About Dr. Strand
Biography
After spending a semester as an architecture major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Prof. Strand switched to mechanical engineering and graduated in 1989 after completing his senior year as an exchange student at the Eignenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich. Upon returning from Switzerland, Prof. Strand began his graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1992 with a thesis in the area of thermal energy storage and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 1995 with a dissertation in the area of low temperature radiant systems. After graduation, he worked in the Building Systems Laboratory within the UIUC Department of Mechanical Engineering as a post-doctoral student and then a research engineer working on the development of the US Department of Energy sponsored EnergyPlus building energy simulation program. Following a part-time teaching assignment for the School of Architecture during the Spring 1999 semester, Dr. Strand was hired as full-time faculty in the School of Architecture starting in the Fall 1999 semester and received a promotion to Associate Professor with tenure in 2005. He is currently the longest-serving researcher on the EnergyPlus Development Team, having been involved continuously on EnergyPlus since the project began in 1995.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1995)
- Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1992)
- Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1989)
Research and publications
Ongoing and upcoming research
Projects
US Department of Energy Sponsored EnergyPlus Research and Development
Prof. Strand is an active member of the EnergyPlus development team. He has been responsible for a variety of new models within the program since the inception of the program in late 1995 including low and high temperature radiant systems, four-pipe fan coils, re-engineering the heat balance approach for modeling the building envelope, thermal energy storage (ice), and numerous other improvements to both the program capabilities and its documentation. Dr. Strand is considered an international expert in the main heat balance-based calculation engine and radiant system models used in EnergyPlus.
Teaching and advising
Classes taught
- Arch 434: Environmental Control Systems I (Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019)
- Arch 537: Environmental Control Systems II (Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2018)
- Arch 594 BER: Building Energy Research (Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020)
- Arch 594 SIM: Building Energy Simulation (Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2020)
Students advised
Doctoral Students
- Sun Kwon, Optimizing Shared Office Comfort: Predictive Thermal Models and Dynamic HVAC Control, expected graduation in AY2025-2026
- Ho-Sung Kim, Advances in the Operating Condition Design Analysis of Air Based Photovoltaic Thermal Solar Roof Systems, graduated in 2013
- Doug Sturgeon, Economic Performance of Architectural Firms: An Application of Production Theory, graduated in 2012
- Young Tae Chae, Development of Hybrid Heat Source Radiant System: Embedded concentric tube heat exchanger, graduated in 2011
- Daeho Kang, Advances in the Application of Passive Down-Draft Evaporative Cooling Technology in the Cooling of Buildings, graduated in 2011
- Kwang Ho Lee, Configuration and Operating Condition Design Analysis of SOFC Systems for Building Applications, graduated in 2008