RTM Reflections: How RTM and B.E.S.T. Labs Raise the Bar for Technical Training

School’s back in session, and that means students enrolled in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC/R) program at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, will attend classes in the B.E.S.T Laboratories. That acronym stands for Building Energy Systems Technology.

I was fortunate to have collaborated with Jose Vital, Program Coordinator for Harper’s HVAC/R program, to design and construct this innovative, hands-on training facility.

My relationship with Jose and Harper College began before I joined RTM Engineering Consultants , and in the years since I have continued this relationship and extended this type of work to other career technical education (CTE) institutions.

Projects like B.E.S.T. Labs enable RTM to share our CORE values with the larger technical community, directly demonstrating the excellence we strive to deliver. In the process, not only do we help shape the futures of students interested in launching technical careers – including those interested in becoming engineers someday – but generate a positive impact on a global scale.

How? For the answer, please join me for a look back at a conversation I had with Jose for RTM’s Beyond Engineering podcast.

By: David Piluski, PE , Principal at RTM Engineering Consultants

In a sense, the Harper College campus itself is a laboratory in terms of evolving HVAC/R practices. For example, we installed new technologies in Building H, where the B.E.S.T. Labs reside. So, in those labs we built training systems to teach an emerging environmental technology called Variable Refrigerant Flow, or VRF. Because technicians and engineers alike need to see how these new systems function in the classroom and their applications in the field.

Can you elaborate on how we’re sharing that kind of knowledge and technical expertise, Jose?

VRF systems have been used in Europe but not so much here in the United States. So, when I envisioned this lab 10, 11 years ago, I projected where the industry was going. Many training facilities don't have VRF.

But one thing that I could not project is what is happening to our environment. And these VRF systems, these newer technologies, will help us cut down on the fuels and carbon that are affecting our industry, our planet, ourselves.

That's why it's so important to stay abreast of the changes [in technologies.] As an educator, I need to teach those students how to work on those systems, because more and more of those systems are now [in the field.] And I imagine from an engineering perspective, you will be designing more and more of those systems for new buildings.

We're talking [with Harper] about [designing] two new buildings or combined replacement for other buildings. We're talking about the latest technologies, because we're moving toward a possibility of net zero, which is the concept that a building consumes as much energy as it generates. So, there is net zero impact.

Harper College has a plan to reach 50% net zero in the 2030s, and full net zero by the 2050s. Technologies [supporting these goals] are being taught here. I want to roll them out to my teams at the same time that you're rolling them out to your students.

It's all a partnership. We are all in it together.

Meeting those net zero requirements takes corporations and organizations being responsible when building or adapting new technologies into new buildings. They will need to consider what's good for the environment. We need to make sure our students are trained from the engineering perspective to be able to bring these options to the table.

When we created B.E.S.T Labs, you and I, we made it not just so that it functions, but also that it was modular. When things change in technology and equipment, it's easier to swap out. We considered a future when equipment would be different.

This new generation [of technicians] is born with computers in their hands. So, it’s essential for us to provide a new methodology of teaching. And that's what we created [with B.E.S.T.]

You have to maintain that flexibility every day and stay up to date with the changes that are happening.

Are you launching a career as an engineering technologist? Or are you a proven professional in the engineering field looking for new ways to advance your career?

Consider joining RTM Engineering Consultants. We support your growth as you sharpen technical skills, deepen business experience and diversify capabilities across services, specialties and markets from coast to coast. Our mentors are seasoned professionals, committed to sharing expertise and passing knowledge from one generation of engineers to the next. Learn why industry authorities consider RTM a great place to work, grow and advance. Explore employment opportunities.