flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

UNT lab designed to study green energy technologies completed

UNT lab designed to study green energy technologies completed

Lab to test energy technologies and systems in order to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy.


By By BD+C Staff | April 16, 2012
Construction on UNTs new facility began in July 2011. A ribbon cutting ceremony
Construction on UNTs new facility began in July 2011. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at UNTs Discovery Park on Friday,

The completion of the Zero Energy Research Laboratory at the University of North Texas will give students and researchers the tools to study the next generations of sustainable and renewable energy technologies.

The lab—the only one of its kind in Texas—is designed specifically to test various energy technologies and systems in order to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy.

Construction on UNT’s new facility began in July 2011. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at UNT’s Discovery Park on Friday, April 20 to celebrate the completion of the new facility.

The structure has a number of advanced energy technologies integrated into its 1,200-sf space, including a geothermal heat pump, a radiant heated floor slab, solar panels, a building energy monitoring and control system and a rainwater collection system, to name a few. Outside, the facility has a residential-scale wind turbine and an electric vehicle charging station.

The doors, windows, roof and supporting energy efficient equipment are designed to be easily expanded and exchanged so that researchers can analyze new building materials. Dr. Nandika D’Souza and her research team hope to use the facility to test their plant-based building materials eventually. D’Souza is developing materials made from the fibers of the kenaf plant, a cousin to bamboo, with a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

D’Souza is a key member of the Renewable Bioproducts and the Renewable Energy and Conservation research clusters. Both interdisciplinary research groups will take advantage of this unique facility to conduct cutting edge sustainability and energy research.

Dr. Yong Tao, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Energy engineering at UNT and the PACCAR Professor of Engineering, spearheaded the design and creation of the lab. Previously, Tao oversaw a similar project at Florida International University, where he served as an associate dean of their College of Engineering and Computing.

Tao also served as the director of the Future House USA project, an initiative that brought together academics, builders, industry sponsors and lobbyists to create a 3,200 square-foot zero-net energy house. The house was built in Beijing and displayed during the 2008 Olympic Games.

This project is funded at $1,150,000 with a combination of HEAF (higher education assistance funds), operating funds and gifts-in-kind. It was made possible by donations from Schneider Electric, NuconSteel, Axium Solar, H2Options/BlueScope Water, Benchmark Precision Buildings and Acme Brick. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is the architect of record for the facility and Nouveau Construction served as the general contractor. BD+C

Related Stories

Building Team | Apr 22, 2022

EarthCam Adds Senior Leadership Roles to Facilitate Rapid Growth

EarthCam today announced several new leadership positions as it scales up to accommodate increasing demand for its webcam technology and services.

Architects | Apr 22, 2022

Top 10 green building projects for 2022

The American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its COTE Top Ten Awards for significant achievements in advancing climate action.

Mixed-Use | Apr 22, 2022

San Francisco replaces a waterfront parking lot with a new neighborhood

A parking lot on San Francisco’s waterfront is transforming into Mission Rock—a new neighborhood featuring rental units, offices, parks, open spaces, retail, and parking.

Legislation | Apr 21, 2022

NIMBYism in the Sunbelt stymies new apartment development

Population growth in Sunbelt metro areas is driving demand for new apartment development, but resistance is growing against these projects.

Architects | Apr 21, 2022

A conversation with architect Robert A.M. Stern

The architect Robert A.M. Stern discusses his newly published memoir that touches on his childhood in New York and 50-plus-year career.

Building Team | Apr 20, 2022

White House works with state, local governments to bolster building performance standards

The former head of the U.S. Green Building Council says the Biden Administration’s formation of the National Building Performance Standards Coalition is a “tremendous” step in the right direction to raise building performance standards in the U.S.

Market Data | Apr 20, 2022

Pace of demand for design services rapidly accelerates

Demand for design services in March expanded sharply from February according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).  

Multifamily Housing | Apr 20, 2022

A Frankfurt tower gives residents greenery-framed views

In Frankfurt, Germany, the 27-floor EDEN tower boasts an exterior “living wall system”: 186,000 plants that cover about 20 percent of the building’s facade.

AEC Tech | Apr 19, 2022

VDC maturity and the key to driving better, more predictable outcomes

While more stakeholders across the AEC value chain embrace the concept of virtual design and construction, what is driving the vastly different results that organizations achieve? The answer lies within an assessment of VDC maturity.

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 19, 2022

6 trends to watch in healthcare design

As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, IMEG’s healthcare leaders from across the country are seeing several emerging trends that are poised to have wide-ranging impacts on facility design and construction. Following are six of the trends and strategies they expect to become more commonplace in 2022 and the years to come. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Construction Costs

Data center construction costs for 2024

Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers. 


Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.



Healthcare Facilities

Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025

Join the Building Design+Construction editorial team for this on-demand webinar on key trends, innovations, and opportunities in the $65 billion U.S. healthcare buildings market. A panel of healthcare design and construction experts present their latest projects, trends, innovations, opportunities, and data/research on key healthcare facilities sub-sectors. A 2024-2025 U.S. healthcare facilities market outlook is also presented.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021