Ashrae invites submissions of information on heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) for the Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge 2025.
ASHRAE is a global organization committed to enhancing human well-being through sustainable technologies in the built environment. The Society, alongside its members, focuses on key areas such as building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration, and sustainability. ASHRAE influences the future of the built environment through its work in research, standards development, publishing, and continuing education.
Founded in 1959 through the merger of the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE), established in 1894, and The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE), formed in 1904, ASHRAE has a long history of leadership in the industry. In 2012, as part of a rebranding initiative, the organization shifted from its full legal name to simply “ASHRAE,” reflecting its diverse, international membership and its ongoing evolution in providing global services.
Design and build an innovative carbon capture and utilization module that integrates with existing HVAC&R systems. This challenge centers on the capture of locally produced carbon dioxide for repurposing as a valuable resource while enhancing the sustainability and decarbonization of HVAC&R operations.
Ensure that the module is designed for easy integration into current HVAC&R systems, minimizing disruptions.
Consider a modular approach that can adapt to different system sizes and configurations.
Evaluate how this system interacts with other building systems.
Perform a thorough life cycle assessment, evaluating the environmental impact, energy demands, and overall sustainability of the carbon capture and utilization module.
Focus on using materials and manufacturing processes that have a minimal environmental footprint.
This project aims to test not only design and engineering capabilities but also the ability to anticipate and address CO2 emissions generated by buildings.
Projects will be assessed based on at least the following criteria. For areas not explicitly mentioned below, evaluations will be made based on the quality of the proposal and the supporting documentation provided. Teams are encouraged to think creatively, but, as in real-world scenarios, the proposed solutions must follow industry-approved engineering standards, leverage current technologies, be financially viable, and be implementable from design through construction within a reasonable timeframe.
This challenge centers on developing a specific component—a carbon capture and utilization module—that not only mitigates the carbon footprint of HVAC&R systems but also converts captured CO2 into a valuable resource, in line with sustainability and decarbonization objectives.
Teams must consist of two to six students with each team member’s name and school affiliation listed on the title page of the submission. Teams can consult industry professionals, such as local ASHRAE chapter members, or faculty advisors for mentorship and advice. However, all work, calculations, drawings, etc. that are presented in the final submission shall be generated exclusively by team members.
There will be three levels of evaluation. Evaluators at all levels will judge the design project reports, not only for content, but also for compliance with the competition rules.
Entries must be submitted electronically by this date by uploading the entry to the ASHRAE Society FTP site established for this purpose. Only teams who register will get the FTP site information emailed to them, so please register at least 30 days prior to this date to allow for processing. Late submissions will not be accepted so all teams must have their submission uploaded by 11:59pm EST on May 4, 2025.
Only ASHRAE chapters with registered teams will have the FTP site emailed to them as well.
Teams that do not have a local chapter are required to adhere to this same deadline. Your entry will be evaluated by the closest chapter to your school or your Regional Vice-Chair (RVC) for Student Activities.
Deadline for local ASHRAE Chapters to forward their selection of the best entry in each category to the Student Activities Regional Vice Chair (RVC). Chapters are to download the necessary entries from the ASHRAE FTP site for local judging. FTP site information is only distributed to those chapters that have teams registered to participate in the competition.
Once your selection is made simply email the names of the winning entries to your RVC with a copy to kthomson@ashrae.org by the deadline above.
If applicable, chapters should ALSO nominate a “rising star” as well. The Rising Star must be a school that does not qualify for the regional or Society competition, but is a quality entry and the school has not had a winning entry in the previous three years.
Deadline for local ASHRAE Student Activities Regional Vice Chairs to forward their selection of the best entry in each category to ASHRAE Headquarters for Society judging. Regional Vice Chairs are to download the necessary entries in your region from the ASHRAE FTP site for judging.
Once your selection is made simply email the names of the entries to kthomson@ashrae.org by the deadline above.
All entries that pass regional judging will be submitted to the Society judging committee for final judging.
If applicable, Regional Vice Chairs can nominate a “rising star” as well. The Rising Star must be a school that does not qualify for the Society competition, but is a quality entry and the school has not had a winning entry in the previous three years.
Society level competition under the direction of the Student Activities Design Competition Subcommittee will complete evaluation of Society level entries, and will select first, second, and third place winners in each category. In order to encourage additional schools to participate in the competition, a “Rising Star” winner will be chosen within each category from among those schools that have not had a winning entry in the previous three years.
Please Note: The Society level of the competition is conducted during a closed subcommittee session and therefore, team members and/or faculty advisors, or other persons outside of the Student Activities Committee, may not attend. Any violation of this notice can result in a team’s disqualification from the competition.
Winners announced
Awards will be presented to the winners at the 2026 ASHRAE Winter Meeting to be held in Las Vegas, United States of America as follows:
In conjunction with the 2026 ASHRAE Winter Meeting, members of the winning teams will be invited to meet with ASHRAE’s Executive Committee.
Interested candidates can register themselves via this link.
The submission deadline is May 4, 2025.
