UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS THERMAL LAB

Matt Fajkus is the director of the UT Thermal Lab, which offers the opportunity to develop an integrated approach to problem-solving by an interdisciplinary team of scientists and students from architecture, engineering, natural sciences and other fields. No other university in the country can boast a similar experimental facility, and its value will be amplified through its dynamic and integrated use by architects, planners, designers, and engineers. allow testing of innovative building components and systems in the hot-humid climate setting of Central Texas, pairing the quantitative analysis of energy performance with the qualitative analysis of space, aesthetics, and design.

The Thermal Lab, established in 2009 under professor Werner Lang and first tested by thesis student Stefan Bader, consists of a full-scale, single room space with a south-facing facade, which allows for thermal experiments as well as testing in the areas of day lighting, ventilation, and the use of direct and indirect solar energy.