February 1, 2002

	Camp Arroyo, Siegel & Strain Architects

Arizona State University architecture professors David Scheatzle, FAIA and Harvey Bryan, FAIA are nearing the completion of a Web-based tool which will help architects design energy-efficient buildings. A $25, 000 grant from the California Polytechnic State University’s Renewable Energy Institute, a non-profit organization seeking to raise awareness of renewable energy technologies, helped fund the Web tool’s creation.

The tool will be available once their research on radiant forms of heating and cooling concludes this summer, and may be linked to both the Society of Building Science Educators and ASU websites. The professors hope to illustrate how cooling and heating surfaces, such as ceilings and walls, can save energy and provide an equivalent satisfaction level compared to "conventional forced-air, energy intensive mechanical systems" such as radiators and air-conditioners.

Using the Web tool, architects can use the two years’ worth of data from Scheatzle and Bryan’s research to study and analyze heating and cooling for various projects. The professors believe their site will be a good complement to existing energy simulators, such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyPlus software, because it focuses solely on radiation—a topic they find is not often included in current programs.

Awarded last August, Bryan and Scheatzle were the third recipients of the grant sponsored by the Society of Building Science Educators/Evelyn and Harold Hay Fund.

Editorial intern Carlos R. Perkins is a sophomore at Cornell University.

Carlos R. Perkins.