Tag: Mathieu Deraspe

All Out the Window: A Study of Infiltration in Deady Hall

Presenter: Russell McIntire

Co-Presenters: Rebecca Fletcher, Lisa Sparks

Mentor: Mathieu Deraspe

Poster: 21

Major: Architecture

For this project we chose to study a building that did not provide adequate thermal comfort for its occupants, as well as had problems with air-leakage. After talking to University of Oregon students, we found that the historical Deady Hall fit the bill. Complaints ranged from an overly warm third floor, to frigid temperatures in the basement.
We considered these issues and developed the hypothesis: The top floor of Deady Hall loses a high amount of heat energy through air-gap infiltration and radiation, and thus is overheated to maintain that difference (equivalent to $6 of heat energy per day for the top floor). After placing HOBO sensors in one classroom and the hallways on each floor, conducting a blower door test, and analyzing the data with a few calculations, we found that the heat lost through infiltration was equal to $7.26/day, money just flying out the window. Upon more calculations, we discovered that if the findings for infiltration and heat radiation could be applied to all the windows in Deady Hall, the entire building is losing $10,464 per year to heat energy flying out the window. That is more than one student’s tuition, which we feel is important for the University community to know about if renovations are ever to be made.

Recycled Insulation for Resource Scarce Regions

Presenter: Katrina Tran

Co-Presenters: Kyle Plata and Alex Weaver

Mentors: Alison Kwok and Mathieu Deraspe, Architecture

Poster: C7

Major: Architecture

This experiment sought to assess the efficacy of using excess trash as a solution to resource scarcity in the developing world by testing the thermal efficiency of glass bottles as an insulating material. The glass bottles were packed densely with shredded paper and then laid on their sides into a rough wall assembly. The general thermal efficiency of this recycled insulation was tested inside a thermal hotbox using HOBO data loggers, which measured the temperatures inside the “hot” and “cold” sides of the hotbox for twelve hours. The hypothesis was that the recycled insulation could sustain a temperature difference greater than 5°F for at least three hours after applying heat to the “hot” side of the hotbox. The data collected showed a temperature difference greater than 5°F for four hours after the heating period. Once the original hypothesis held true, further testing was conducted using a heat flux transducer in order to calculate an exact R-value for the recycled insulation. The transducer data showed that the recycled insulation has an R-value of 15 hrft2°F/Btu. The results of this experiment indicate that this insulation may be suitable for mild to moderate climates.

The Darker Side of the Dark Room: Ventilation and Volatile Organic Compounds in the Craft Center’s Dark Room

Presenter: Davis Carlisle

Co-Presenter: Laurel Sleeper

Mentors: Alison Kwok and Mathieu Deraspe, Architecture

Poster: 8

Major: Architecture

The Craft Center at the University of Oregon was rapidly built during the renovation process of the new Erb Memorial Union (EMU). Due to the quick construction of this space, there have been issues with the ventilation in the Craft Center. Some components of this ventilation system either are not completely finished or aren’t functioning yet including the dark room. Chemicals and open flames are often used in the studio spaces of the Craft Center, so it’s important that the ventilation is operating properly. One room that poses a possible health concern is the dark doom where photo chemicals are often used. Although the ventilation system appeared to be working in the Photo Studio, the effectiveness of the system is questionable because of the reoccurring problems with the Craft Center’s mechanical systems, according to Craft Center employees. The following study determines if the dark room’s ventilation system is working properly. A CO2/VOC data logger was placed in the dark room in order to monitor the air quality during a three day period. When looking at the VOC results from the three day period were inconclusive however, it is reasonable to assume that the VOC levels are safe and below ASHRAE Standard 62.1 because of the CO2 levels in the Dark Room which stayed well below the 5000 ppm of CO2 set by the ASHRAE standard (ASHRAE standard 2007, 5).