Otaniemi indoor climate study leads to European student award

An Aalto University master’s thesis, entitled Demand response of heating and ventilation within educational office buildingsand completed within the REINO indoor climate study, won the student competition held as part of the annual meeting of the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA).

The thesis is the work of School of Engineering graduate Kristian Martin, who simulated a model of the fourth floor of the K1 building in Otaniemi (Otakaari 4) to study the potential achievement of heating-related savings through the use of demand response systems.

Martin was chosen as the winner of the REHVA student competition based on a short text, a presentation and a jury interview. The competition took place during the REHVA Annual Meeting, held in Brussels 21–23 April.

At the event, REHVA also honoured Professor Risto Kosonen of the School of Engineering with a technology award for his contributions to energy efficiency and indoor environments, while Aalto University alumnus Tuomo Niemelä received a REHVA Young Scientist Award. The former served as Kristian Martin’s thesis supervisor, the latter is currently his group leader at Grandlund.

The REINO project of Aalto University develops smart flexibility for the management of energy use in residential and office buildings. The project is funded by Tekes and conducted in cooperation with Finnish companies.