Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)

Buildings are important systems in Canada due to the relatively cold climate. A building system provides thex000D
general functions for humans, as well as goods that reside in the buildings, including (1) the supply of space,x000D
shelter, air, water, temperature, and humidity and (2) the removal of wastes. Modern building systems are morex000D
complex than ever due to the increased desires concerning the performance of the building system of itsx000D
functions as well as on its provision of a comfortable and pleasant place to live. Complexity in buildingx000D
construction is also due to the increased desire for low cost and high sustainability associated with buildings inx000D
general. An important sub-system in buildings is the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system,x000D
which is associated with the functions of the building concerning air, temperature, and humidity.x000D
The proposed research aims to develop a computer-based tool to rationally select the HVAC system that canx000D
fulfil the desired functions (air, temperature, humidity) with low cost and high sustainability. The type ofx000D
building system for this research is restricted to residence and office buildings without loss of generality. Threex000D
specific objectives of the research are: 1, to develop a comprehensive knowledge base for buildings, whichx000D
includes both the structure and function (especially the HVAC function) of buildings; 2, to develop ax000D
comprehensive knowledge base for HVAC components or systems and their functions; and 3, to develop ax000D
prototype system to demonstrate computer-selection of HVAC systems to meet a particular HVAC functionx000D
requirement for a particular building. In fact, Objective 3 is based on integration of two knowledge bases asx000D
developed in Objective 1 and Objective 2, respectively.x000D
The significance of this research is that the HVAC systems for buildings can be designed and developed morex000D
rationally and rapidly with low cost and short construction lead time.