Sustainability task force at OCAD

Some of you have taken your proposals to Lewis Nicholson, a faculty member who leads the OCAD Sustainability Task Force. Well done. We need student members -- LIKE YOU -- on the task force. Let me know if you are interested in real action - and committing some of your time, talent, and energy to create change at OCAD!

OCAD's Existing HVAC System

Greenwall Proposal
1. Preliminary Research
by Ashley, Veronica, Amy and David

How does our existing HVAC system circulate indoor air?

Air enters and exits the 5th and 6th floors through vents. In the common area the vents are hanging overhead. The vents in the foreground are drawing in stale air, the vents in the background are supplying fresh air. They go through separate pipes connected to the.....

RTU

The workhorses of the HVAC system are the rooftop units which circulate the air.

The manufacturer of the Sharp Centre's HVAC system is Trane. This computerized equipment maintains precise control of the variables of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ):

• temperature
  
• humidity
  
• particulate count
  
• fresh air volume and circulation

The system is timed to shut down at 1am daily when the building is closed.
This is RTU 6-8 (Rooftop Unit, 6th floor, unit 8). Each floor requires 8 units to circulate the air, each RTU services about 3 rooms.

The RTU's exhaust, where the stale air exits.
And the RTU's supply, where fresh air is drawn in.
This particular RTU has a special job. It only handles the air along the perimeter of the building's interior.

Natural gas line. Used by the RTU's for heating the air.

RTU. Panel open. Yellow gas line. Air filter.

AIR FILTER

Air filter made by American Air Filter. These are changed every 1-4 months by an outside company that inspects and maintains the HVAC system.

I did not see the filter part #...however, air filters are rated according to MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value), from MERV 1 to MERV 16. Hospitals will have MERV 14 and up. However, as stated above, IAQ is not just about filters. There is a multiply of variables.

According to the EPA poor IAQ can affect mental functioning and "sick building syndrome" is a major cause of illnesses leading to absenteeism.

Noise Pollution

This cylindrical housing is a baffle that soundproofs the unit because its operating noise levels can sometimes exceed city limits and such noise pollution would be unbearable for people who live in the building directly across the street.

OCAD Green Exchange this week

Green Exchange
October 22 & 23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
In conjunction with Waste Reduction Week, OCAD's Sustainability Task Force invites OCAD students, faculty and staff to exchange or recycle outdated electronics. Many people have the knowledge, but do not have the means to properly recycle technology. Over the course of two days, the OCAD community can bring in outdated electronics and either leave it for another person to reuse or to have it properly recycled. Drop off old mobile phones, computers and related items (including peripherals like keyboards, mice, cables, monitors, printers, PDAs etc.), old TVs, VCRs or other entertainment devices, as well as old batteries and printer cartridges. What can be reused will be salvaged by those that want it, while non-salvageable will be collected by GreenTec for proper dismantlement, salvage, recycling and disposal. Read more in the Events Calendar link in the post title...