Author: 360 Engineering

Press Release: 360 Engineering President Wins Two Achievement Awards

Posted on by 360 Engineering

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4/25/2017

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Woman Founder of Local Mechanical Engineering Firm Wins
Two Achievement Awards

Golden, CO – Award-winning mechanical engineering firm 360 Engineering has two new accolades to add to its rapidly growing array. Company founder Denise Dihle has been named to two prestigious lists: Top Women in Energy, compiled by the Denver Business Journal (DBJ); and Enterprising Women of the Year, by Enterprising Women magazine. In both cases, the winner was determined based on qualities such as company growth, mentoring and leadership, and community involvement.

In January, Enterprising Women magazine notified Dihle that she is one of their 2017 Enterprising Women of the Year, joining a prestigious group of female entrepreneurs from across the U.S. and internationally. According to the award letter, Dihle was selected from hundreds of nominees based on the financial success of her business, her commitment to mentoring and supporting other women in business, and her community leadership.

In March, DBJ included Dihle on its annual list of 40 Top Women in Energy, which recognizes leading women in the Denver metro area working in a variety of industries within the energy sector.  A special issue of the Journal profiled each winner on April 14, followed by a VIP reception and awards ceremony on April 19.

360 Engineering’s Dihle said of winning the two awards, “In 2016, 360 won two awards for our work and I didn’t think that could be topped. This year, I’m even more humbled to receive two personal awards.  All of it was won just as much by my terrific staff and our clients. I could not have achieved any of this without them.” To other women either in business or dreaming of it, Dihle offers two things she’s learned, “First, be over-prepared so you can avoid pitfalls and jump faster than others at opportunities. Second, don’t let large risks keep you from making decisions.  Evaluate, prepare for the worst-case scenario, then jump off the edge and don’t look back.”

The latest recognition continues the firm’s award-winning streak. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected 360 Engineering as its USDOE’16 Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC) named 360 its Small Company of the Year for 2016.

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ABOUT 360 ENGINEERING
Founded by Denise Dihle in 2003, 360 Engineering offers mechanical engineering, prime consulting, and energy modeling and sustainability services. They work with commercial, government, and civic clients across the U.S. on projects of all sizes. In addition to numerous commercial projects for clients including 1st Bank and Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, the company’s portfolio includes work on high-profile sites such as the Colorado State Capitol Building, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus, and several national parks including Yellowstone (WY), Glacier (MT), and Apostle Islands (WI). 360 Engineering has a reputation built on providing excellent and responsive service, careful listening, and treating all clients as valued long-term partners.

Project Highlight: Yellowstone Canyon Village Area Lodging Redevelopment

Posted on by 360 Engineering

 

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming hosts approximately 4 million visitors each year, many of whom elect to stay overnight. Of the Park’s several accommodation areas, Canyon Lodge and Cabins is the largest, offering approximately 500 beds including the cabins. The National Park Service decided to undertake a two-year redevelopment of the aging Canyon Village Lodge. The old cabin complex was demolished and five new three-story buildings were built, providing more than 400 rooms including two-bedroom suites.

The design team was tasked with providing heating and ventilating systems for the new buildings, including the main lodge of approximately 38,000 square feet. The Yellowstone Canyon Village Area Redevelopment was a unique project using pre-fabricated rooms and systems that were dropped into place, then the mechanical systems were connected and completed.

The mechanical design utilized high efficiency condensing boilers with a high delta T to optimize the boiler efficiency and reduce pumping horsepower. The heating water system also supported the large domestic hot water load for the building. The building was designed for winterization of the mechanical and plumbing systems by allowing all the systems to drain down in a simple maintenance order. Design provided a winterized gravity drain down system (plumbing and hydronic heat) for entire lodge. The challenges presented by the winterization drain down required significant coordination with the integrated team for the solution. Throughout site visits, 360 Engineering sat down with the winter caretaker/head maintenance person to review the design early-on to make sure the buildings were easy to maintain and winterize based on his resources. Buried by snow in the winter, the lodges re-open with snow pack. Access to the mechanical room and seasonal start with snow pack was another concern during design.

Working closely with the entire team, including Yellowstone maintenance personnel, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc., Barker Rinker Seacat Architects, and equipment manufacturers, 360 Engineering delivered effective, efficient mechanical systems.  Awarded LEED® Gold for four buildings and LEED® Silver for the larger registration building and lodge.

Read further on how hoteliers are using prefabricated building methods in an article by JLL, which also mentions this Yellowstone Canyon Lodge and Cabins project:  Why prefab building methods stack up for hotels

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Top Women in Energy Announced!

Posted on by 360 Engineering

Image Credit: Denver Business Journal

Congratulations to all the Denver Business Journal’s Top Women in Energy 2017!  We are especially excited for our President, Denise Dihle, PE.  She made the list this year for her commitment to professional excellence and positive contributions to the energy industry in Colorado.

See the nominees here:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/03/03/dbj-reveals-2017-top-women-in-energy-honorees.html#g1

 

Celebrating EWeek – Why We Love Engineering

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National Engineers Week is February 19-25, 2017. Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the purpose of EWeek is to recognize engineers’ positive contributions to society, and communicate the importance of learning math, science, and technical skills. According to NSPE.org, “EWeek is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers.”

As a Marketing Coordinator for Three Sixty Engineering, and a newcomer to the AEC (Architecture/Engineer/Construction) Industry, it has been fascinating learning about the engineering field. While I’ve just begun to scratch the surface, I’ve been learning about mechanical systems, energy efficiency, and the consulting and design process. I’ve enjoyed listening to all the problem solving that happens around our office. It’s great how our engineers work together and support each other, all working towards the same end goal, providing top-notch service to our partners and clients.

To celebrate National Engineers Week, and raise awareness (about how awesome engineering is), I asked some of our mechanical engineers to share why they decided to go into the field and what they enjoy about being an engineer:

 

Craig Crow, Project Engineer:
I have always been intrigued by how things work, and I have always had strengths in math and science. As time passed and the moment came closer to choose a major; engineering seemed like the logical choice because it allowed me to continue to explore how things work. I chose mechanical specifically because it seems to offer the largest variety of industries/knowledge.

Spencer Rioux, Project Engineer:
I enjoy being an engineer for several reasons, a few of which are my love of learning, the satisfaction associated with solving puzzles, and the real-life impact of my work. The construction engineering field is constantly evolving with new technologies and codes, so there is always more to learn and skills to develop. It’s also very gratifying to recognize the ways in which our designs make everyday life possible in an office, or a school, or any number of facilities we work on by creating comfortable spaces with practical mechanical and plumbing systems in operation.

Joe Wittenberg, Project Engineer:
I entered engineering for two reasons. First, I was good at math, but being a math teacher didn’t appeal to me. Second, I enjoy problem solving and I like the idea of there being a correct answer or solution to a given problem. This drove me to study engineering in school, the problem-solving aspect still keeps me interested in my day to day work as an engineer.

Taylor Reese LEED AP BD+C, CxA, Project Manager:
Throughout human history, individuals have faced challenges everyday of their lives. In our modern society, these struggles may be as inconsequential as being a little chilly at our desk at work or wanting to safely send emails as we drive. Many years ago, the tribulations were much more dire, such as avoiding hypothermia during an intense blizzard or crossing wide rivers or high mountain passes during a long journey. Over the years, engineering has provided solutions to these in the form of buildings that can keep us warm and safe during extreme weather and bridges and tunnels that allow us to cross all sorts of perilous terrain with ease; and it will only be a matter of time until the challenges of today are solved.

I became an engineer because I recognized these deficiencies in my life and wanted to be able to do something about them. Engineering is a state of mind, a different way of looking at the world. It’s a toolkit of skills rooted in math and science that can be applied to the world around us. It’s a technique of not just seeing a problem, but understanding, characterizing, and simplifying it on the way to a solution. Engineers are indispensable contributors to the advancement of society, and I am proud to be one.

 

Wow, it really gives me goosebumps to read these testimonials, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I have. I’m thrilled to be a part of this team of passionate engineers!

-Stacey Richardson, Marketing Coordinator

2017 AHR Expo – Post Conference Follow-Up

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The 2017 AHR Expo (International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition) set several records this year, including attendance of more than 68,000 registered attendees and exhibitor personnel, as well as 500,159 square feet sold. Three Sixty Engineering sent two of our mechanical engineers, Project Manager Taylor Reese LEED AP BD+C, CxA and Project Engineer Joe Wittenberg, to learn about the latest technologies and products in Mechanical Engineering and HVAC.

With over 2,000 exhibitors, our engineers had a large amount of ground to cover, it was hard to fit it into just three days! Upon their return, Taylor and Joe were excited to share what they had learned with our team. There were so many new systems and products to talk about, we asked Joe to pick a few of his favorite:

1. Trane® – CoolSense System – Intelligent Variable Air Systems. An HVAC using chilled water to provide sensible cooling and cooling for the DOAS (Dedicated Outside Air System) system. It also uses small terminal units in the space to pick up the sensible load, using chilled water coils.
2. Metraflex – Flexible Hoses. Manufacturer of NSF (International public health standards and certifications) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) rated flexible water hoses.
3. Fulton – Boiler. A new boiler technology that allows the heat exchanger to float which eliminates stress due to thermal expansion.
4. Stamped Fittings, Inc. – Gasketed Spiral Duct. Spiral duct fittings with gaskets that eliminate the need for duct seal.
5. Trane® – Humidity Sensor. New sensor that collects temperature and relative humidity readings.

In addition to providing access to the latest products, the conference offers educational seminars. This year, Joe attended a class on DOAS (Dedicated Outside Air System) and a one on Commissioning.

Click here to read our first AHR Expo blog: 3 Benefits of Attending or to learn more about the AHR Expo, visit http://ahrexpo.com.

2017 AHR Expo – 3 Benefits of Attending

Posted on by 360 Engineering

ahr-expo-2016-2

Here at Three Sixty Engineering, keeping up with the latest technologies in Mechanical Engineering and HVAC is high priority, which is why two of our mechanical engineers are attending the AHR Expo, a three-day conference co-sponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI. As one (1) of Colorado’s eleven (11) certified ASHRAE High-Performance Building Design Professional’s (HBDP), our President, Denise Dihle P.E., LEED AP BD+C, HBDP, CxA, leads by example and encourages the staff to stay involved and informed.

The conference, taking place January 30, 2017 through February 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV, will host more than 2,000 exhibitors and attract crowds of 60,000 industry professionals from every state in the U.S. and 150 countries worldwide per the AHR Expo website http://ahrexpo.com. Beginning as a heating and ventilation show 85 years ago, the expo has evolved into the leading HVACR event.

Before heading to the conference, one of our Project Managers, Taylor Reese LEED AP BD+C, CxA, shared his thoughts on why the AHR Expo is important to attend.

Education
The ASHRAE Conference provides a unique opportunity to take part in courses taught by top experts in the field and industry leaders. For entry-level engineers, it presents an opportunity to dig into the fundamental topics on which they can build their knowledge. For experienced engineers, it’s a chance to dive deep into unique complex system applications, address the latest code updates, and investigate innovative energy-saving strategies.

Technology
With literally thousands of exhibitors at the AHR Expo, it’s a great place to learn about all the new technology, and really experience it hands-on. It provides an opportunity to speak with the people directly involved in developing and building the equipment.

Networking
The ASHRAE Conference and AHR Expo bring so many people in our industry together in one city. It’s rare to have a situation where everyone you’re meeting is likely related to your field and everyday work. Whether you’re sitting in a panel discussion asking questions to a major manufacturer’s CEO or having evening drinks with a fellow consulting engineer, there are bound to be little pieces of knowledge and experience you can glean from others that can be applied to the next tough project.

Our team is looking forward to meeting upon their return to hear about what’s new in the industry and how we can use new equipment and technologies to better serve our clients on current and upcoming projects.

 

Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce – 2016 Small Company of the Year Award

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Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce

Photo by InSync Photography + Design

360 Engineering is honored to have recently accepted the 2016 Small Company of the Year award from the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC).

Nominated by valued long-time client, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), candidates were judged on qualities including firm growth, vision, leadership, excellence, social responsibility, and community involvement. The nomination form cites 360’s innovative approach to project leadership and states in part, “We have found that 360 Engineering is much more than a mechanical engineering firm; they bring a strategic approach to all of our projects and keep pushing for economical and functional solutions.”

As one of the largest women’s chamber of commerce in the country, CWCC has over 400 member businesses and 1,000 individual members. Their mission is to “provide opportunities and visibility for women in business through relationship development, education, mentorship, partnership and alliances.”

What’s Happening Now?

Posted on by 360 Engineering
doe_annoucement_image

Thanks to all of you, we have 3 exciting pieces of news to share… and 1 big fat celebration coming up!

National Award

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) named 360 Engineering as their Women-Owned Small Business of the Year. Humbled, excited, and grateful are a few of the words that come to mind. View Announcement

Website

We have redesigned our website.

Growing Office

We continue to add more staff and expanding and renovating our offices.

Big Fat Celebration

With all this excitement, how could we NOT celebrate? This fall, we’re hosting an Open House to thank all of our spectacular clients and supporters.

Watch for a SAVE the DATE coming soon!!