CCEE professor earns grant for developing energy-efficient, comfortable buildings By Kate Tindall When it comes to energy-efficient buildings, Kristen Cetin looks for a balance between comfort and cost. “The controls that you can propose might save energy but might not make the occupants feel too comfortable,” Cetin said. “If you just turn off the A.C. (air conditioning), yes, you save a lot of energy. But nobody’s going to like that.” Now, Cetin has earned a grant for developing means of making buildings more comfortable, energy-efficient and cost-effective. This month, the Iowa State University Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) assistant professor learned the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has awarded her a grant for her research. Cetin will serve as principal investigator of the project “Effect of Dynamic Shading Devices on Daylighting and Energy Performance of Perimeter Zones.”
Assistant Professor Kristen Cetin
Cetin will work to develop systems that adapt to glare, heat and lighting levels in office settings. She will also explore how those systems could be controlled automatically. Cetin says researchers will use different types of windows and shades to control lighting and heat transfer during the project. “The purpose of this is to try to use shading devices and lighting controls to somewhat reduce energy use but not negatively affect the occupants,” Cetin said. The total cost of the project will be approximately $160,000, with ASHRAE contributing slightly more than $112,000. The Iowa Energy Center will also share costs of the project, and two months of experimentation will take place at the center’s Energy Resource Station (ERS). The project starts in September of this year and is slated to last two years. Cetin will work with Ulrike Passe, an associate professor in ISU’s College of Design and the director of the Center for Building Energy Research (CBER) at ISU. Published June 2016
Iowa State professor wins ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) Construction Management Award By Keegan Kriwant Douglas Gransberg, a professor of Iowa State’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, recently accepted the ASCE Construction Management Award. The award is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of construction management as a practitioner, educator or researcher. Gransberg’s research focuses on streamlining the procurement and project delivery for mega-projects involving infrastructure such as highways, ports, railroads, and water supply facilities. His work has been notable on several occasions, including when his research on complex project delivery was cited in a transportation bill President Obama “ASCE Construction Management” cont. on next pg.
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