During the summer of 2023, I was fortunate enough to work as a mechanical project engineering intern for AMA Group in NYC. AMA Group is a company consisting of many consulting services across offices in NY (Main), New Jersey, California, Florida, and Texas. I worked on the engineering/design side of the company, which does MEP design and project management for projects of various types, scope, and value. I worked directly under a professional engineer, providing assistance with project tasks and learning the fundamentals of the MEP industry in NYC. 

To summarize, some of the things I learned and worked on this summer include: 

• AutoCAD & Revit for HVAC design and creating construction documents such as front sheets, specifications, mechanical details, floor plans, and riser diagrams. 
• Using Trane Trace 700 for zoning and calculating cooling/heating loads for spaces based on NYC and ASHRAE codes and guidelines.
• Duct sizing and supply equipment selection based on CFM, FPM, and external static pressure. 
• How to read and contribute to construction management documents such as RFI's, shop drawings, surveys, and punch-lists using Bluebeam Revu. 
• Learned about the different design/construction phases and their components, as well as their relation to the NYC DOB. 

The first project I worked on was for the NBA corporate headquarters in NYC. There was an NBA2k24 event being held in one of the conference rooms of the office, and it was my task to determine if the cooling being provided to the conference room would be enough to handle the increased load due to the extra 30 people, each with a gaming setup. 

In order to determine this, I used Trane Trace and ASHRAE guidelines to calculate the new cooling load of the conference room. I then compared it with the existing capacity, noting any supplemental cooling units at the perimeter. I also checked the riser diagram to ensure that any extra units could be handled using the existing condensing units. 

The next project I worked on during my time was a pre-build for SJP properties. I was responsible for producing the schematic design (SD) filing for the project. I used Trane Trace along with NYC and ASHRAE guidelines to assign zones and perform load calculations to inform the HVAC design of the space. This was my complete floor plan, included in the SD filing. 

The next project I helped with was Stifel. The demolition of the existing ceiling and ductwork had finished, so my mentor and I surveyed the ceiling heights, beam clearances, and existing conditions. The space was a trading floor with a couple individual offices. The individual offices were to be served by the base building cooling, and the trading floor was to be served by 4 constant volume AC units. 

I ran the load calculations based on ASHRAE and NYC guidelines, and created the complete mechanical floor plan. All of the design and sizing was done by me.