Personality Profile Sponsored by :
BRINGING DESIGNS TO LIFE , GREENLY
By Benjamin Brits Karen Govender , HVAC engineer , found an early attraction to thermodynamics that focused her career .
Govender grew up in Newlands West , Durban , KwaZulu
Natal , where after her schooling , she completed her Btech Mechanical at the Durban University of Technology . Her interest in thermodynamics began in the final year of her studies as one of her majors was on this subject . It was over this time where she based her final design project on a chilled water system for a two-storey building and recalls her interest for thermal comfort starting back then .
Getting into the HVAC sector was a targeted choice based on interest . While her career began in the green building sector , she soon realised that the HVAC design in a facility is a critical component of delivering a green building , and that sparked her pursuit of the sector . After having spent five years in green buildings , she transitioned to purely focus on the HVAC aspects . “ I enjoyed the idea of contributing to the comfort levels of an environment - where people spent most of the their time ”, she added .
Her hobbies and interests outside of work include sewing . She loves this activity and the process of creating an entire garment from scratch and also enjoys the challenges it brings . This activity involves the conception element , the math , the problem solving required as well as creating a design and converting a 2D drawing into a 3D final product .
Considering what she enjoys most about her work , Govender notes that bringing life to a design that provides thermal comfort for building occupants is intriguing as well as the process of integrating different types of equipment to provide the optimal environment for people . She continues , “ There is a lot of emphasis placed on working environments , we spend more time inside buildings than we do outside and this needs to be a place where we feel comfortable . As an HVAC engineer , my role is ultimately to ensure these comfort levels are achieved . I enjoy the entire process from design to commissioning , to client satisfaction !”
Her most significant achievement to date , she revealed , is in her personal life . “ I have to say that my biggest achievement has to be motherhood . Juggling the entire working-mum dynamic has taught me a few things such as prioritising important and urgent tasks , working efficiently , multitasking and creative thinking - all of which can be applied to my role as an engineer ”.
Looking to her view on the future of technology related to built environment management , conditioning and refrigerants , her opinion is that South Africa is progressing and she believes that we need to match the technology available with the skill sets at hand , while ongoing education and knowledge-sharing is also key .
“ We constantly aim to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings through equipment design together with the latest refrigerants available . The emerging refrigerants have zero ozone depleting potential which is what we want to reduce our contributions to global warming while providing the client with an efficient system . At the end of the day , we can provide thermal comfort through high efficiency systems that have a low
Karen Govender environmental impact too ”, she concludes . RACA
“ HVAC design in a facility is a critical component of delivering a green building ”. - Karen Govender
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I July 2022 25