AIA Continuing Education: DesignTech now offering accredited courses!

For the last few years, DesignTech has been providing architects with informal continuing education topics including Variable Refrigeration Flow (VRF), HVAC 101, and a guide to DCRA Energy Verification Sheets. In an effort to further reward our AIA member attendees, we are pleased to announce that as of early this year, DesignTech has become an official American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA CES) Provider! We are now approved to develop curriculum and present face-to-face in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC!

Thus far, the focus of what we can offer has been on our experience and solutions to common challenges faced by architectural/engineering teams. Specifically, we have developed our first course, offering "20 Products to get you out of a Bind”. This presentation is designated as a part of the health, safety, and wellness category (HSW) of continuing education; which in this case means a high focus on the deliverable to the client. The most common of these design challenges include:

• Spatial constraints
• Aesthetic functionality
• Code requirements
• Budgetary restrictions
• Acoustic requirements
• Thermal comfort
• A/E team coordination

One product in the presentation is a cable operated manual volume damper. This product, specified by the mechanical engineer, provides the ability for proper air balancing at air devices installed in gypsum board ceilings without a need for a costly/unattractive access door. Below is an excerpt from our presentation:

In presenting each of the other 19 challenges, we explain how the standard Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing design products could fail to achieve the desired performance standard. We also detail how the solution product addresses each of these shortfalls. Finally, we provide a case study from work that DesignTech has completed where the product was used. 

We have been fortunate to present this to six architecture firms over lunch and are still interested in sharing this information with more people! If you are interested in this presentation, and would like us to come over to your office, please reach out to us!  You can contact our business development manager Kim Dize through email at kdize@designtecheng.com to schedule a date! We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Help us continue to make the built world better!

NAIOP Northern VA: And the Winners Are...

Earlier this month, DesignTech attended the NAIOP awards gala for the Northern Virginia chapter! Principals Tom Igo and Matt Bowers attended on behalf of DesignTech at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA. Though MEP engineering consultants are not recognized as winners, many DesignTech clients, both architects and contractors, are often winners. Last year, Architecture Incorporated won the award of excellence for their interiors retail design of the Tower Club; a project in which DesignTech provided MEP services. This year there were three Designtech 2016 clients who won awards! Though they were not on DesignTech projects, we are thrilled to congratulate Form Architects, Architecture Incorporated, and Collective Architecture for their wins! We are privileged to work with design firms who do such excellent work!

Pictured below is Matt and Tom at the event with the Balfour Beatty team in attendance .