By Lindsey Coulter
Dorian Maness, GGP, is a Senior Project Manager and Mechanical Engineer for the Education Division of Matern Professional Engineering in Maitland, Fla.听Focusing on听project management and mechanical systems design, Maness听delivers听innovative,听tailored听HVAC systems听that allow听students and educators to focus on learning, while giving school leaders operational peace of mind.听
鈥淪chool environments are often occupied and require continuous, rapid maintenance,鈥� Maness said. 鈥淪o, there鈥檚 a听balance to be struck between what the owner wants, what mechanical system听success听needs to meet the functionality of the school, and what the maintenance team can maintain to ensure the system operates effectively.鈥�听听
Maness joined the 糖心少女 (SCN) Editorial Advisory Board in 2025, bringing valuable听expertise听in听engineering and mechanical systems for听K-12 and higher education.听As school facilities must contend with more extreme temperatures, changing codes, shifting maintenance budgets听and听higher听performance expectations, Maness听spoke with SCN about听what it takes to design and deliver systems that work and last.听
SCN:听What鈥檚听your philosophy on balancing performance and cost in HVAC design?听
Maness:听Each project is听unique听and听it鈥檚听critical we have the right conversations to figure out what works within the framework of the project and the owner.听My philosophy breaks down to 鈥淢ake it make sense.鈥� There is a fine line between the performance听of听a system and the cost of getting that performance out of the system. Clients often approach a project with the notion that they want the highest performance system. However, there is a听[financial]听tradeoff. As an engineer and project manager,听it鈥檚听my job to understand things like budget and Life Cycle Costs to be able to have conversations with the owners or clients to guide them in a way that makes sense for their needs and the needs of their school. Sometimes听I鈥檓听able to design a听cool听high-performance system and give them the most efficient HVAC system,听which can save money over time or get tax rebates for the district. At other times, due to first costs and budget, we must design a more robust system that is more easily听maintained听and that the district is more familiar with.听听
SCN:听What innovations in mechanical system design are most promising for schools?听
Maness:听Schools are becoming more complex.听They’re听constantly听changing and听offering many听new programs听that used to be听available听only in colleges or technical schools. Mechanical equipment has become smaller and more powerful, allowing us to support various programming spaces, such as auditoriums, large gymnasiums, welding labs, automotive听labs听and robotics labs. Along with mechanical equipment, innovations in programming and BAS control have also been crucial to the advancement of how mechanical systems听operate. Adjusting to various school loads, allowing owners to see real-time alarms and failures on the equipment, are all innovations that have allowed us to change the way we design schools and give value back to the owners and clients.听
Additionally, in Florida, high temperatures and high humidity will always drive the mechanical system design in schools. Ensuring that the mechanical system has capacity to cool all spaces as required will become more challenging as the climate increasingly gets warmer or stays warmer longer. However, one trend I鈥檝e seen is mechanical equipment becoming more efficient and better at handling high humidity or high temperatures. Utilizing this equipment in newer designs will be crucial to keeping up with future demands.听
SCN:听What鈥檚听a misconception owners often have about mechanical design?听
Maness:听Owners underestimate the cost and space听required听to house mechanical systems. Most owners care听first and foremost听about how their building looks aesthetically, not about the space inside the building that no one sees. Ironically, this is the space that mechanical engineers care about the most:听the cavity above ceilings, the space on the roof, or mechanical rooms on a floor plan that no one will ever go into or see. These are the areas that house our听ductwork and听air听handlers,听chillers,听exhaust听fans听and many more pieces of mechanical equipment that are crucial to our design. Often, I hear how surprised they are about how many mechanical rooms we need on a floor plan or how much space we need outside for our chillers. This makes it crucial for us to be involved in early talks with the owner and architect when designing the footprint of a new building.听
SCN:听In what听other听ways do you collaborate with architects and planners to听optimize听student comfort?听
Maness:听I collaborate very closely with architects and planners to be sure the overarching designs maximize student comfort. While the architects design the layout of a school in respect to hallways, classrooms, gymnasiums, and more,听it鈥檚听my job to ensure that our mechanical design听maintains听the various spaces and makes them听comfortable听鈥斕齨o matter what the students are doing. The same type of mechanical system that serves a classroom听wouldn鈥檛听be useful in a gymnasium or a cafeteria. Ensuring that these different areas of a school have the听appropriate mechanical听design is our most important job. Working closely with architects and planners is critical, and we communicate extensively about the spaces we need for all these different areas to ensure we can fit our equipment and have enough space above the ceiling for our larger ductwork.听
SCN: What project taught you the most about energy-smart system design?听
Maness:听Whether听it鈥檚听elementary,听middle听or high school, the first question is always about costs. Since most schools are听supported by taxpayer dollars, cost savings and energy savings are always the first topics with owners.听In my experience, high-school projects present the most opportunity to听utilize听high-energy saving designs because they are larger and have more diverse student programming; kitchens, culinary labs, chemistry labs, auditoriums, and gymnasiums are all high-energy use spaces. These unique spaces create opportunities such as Bi-Polar听Ionization or听Demand Control Ventilation, which are energy-saving designs that help to reduce energy and life cycle costs over time.听
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