Using REVIT to design
BIM is a Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool using intelligent 3-D objects to show actual building components such as walls and doors. In Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software, viewing the building model is similar to looking at it through a camera lens, either orthographic or perspective. That means, for example, a door can be moved in any view and all the other views of the model will update automatically. This is made possible by Revit’s® “parametric change engine,” the name given to its underlying relational database architecture.
Revit’s® database also offers information at various stages of a project, from concept to construction to decommissioning. This is sometimes called 4-D CAD, in which time is the fourth dimension.
Request Revit® Files
Please ask an EJS sales representative for the availability of our Revit® files.
Earning LEED Credits
The green building designation showing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has fast become a building standard. LEED is a voluntary certification sought by building owners for new or existing buildings. Elements of a building’s design, construction and materials earn credits towards a possible total of 100 points. Four levels of LEED certification can be earned based on the number of credits a building earns.
EJS can help your project team earn the following LEED credits:
- Optimize Energy Performance
- Enhanced Refrigerant Management
- Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring
- Increased Ventilation
- Indoor Air Quality Management Plan
- Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control
- Controllability of Systems
- Thermal Comfort – Design
- Thermal Comfort – Verification
- Enhanced Acoustical Performance
EJS has tackled numerous projects in recent years to help buildings achieve LEED-certification and can help you design systems to reach your LEED goals, too. Please visit https://www.usgbc.org or https://www.gbci.org for more information about this coveted certification.
Understanding Sound Management
While the performance and efficiency of HVAC equipment is paramount to building owners, these goals are obsolete if the noise emitted by the machine is too loud for an end-user’s environment. Engineers must understand the actual sound power levels in order to make a fair comparison between two pieces of similar equipment.
EJS works hand-in-hand with the building’s design team to ensure that both space NC and sound power are at acceptable levels. Understanding both the amplitude, measured in decibels, and the frequency of the sound, measured in Hertz, our engineers are valuable partners in designing and equipping a space with the most efficient, effective and quiet HVAC equipment on the market today.
Calculating Heat Gain
Obviously, the basic goal of HVAC equipment is to cool an enclosed space for potential end-users of the building. However, as the electrical motors used in this cooling equipment generate their own heat from operation, engineers must incorporate this additional heat gain into the overall design of a building.
EJS engineers and sales representatives have a thorough knowledge of heat gain produced by its bevy of equipment, and therefore are vital consultants from the beginning of a design plan.
Measuring Efficiency and Performance
Efficiency and performance are the names of the game when it comes to primary goals of engineers and building owners. EJS project managers are well versed in essential ratios and coefficients that translate directly into maximum effectiveness and performance of all its HVAC system equipment. Incorporated into all EJS plans are detailed Coefficient of Performance (COP) ratios, measuring the cooling or heating output to the energy input of a compressorized unit and Energy Efficiency Ratios (EER), which indicate the cooling efficiency of a unit. EJS project managers routinely correspond with engineers to relay important equipment efficiency and performance parameters:
- KW/ton = 12 / EER
- KW/ton = 12 / (COP x 3.412)
- COP = EER / 3.412
- COP = 12 / (KW/ton) / 3.412
- EER = 12 / KW/ton
- EER = COP x 3.412
Evaluating Refrigerant Properties
In addition to evaluating sound and heat gain of HVAC equipment, the design team also must consider the effect of various low, medium and high pressure refrigerants on the overall performance of the machinery. We will also work with you to ensure your system complies with all federally-mandated phase-out schedules of certain refrigerants.
Knowing the Building Codes
The design and construction teams must adhere to a set of defined building codes throughout the entire fabrication and building process. EJS engineers work with the construction teams to make sure they are complying with city-specific mechanical, fire protection, energy, and other regional building codes. For more information on standards and codes, the ASHRAE website is a great resource.