MDL Construction Begins!
The Mobile Diagnostic Lab (MDL) will move forward with construction on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. Earlier this week the holes for the windows were cut into the facade which was the last piece we were waiting for before beginning construction.
Here is some more information about what the MDL project is all about:
The Mobile Diagnostic Lab is an interdisciplinary research platform for implementing and analyzing building science utilizing the mobility of a trailer. Designed as a collaboration between students and faculty in the departments of Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Civil Engineering, the lab is meant to function as a test bed for material assemblies, a controlled environment for computational fluid dynamics, and a tool for collecting urban microclimate data in various locations.
This lab will be used for validating computational fluid dynamics of passive ventilation models as well as human thermal comfort experiments and building wall assembly testing. The mobile aspect of the lab has driven its design and led to interest in gathering data on urban microclimates for diagnostic work. This would be done with the help of an existing mobile weather station and would lead to a better understanding of the environments we create within the urban landscape.
The structural frame of the trailer was produced by a company known as Becker Custom Trailers in coordination with our design requests to accommodate research capabilities upon completion.
During this construction process we will be completing the following tasks:
- Finish window install.
- Remove tack welded structural supports from the back wall of the trailer so that a panel can be inserted into the open space.
- Construct a wood framed partition to divide the enclosed space into two environments. (Experimental and mechanical spaces).
- Install HVAC system.
More information about these components is available upon request.
