Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Doctoral student Adams Rackes has recently been offered a 2014-15 Fulbright Scholarship.
Rackes holds a B.S. in Architectural Engineering (summa cum laude) from Drexel in June 2012. He also received a B.A. in History and Literature (magna cum laude) from Harvard University. His interests include indoor air quality (IAQ), building energy consumption, building automation and control, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) components and systems. Rackes is also one of the recipients of a 2014 NSF GRFP award, a 2014 Steven E. Giegerich Memorial Scholarship, a 2013 Koerner Family Fellowship, a 2013 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention, and a 2012 Grant in Aid from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air- Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Rackes is advised by Dr. Michael Waring.
Rackes will join Dr. Roberto Lamberts of Laboratory for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (LabEEE) at the University of Santa Catarina, Brazil to develop methods for improving and labeling naturally ventilated buildings. Dr. Lamberts and his group have been key participants in developing Brazil's new energy efficiency labeling system for commercial buildings, but the system needs to be expanded to include buildings that do not have mechanical air conditioning systems. Naturally ventilated buildings are common in Brazil, and Dr. Lamberts and his team have shown they can provide good thermal comfort for occupants--if they are well designed and take into account local climate conditions. Rackes' project combines energy modeling of buildings in Brazil's climate zones and field validation of the models with colleagues at LabEEE. By using building simulations coupled with statistical analysis, he will derive simple rules that are easy to apply in the field, helping to allow more Brazilian commercial buildings to effectively employ the sustainable, cost-effective design strategy of natural ventilation.
Adams will join Dr. Roberto Lamberts of Laboratory for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (LabEEE) at the University of Santa Catarina, Brazil to develop methods for improving and labeling naturally ventilated buildings. Dr. Lamberts and his group have been key participants in developing Brazil's new energy efficiency labeling system for commercial buildings, but the system needs to be expanded to include buildings that do not have mechanical air conditioning systems. Naturally ventilated buildings are common in Brazil, and Dr. Lamberts and his team have shown they can provide good thermal comfort for occupants--if they are well designed and take into account local climate conditions. Adams' project combines energy modeling of buildings in Brazil's climate zones and field validation of the models with colleagues at LabEEE. By using building simulations coupled with statistical analysis, he will derive simple rules that are easy to apply in the field, helping to allow more Brazilian commercial buildings to effectively employ the sustainable, cost-effective design strategy of natural ventilation.