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
Architects | Dec 9, 2019
Jonathan Moody promoted to CEO of Moody Nolan
New four-member Executive Team also named.
Big Data | Dec 4, 2019
AEC data's coming out party
AEC firms are finally putting to use project information they’ve been storing in their computers for years.
Building Owners | Dec 2, 2019
What building owners and AEC teams need to know about New York’s Climate Mobilization Act
On April 18, 2019, the New York City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act, a suite of laws aimed to meet the city’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
| Nov 26, 2019
Steinberg Hart and Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture combine to elevate design, expand opportunities and strengthen client relationships
This union creates a national architecture firm with enhanced design capabilities and expertise.
| Nov 8, 2019
Philadelphia architecture firm EwingCole acquires Baltimore firm Gaudreau
Philadelphia architecture firm EwingCole acquires Baltimore firm Gaudreau.
Multifamily Housing | Nov 7, 2019
Multifamily construction market remains strong heading into 2020
Fewer than one in 10 AEC firms doing multifamily work reported a decrease in proposal activity in Q3 2019, according to a PSMJ report.
Architects | Oct 29, 2019
Top takeaways from the Lean Construction Institute Congress 2019
More than 1,600 Lean experts gathered in Texas this month for LCI Congress 2019. Here are key takeaways from the event.
Giants 400 | Oct 25, 2019
Top 50 Airport Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
AECOM, Gensler, HNTB, Corgan, and HOK top the rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 24, 2019
Top 125 Retail Architecture Firms for 2019
CallisonRTKL, Gensler, MG2, NELSON, and Stantec top the rankings of the nation's largest retail sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Architects | Oct 11, 2019
SMPS report tracks how AEC firms are utilizing marketing technology tools
With thousands of MarTech tools and apps on the market, design and construction firms are struggling to keep up.