HVAC Integration in Building Design

This course provides an advanced, residential-focused look at HVAC design for high-performance homes, with an emphasis on comfort, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and aesthetics. Participants will explore how modern homes differ from older housing stock and why conventional forced-air design can fall short in areas such as cooling performance, duct leakage, zoning, ventilation, filtration, humidification, and whole-house comfort.

The course also examines practical design considerations including window performance, radiant temperature, stratification, advanced ductwork, grille selection, radiant floor systems, HRV/ERV selection, range hood design, dehumidification, filtration, net-zero readiness, battery storage, and EV charging. By treating the house as an integrated system, the session helps participants connect HVAC decisions to occupant comfort, building performance, and long-term residential design quality.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Residential HVAC fundamentals and system components
• Thermal comfort and occupant satisfaction
• Building envelope performance and HVAC interaction
• Window performance and solar heat gain considerations
• Heat pump technologies and system selection
• Ductless, central, and hybrid HVAC systems
• Air distribution, duct design, and leakage reduction
• HVAC zoning and room-by-room comfort strategies
• Diffusers, registers, and airflow optimisation
• Radiant floor heating and cooling applications
• Thermostat placement and control strategies
• Residential ventilation design and sizing standards
• HRVs, ERVs, and hybrid ventilation systems
• Humidity management and indoor air quality
• Filtration systems and airborne particle control
• Net-zero and net-zero-ready home design
• Solar energy integration and battery storage
• EV charging considerations in residential design
• Energy efficiency investment and lifecycle performance
• Passive house principles and future residential trends