likely wasn’t a set amount of air changes per hour applied to every classroom. Typically for classrooms the heating and cooling airflows are determined based on the specific loads in each room, rather than applying a flat rate based on the volume of the room. If it would help, we could share the original ventilation drawings from 1989. Regarding the ASHRAE standards, any new construction or renovation work on campus should have mechanical ventilation provided in accordance with ASHRAE 62.1. However, there were different codes and standards in place when this building was constructed 30 years ago. The current version of ASHRAE 62.1 may have slightly different requirements than the codes in place when the building was built.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an example of what the format used below.
Q#: What is the answer to this question?
A#: This is the answer to that question.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dhruv and Ali provided the following answers to Sterling with SafeTraces:
Q1: Please provide PDFs of the full floor plan layout drawings for the entire building. Be sure to include
square footage for each room and common areas. It is also very important to identify operable windows, if any?
A1: Floor plans with room areas attached.
Following files are attached for floor plans
B0300-01-11X17 Astronomy Building-(1st floor plan)-2021
B0300-02-11X17 Astronomy Building-(2nd Floor plan)-2021
(current/anticipated occupancy assumptions would be helpful)
Q2: What are the Astronomy Building's normal hours of operation?
A2: Monday to Friday (0800 hrs-1700 hrs.). Saturday and Sunday the building is locked.
Q3: What is the air filtration rating for the spaces?
A3: MERV :: HEPA Filters at AHU, currently MERV-13.
Q4: What is the Make/Model, age, specs and replacement/upgrade history of the existing HVAC system?
A4: Original AHU from 1990, Trane Model 41A, Serial K89H24684. Original AHU equipment schedule attached. AHU controls originally pneumatic, upgraded to DDC (Siemens) in 2016 to allow occupancy schedules to be implemented. Zone level (VAVs) are still pneumatic. I believe the fume hoods are only energized when in use. Heating in the building is hot water radiators and hot water VAV reheat (no heating coil at AHU) fed from hot water boilers. 30% glycol cooling coil in AHU, fed from air cooled chiller on site.
Q5: What is the Make/Model and full specifications of the portable air purifiers expected to be used or are being used in the building?
A5: I don’t believe any portable air purifiers are currently in use.
Q6: Please identify all HVAC zones in the drawings. (Note: This is a command, not a question)
A6: See zone map drawings Paul sent previously. Please review the attached file
CC-0300_09_V-700_RCX-Astronomy Building-Zones plan-AHU-EFU-2017
Q7: How many air-changes per hour is the HVAC system currently providing?
A7: Will vary from room to room based on VAV damper position, ceiling height, etc. Based on a peak airflow of AHU (21,200 CFM), overall building area, and typical ceiling height (9’-0”), we’d have about 11.3 air changes per hour at peak load.
Q8: What are the basic assumptions for outside air intake to aid in dilution/ventilation for all interior spaces?
A8: AHU has a minimum OA position, and runs based on an occupancy schedule. We’ve temporarily changed our AHUs to run in occupied mode from 6AM to midnight for most of our units due to COVID-19 precautions. Unit is also sized for economizer when OA conditions allow.
Q9: What are the weather assumptions for heating and cooling the interior spaces along with outdoor temperature and humidity estimates?
A9: I’m not positive what conditions the original designers used in 1990, but see page 2 of the “HVAC Systems” attachment from our facilities standards for our typical OA design conditions.
The following email was sent by Sterling Laylock to Dhruvaraj Gambhire & Ali Feroz Khan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet with you today. Please find below the list of information we'll need to establish a detailed framework
for our pilot project and pricing for full approval.
We've also agreed to meet each Thursday at 4:00pm central time which will serve as our weekly meeting. There will be an exception
to next week's meeting which will be held on Wednesday Nov 10th at 4:00pm.
Building Site: Astronomy Building #0300
Weekly Meeting Time: Thursday's 4:00-5:00pm Central
Tasks Prior to Test Date:
- Test Site Floor Plan Analysis
- Determine Test Site Design
- Develop Project Protocols
- Establish Sampling Method
- Select Sampling Types, Origin Points + Intervals
Tasks Post Test Date:
DATA and QUESTIONS:
Required items are highlighted in BLUE**) [note the color is not displayed on the icap portal, instead the items are starred (**)]
Additional items are necessary, however they can be addressed later in the project timeline.
1. Please provide PDFs of the full floor plan layout drawings for the entire building. Be sure to include
square footage for each room and common areas. It is also very important to identify operable windows, if any? **
(current/anticipated occupancy assumptions would be helpful)
2. What are the Astronomy Building's normal hours of operation? **
3. What is the air filtration rating for the spaces? MERV :: HEPA
4. Make/Model, age, specs and replacement/upgrade history of the existing HVAC system?
5. Make/Model and full specifications of the portable air purifiers expected to be used or are
being used in the building.
6. Please identify all HVAC zones in drawings.
7. How many air-changes per hour is the HVAC system currently providing?
8. What are the basic assumptions for outside air intake to aid in dilution/ventilation for all interior spaces.
9. Please include weather assumptions for heating and cooling the interior spaces along with outdoor temperature and humidity estimates.