ASHRAE announced the winners of its 2024 Student Design Competition, Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge and Building Energy Quotient Competition. The competitions celebrate the exceptional talents and creative problem-solving skills of students in HVAC&R, building sciences, and engineering.

This year’s Student Design Competition centered on designing a new central public library in the heart of São Paulo, Brazil. The project involves a three-story building with an additional basement level. The goal of the library to be a community hub to promote education, community involvement, and diversity.

Teams competed in one of the three categories:

• HVAC Design Calculations
• HVAC System Selection
• Setty Family Foundation Net Zero Energy Design

First place in the HVAC Design Calculations category was awarded to Kirollos Milad Faragalla, Omar Mohamed Shaaban, Mohamed Khairat Taha, Omar Mohamed Ashraf, Mina Refaat Tawfik and Emmanuel Ayman Tawfik of Ain Shams University, Cario, Egypt. The team advisors are Hany El Sayed, Ahmed Lashin, Abdelrahman Samir and Mohamed Dahy.

Placing first in the HVAC System Selection category were Benjamin Bugenhagen, Katie Frey, Reece Fuchs, Solana Honda and Will Randby of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska. The team advisor is David Yuill Ph.D., P.E. and the team mentor Pete Uhing, P.E.

Receiving first place in the Setty Family Foundation Net Zero Energy Design category were Alfian Febrianto, Alya Widha Aurellia, Bimantyo Ganggas Fadhil I, Miguel Bintang S, Muflikh Kas Y. and Risma Fitriyanti of Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia. The team advisors are Dr. Miktha Farid Alkadri S.Ars., M.Ars and Dr.-Eng. Arnas, S.T., M.T.

In the 2024 Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge, students were asked to design a new or modified system using components from an existing HVAC unit that is at the end of its useful life to create an energy efficient retrofit or recycled product. The team advisor is Prof. Dr. Ir. Prihadi Setyo Darmanto.

Yoota Naufal Achmad, Achmad Mirzaq Nizar, Aeric Razan Priyanto, Daffa Fatih Rafi Andwiqi, Muhammad Izzul Haq and Raihan Iqbal Bisono from the Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia received first place. The winning project proposed a solution to carbon emissions associated with HVAC component production and air humidity control by retrofitting an existing HVAC system with solar assisted liquid dessicant dehumidification and cooling to the old HVAC system without using vapor compression refrigerant.

The Building Energy Quotient Competition takes theory into practice by giving students building energy assessment experience in an operational setting, while working collaboratively with building owners. In the 2024 competition, the winning team evaluated and audited building energy consumption for Appelt Hall, a residence hall on the campus of Texas A&M University.

First place was awarded to Dhyan Patel, Adharsh Adepalli, Namrata Thakkar, Mrunal Upadhye and Digvijaysinh Barad of Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. The team advisor is Dr. Juan Carlos Baltazar.

The projects will be recognized during the 2025 ASHRAE Winter Conference, February 8-12 in Orlando, Florida. The Winter Conference is held in conjunction with the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, which will be February 10-12 at the Orange County Convention Center.

For a full list of Student Design Competition and Applied Engineering Competition winners (First, Second, Third and Rising Star), please visit this page on the Student Zone.

About ASHRAE

Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is a global professional society committed to serve humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of heating ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and their allied fields.

As an industry leader in research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE and its members are dedicated to promoting a healthy and sustainable built environment for all, through strategic partnerships with organizations in the HVAC&R community and across related industries.

The Society is showcasing integrated building solutions and sustainability in action through the opening of the ASHRAE Global Headquarters building in metro-Atlanta, Georgia.