Page 10 - Ewire Winter 2020

Masri Institute and AUB Hold Fourth International
ASHRAE Conference

The Fourth International ASHRAE Conference on Efficient Building Design was
hosted by the American University of Beirut (AUB) in virtual format on November 5
and 6, attended by around 360 participants. The event focused on novel
building technologies that enhance environmental quality in buildings and the
impact of energy reforms on both demand and environmental quality, with the
goal of saving costs while providing the needed thermal and air quality
environment for better performance and improved health.

During the event, concepts for improved efficiency and interventions that are
adaptive to climate were disseminated, including building fabric technologies,
natural, mixed, and mechanical ventilation practices and systems to maintain a
thermally comfortable environment while relying on renewable energy. The
conference also communicated concepts for smart building system designs and
for integrating technologies that are passive, personalized and modular, and
energy efficient; as well as tackling human behavior in adopting these
technologies and understanding their impact in reducing energy consumption
and reducing the carbon footprint of buildings.

In addition, the virtual conference highlighted some pertinent topics related to
the COVID-19 pandemic through a training course entitled “Designing High
Performance Healthcare HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
Systems” that addressed, as one of its key objectives, the process on how to
convert a hospital into a specialty hospital for treating COVID-19 patients.

The Masri Institute building at the American University of Beirut
This event was organized by the Munib and Angela Masri Institute of Energy and
Natural Resources (Masri Institute) at the AUB, in partnership with the Department
of Mechanical Engineering at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and
Architecture (MSFEA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the ASHRAE Lebanese Chapter.