Jiayi Qiu, who studied Architectural Environment Engineering, was a runner-up for the award, which recognises undergraduate students whose final year project work shows excellent understanding and knowledge in building services engineering. Jiayi received the award during a ceremony held in Hong Kong. 

Award judge Professor Tim Dwyer, teaching fellow at UCL Institute for Environmental Design, said of Jiayi’s project: "The strength of Jiayi's engineering analysis together with the novel application of dynamic thermal modelling considering the comparative benefits of different methods of extracting heat from the ground for heat pumps helped this project stand out from other entries."

Jiayi’s project used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to investigate, compare and optimise the thermal performance of three categories of ground heat exchangers for application in buildings in London. Ground heat exchangers are a vital component in ground source heat pump systems, which provide an energy-efficient method of heating and cooling buildings.

The BEng Architectural Environment Engineering course at UNNC is accredited by CIBSE, ensuring students hoping to pursue a career in building services engineering can work towards becoming chartered. This professional status is a demonstration of an individual’s expertise and can be crucial for career development, especially internationally. 

Jiayi, who is from Hangzhou, spent the final two years of his degree at The University of Nottingham UK Campus and graduated in 2014. He is currently studying a masters at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and hopes to work in research and development for an international engineering company in the future.

He said: “It’s a great honour for my work to be recognised by CIBSE in this way. At the award ceremony I was proud to say I was a UNNC student and delighted to know that I am the first Chinese student to receive this international prize. I hope it encourages other UNNC students to consider entering their work.”

 

Siegfried Yeboah, assistant professor and course director for BEng Architectural Environment Engineering, said: “We are very proud of Jiayi winning this award, which is recognition of the quality of his work. I am sure he will have a long and successful career in engineering.”    

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