Myths and Realities of Natural Ventilation in Building Design

Patrick is the Mechanical Engineering Director at cove.tool, where he oversees the implementation of automated mechanical engineering design and optimization. Patrick leverages over 10 years of experience as a consulting engineer to help design teams across the globe meet the unique challenge of mechanical design. His extensive project experience enables him to share low-energy design knowledge and energy modeling expertise with clients. He holds a Master of Engineering from Boston University and is a registered PE, and a Member of ASHRAE, IBPSA and CIBSE. Patrick volunteers on several standard and technical committees including ASHRAE 209.

Alejandra Menchaca, Principal at Airlit Studio, combines mechanical engineering and building science expertise to enhance design strategies and sustainable solutions. With a Ph.D. in natural ventilation, she excels in passive building design. Her extensive experience covers energy-intensive buildings, early design analytics, thermal comfort, energy modeling, daylighting, and computational fluid dynamics. Alejandra co-founded Project StaSIO, a community focused on building performance simulation. She's dedicated to mentoring the next generation of sustainability-focused designers and engineers, lecturing at MIT and the Harvard GSD.