Purdue to Launch High Performance Buildings Center

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Press Release

Inside INdiana Business (press release)

updated: 1/11/2010 11:57:45 AM

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=39537

Purdue to Launch High Performance Buildings Center

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University will create a $23.5 million Center for

High Performance Buildings to design systems for future structures that are more

environmentally and user friendly, energy efficient, and safe.

Half of the project's cost is funded by the U.S. Commerce Department's National

Institute of Standards and Technology, with NIST providing $11.75 million and

the other half coming largely from private donors.

NIST announced the Purdue grant as part of more than $123 million in American

Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to support the construction of new

scientific research facilities at 11 universities and one non-profit research

organization.

With ultimate research targets ranging from offshore wind power and coral reef

ecology to quantum physics and nanotechnology, the 12 projects will launch more

than $250 million in new laboratory construction projects beginning early this

year.

Construction on the Purdue project is expected to begin in February and be

completed by December 2012. The center will be housed in a new

68,000-square-foot facility upgrading Purdue's Ray W. Herrick Laboratories.

" The research will attack some of the most daunting and complex problems

confronting the world, such as rising energy consumption and environmental

pollution, climate change, public health, comfort and security, and issues

associated with an aging population, " said Leah son, Purdue's A.

on Dean of Engineering and Ransburg Distinguished Professor of Electrical

and Computer Engineering.

Buildings are responsible for roughly 40 percent of the nation's energy use, 71

percent of electricity consumption and 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

Americans typically spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, while 20

percent to 30 percent of occupants have health problems related to indoor

environments, according to a project report prepared by Purdue and NIST.

" Typical buildings may actually be more polluted than the surrounding ambient

environment, " said Davies, director of the Herrick Labs and a professor

of mechanical engineering. " One of the grand challenges of the center will be to

develop an understanding of the relationships between indoor environments and

human health and productivity, leading to better systems. "

The economic impact related to health and lost productivity caused by poor

indoor environments is estimated to be about $200 billion per year in the United

States, according to the report. Poor indoor environments can cause respiratory

illness, allergies and asthma, sick building syndrome, and musculoskeletal

disorders. Buildings located near busy roads, trains and airports are

susceptible to air quality issues and noise and vibration that potentially leads

to effects such as sleep disturbance, hypertension and heart disease.

The new Herrick building will roughly double the lab's existing space. A special

feature of the new facility will be a " living laboratory, " a working office wing

designed with replaceable modular elements related to communications, electronic

controls and equipment; moveable walls, doors and windows; a reconfigurable air

distribution and lighting system; and instrumentation to monitor systems and

occupants.

Researchers will be able to use the living laboratory to test and validate new

building systems and concepts. Similarly, a " perception-based engineering " lab

in the new Herrick building will be able to simulate a wide span of building

environments. Lighting, acoustic environment, air quality, temperature,

humidity, airflow and vibration will be controlled independently.

" For example, replacing conventional thermostats in buildings with mobile human

health-and-productivity sensors would determine local environmental conditions

tailored to individuals, leading to dramatic improvements in health and

productivity, " said Braun, a professor of mechanical engineering involved

in buildings research. " Equipment, lighting and appliances in homes and other

buildings could adapt for the elderly to compensate for limited hearing and

mobility. "

The center will include faculty from mechanical engineering and a new

architectural engineering program who are already collaborating on research

projects and proposals.

Designs also will consider sustainability.

" The carbon dioxide emitted due to generating electricity and refrigerant leaked

from air conditioning systems has contributed significantly to climate change, "

Braun said. " Buildings in the United States account for two-thirds of the

country's electricity consumption, and air conditioning was a primary reason for

the electricity shortage California experienced in 2001, which had a huge impact

on daily life and the economy. "

At the same time, existing Herrick Laboratories facilities, such as the advanced

engines test area, will be replaced and expanded.

The new Herrick facility also will house components of the Federal Aviation

Administration multi-university Centers of Excellence for Air Transportation

Noise and Emission Reduction and for Airliner Cabin Environment Research.

Private-donor funding includes a $2 million contribution from mechanical

engineering alumnus Gerald D. Hines.

The Herrick Labs - administered by the School of Mechanical Engineering - are a

hub of industry-oriented research in areas ranging from advanced automotive

technologies to " smart " buildings. The labs, which held a 50th anniversary

celebration in 2008, are housed in a brick horse barn originally built a century

ago near State Street and Drive. The new building is planned to be

located adjacent to Herrick, south of State Street between Jischke and

Beering drives.

Source: Purdue University