Andrew Hicks, a mechanical engineering student, and Jon Cairns, an industrial design student, won a design competition to install a building performance display system in the World Exchange Plaza, in Ottawa’s downtown core. The pair developed a beautiful display to represent the energy, natural gas and water use by the facility’s occupants.
The competition, open to all universities and colleges in Ottawa, saw three Carleton teams as the finalists. Hicks and Cairns receive a cash prize and will see the system implemented by the property manager Bentall Kennedy.
The team’s design consists of a suspended globe and three rings. Each ring represents a portion of the World Exchange Plaza. Higher electrical consumption will cause the ring to move higher in space, while lower electrical consumption move the ring lower. Additionally, the pitch of the rings indicate consumption relative to the day before. Water use is displayed in a globe: higher consumption will cause the globe to drain and lower consumption would cause the globe to fill with water. The globe moves up and down in space with the facility’s consumption of natural gas.
Clik here to view.
