Biography:Donald A. Coggan

Donald A. Coggan is an American engineer and consultant in the field of value engineering. As a published author he has made notable contributions to his field and become a recognized expert in value engineering.

Biography

Donald Coggan graduated from McGill University in 1967 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

From 1967 to 1977 he worked at Johnson Controls Limited, starting as a Sales Engineer, Canadian Sales Manager to account Manager building automation. From 1977 to 1980 he was manager at MCC Powers, unit of Mark Controls Ltd. In 1981 he founded Coggan Consulting Corporation for engineering consulting and software development. After 1988 as a consultant Coggan focussed on business management and engineering consulting.

During his time at McGill he was awarded the J. W. McConnell Scholarship in Engineering. He is currently a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec; Professional Engineers Ontario; Instrument Society of America; and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Work

Coggan’s contributions to the field of value engineering fall primarily within three areas: automatic process control systems, laboratory ventilation control systems, and intelligent building.

Automatic Process Control Systems

Donald Coggan has become an innovator in his field by applying the practices of value engineering to both automatic process control systems and laboratory control systems. His contributions to laboratory control systems have enabled designers to reduce energy usage of a business while maintaining worker safety.

Intelligent Buildings

Although the definition of an intelligent building varies, it can essentially be understood to mean a building that utilizes a variety of advanced technologies to control and regulate the building. This may include, but is not limited to, the incorporation of computer-controlled energy management systems, advanced security systems, shared telecommunication services, local area networks, satellite facilities, and conferencing facilities into the structure of the building.

Coggan’s contributions to intelligent buildings include the development of the Intelligent Building Database in 1985. This database identified the services that an intelligent building could offer, as well as the technology that would be required to implement such services. The database also analyzed which national and international markets were best suited for these services.

Publications

Cogggan wrote several books and articles. Books:

• 1991, Preparing for Instrumentation Technician Evaluation - Self-Study System, Book and Software, Instrument Society of America, 1991.
• 1992, Industrial Instrumentation Technician Assessment Study Guide to Certification, Level II Second Edition, Instrument Society of America, 1992.
• 2005, Fundamentals of Industrial Control, 2nd Edition, Flagship Volume of the Practical Guide Series for Measurement and Control, Instrument Society of America, 2005.

Articles, a selection:

• 1981, How to Add Value to Engineering at no Extra Cost, Canadian Consulting Engineer, November, 1981.
• 1985, Comment Rendre Votre Bâtiment Industriel Plus Intelligent, Le Québec Industriel, July, 1985.

Conference Presentations:

• 1985, The Development of the Market for Integrated Intelligent Buildings in Canada, Canadata's First Annual Construction Marketing Seminar, Toronto, October, 1985.
• 1992, Avoiding Unsafe Laboratory Design Practices for Fume Hood and Pressurization Control Systems, Multinational Instrumentation Conference and Exposition, Beijing, People's Republic of China, September, 1992.

External links

• Society of American Value Engineers Official website.
• Donald Coggan Official website.