Richard H. Rooley (FREng FASHRAE, Presidential Member) is a Consulting Engineer in London, UK. He has designed HVAC systems and developed operation and maintenance procedures for commercial, health, defence, public buildings and housing. He has project managed complex engineering and building projects, He has worked with universities in research on indoor air quality and the process of building design, construction and use. He has investigated problems and achieved solutions. He acts as an expert in litigation, and as an arbitrator and mediator in disputes. In seeking solutions to problems in buildings, he has used teams of professionals, from inside and outside the HVAC industry.
His extensive experience in the investigation of failed buildings because of cost, time, indoor air quality, failure to meet the brief and misrepresentation of intentions provide a strong basis for his work. Founded the Teambuild competition in 1990.
Mr. Rooley has been a member of ASHRAE since 1976, and has served as Chairman or member of many Councils, standing and technical committees. He served as ASHRAE President (2003-2004), He is a Fellow of ASHRAE, has received the Paul Anderson Award, the Exceptional Service Award, the Award of Merit and the International Activities Award. He is a life member.
Outside America, Mr. Rooley is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers. He has degrees from Trinity College, University of Dublin, in Civil Engineering and in Law and Management and post graduate studies at London South Bank University.
Community interests include interfaith and intercultural activities. As a Licensed Lay Minister (Lay Reader) in the Church of England (Episcopal) he conducts meetings and preaches in a number of Anglican and Methodist churches.
Worst Practise in Design and Operation
We’ve all been to best practices presentations, but we can learn just as much from worst practices.
Here, the presentation will include a survey of problems in the Construction Process which have led to litigation or arbitration through the opportunities which are available in construction for conflict. Dissatisfaction is based on technical and procedural problems both of which are a result of human failings. Triggers for a dispute are remarkably similar. Many problems result from an inability to design and manage the interface between activities even though each activity is carried out in accordance with good practice.
RCM (Reliability Centred Maintenance) in Maintenance and Design
ASHRAE and Engineering Ethics, Chaos, Complexity, Uncertainty
We’ve all been to best practices presentations, but we can learn just as much from worst practices.
Here, the presentation will include a survey of problems in the Construction Process which have led to litigation or arbitration through the opportunities which are available in construction for conflict. Dissatisfaction is based on technical and procedural problems both of which are a result of human failings. Triggers for a dispute are remarkably similar. Many problems result from an inability to design and manage the interface between activities even though each activity is carried out in accordance with good practice.
Sick Building Syndrome – Reality or Myth
Do buildings cause sickness? A psychological or technical problem? To be solved by senior management or by the individual?
This paper explores how building environmental systems work and fail. It also considers the effect of external and internal pollution. Illness, comfort and productivity in the home and workplace are linked to the stress of modern work practises. The review includes non-HVAC alleged causes including diet, management style, electromagnetic forces, shape and form.
Quality of the Internal Workplace and Worker Productivity: A Look beyond Engineering
This talk is in three parts: the work of the HVAC Engineer, definitions of productivity, and other aspects. The HVAC Engineer who refers to the ASHRAE standards and applies knowledge and wisdom contained in the ASHRAE Handbooks has solved a major part of the problems of indoor air conditioning. The talk will review the current knowledge base and consider related technical aspects of lighting and architectural features.
As comfort is perceived as a state of well-being, productivity is usually taken as a perception of efficiency. Work in this area has mainly addressed the perception of productivity, but others rely on measurement including keyboard accuracy and speed. Aspects of productivity are the business of the HVAC engineer.
In parallel with developments in the HVAC and comfort aspects of indoor air quality, there is a large body of alternative knowledge. The talk will review this, ranging from the philosophy of work and management technique through the application of fung shui and other behavioral guides. The electronic smog generated by the increasing use of computers, power lines and mobile phones will be presented. The influence of earth energies and their interruption by electric and magnetic energy will be described. A view will be presented for discussion on whether and to what extent the HVAC engineer is challenged in their design by this alternative research.
Leadership and Management for Engineers – How to achieve profit – for whom?
What is the relationship between leadership, management and administration? Management theory, based on engineering principles but relevant to any business. Principles of investigation, analyses and decision making which support leadership and management are described. These principles will then be applied to a typical building project from conception to completion. Reference will be made to areas where cash flow is eroded and legal risk arises. The fuzzy edge between professions must be addressed.
Sublime chaos in construction: Each profession and trade as a strange and dominant attractor
Since the inception of chaos theory from 1960 construction project management has failed to apply it. From 1970 the author has researched and investigated successes and failures resulting from the hiatus in the British RIBA plan of work, the fuzzy edge disease and his work in design, arbitration and investigation of failures and cross industry consultations. References are given on complexity theory which make the planning of projects very difficult but accept simply that there are difficulties to be overcome. Chaos theory largely explains why they are difficult.
Crowd research of the Teambuild Competition participants, over 1200, who are in many cases in leadership positions together with cross references to complex manufacturing industry, political processes, funding mechanisms show that chaos theory is a fertile area for improved construction performance.
The paper shows that a normal project is managed using a straight line process based on Pert or Gantt techniques. Surrounding that management diagram is a multi-dimensional chaos field. This field ensures that a small deviation at an early stage is amplified to a major problem later on.
Major elements in the chaotic field are forces and strange attractors. These push and draw the project off course but each time are considered to be surprising complexities to be overcome. The strong attractors and forces which are described include, financial drivers, changes in brief, changes in personnel; errors in input to mathematical model; failures to understand language among architect, engineer, contractor, surveyor operator and client; transfer of responsibility between designer and contractor, value engineering, risk assessment, separation or cooperation between manufacturer and designer.