Category Archives: Week 5

Week 5 Design

3 Replies

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Home- LEED

Following up after a week about Sustainable living inside a Tiny home, I was stuck rethinking the sustainable concepts, ideas or the thought of sustainable living in general. simple understanding of sustainability is everything that we need for our existence and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.  Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.In other words sustainability means to continue in life. In order to do this we need to find alternatives to using important resources on the planet: the sun for solar lighting, heating, electricity and prevention of Global Warming, filtered reusable water cycling throughout a building from rainwater collection, or harvesting energy through Geothermal wells beneath the earth, but  wouldn’t recommend it.There are other sustainable practices that can be used to influence the community on preserving the earth, starting with the home is an important choice because “you have to know how to live long to stay long”, meaning that its going to be a gradual adaption in order to integrate sustainable concepts into the state that we are in now and starting in the daily home setting is ideal for the beginning of  these conceptual practices.

Week 5 Design (LEED Certification Domestic Space)

Focusing on this format of architecture helped me realize somewhat of “My Style” of architectural design.  My week 4 design helped me come to an intentional  focus in sustainable Architecture to show the effects of sustainable living through it’s economic measurements and conceptual design and to influence decision to to this architectural movement. This weeks design stands with 1,973.4835 sq. ft. (ground floor: 1,352.8567 sq. ft. second floor: 620.6268 sq. ft.)

ABOUT:

My first idea when designing this LEED building was to do a blueprint sketch, I done the sketch but it got lost and so I decided to just do a SketchUp model for this design. While in the program 2 days of working on it, the file became corrupt and caused me to start over again, so I’m not really satisfied with this design because its not entirely what I wanted to represent in it. After compiling a list of characteristics I wanted the structure to have I began the design process of sketching, erasing and crossing out with the limited time that I had. The elements of the home are energy efficiency, filtered recycled water, natural air ventilation, solar shading, Green roof properties, high heat capacity wall material and an idea of passive water cooling. This may seem finished but there are still additional add-ons such as a canopy for the front door on the west wall, a Rain water harvesting tank for the cycle of the water through the building, another set of stairs going down for the garage (see below notes)

North

East

South

West

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOCATION: 

-408 S Bay Blvd, Palacios, TX 77465 (Google Maps: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=408+S+Bay+Blvd,+Palacios,+TX+77465&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x8641e56a171c0b1f:0x8c24059140761bee,408+S+Bay+Blvd,+Palacios,+TX+77465&gl=us&ei=-7mjUaORKeWCiAKkg4HYBQ&ved=0CDEQ8gEwAA)

https://www.google.com/search?q=palacios+texas&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GKefUefpMKX9iQKc8ICADQ&ved=0CEgQsAQ&biw=1776&bih=866#facrc=_&imgrc=wqHYmL1w1jlwcM%3A%3BF0VR6E7XlbGcyM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.docarts.com%252Fassets%252Fimages%252Flarge%252FCity-by-the-Sea-4.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.docarts.com%252Fcity_by_the_sea.html%3B699%3B477https://maps.google.com/maps?q=palacios+texas&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x8641e541db201b17:0xf97646e4f9d3917b,Palacios,+TX&gl=us&ei=iqafUbGfLaKAiAL3yYDYDw&ved=0CJkBELYD

CLIMATE AND REGION:

  • Climate Region 15–

This regions climate is similar to region 14, but with a more severe summer, one will experience very high temperature and humidity levels. Having high humidity levels causes the temperature at night to remain stable (temperature not dropping), however that are frequent occurrences of a coastal breeze in the summer. Winters are short and mild with ample sunshine for winter heating needs; however the designer’s main concern is overheating in the summer.

  • Climate Priorities
  1. Keep hot temperatures out during the summer (VIII)
  2. Allow natural ventilation to both cool and remove excess moisture in the summer (VI)
  3. Protect from the summer sun (IV)
  4. Avoid creating additional humidity during the summer (X)
  5. Protect from the sum cod winter winds (II)
  6. Let the winter sun in (III)
  7. Keep the heat in and the cool temperatures out during the winter (I)

ENVIRONMENT QUALITY:

Since most of the year is averaging around the 70-80 degrees I made it a priority to have natural ventilation flowing with large windows, the structure will be facing (south face:illustration above) towards the adjacent body of water. With it facing that way Tres Palacios Bay will create the shoreline breeze blowing SE at 16 mph with a lowered rate of humidity due to the sustainable factors of the building. I’m aware that there shouldn’t be large windows in for areas with a humid climate such as this one, but since there is an average of 4.5 in. of precipitation I was predicting that the temperature fluctuations through the window wont be as harsh. But during the hot temperatures the shades in the home are to react to a certain temperature of the outside weather and reverses the shades to keep the sun out.

SUSTAINABLE CONCEPTS:

  • Water Efficiency and reuse

    • Water Storage Tank-

      • Collects rainwater runoff from the roof and cycles the water through the building while filtering the water from the possible contaminants. The water then circulates through the home utilities, the ground plants and from the roof garden. Installing an underground water reservoir to contain runoff rainwater is the practical way of storing free water, reducing the utility bill cost, diminishing the flooding, erosion, and the flow to storm water effects, and pollution to the Bay from gutter contaminents. It reduces the contamination of surface water with sediments, fertilizers and pesticides from rainwater run-off helping make the Bay water cleaner of storm water. (there is no piece in this model because my  laptop could not manage the space required to run the size of the file, but enjoy this real life example)

  • Energy Efficiency

    • Solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels
      • Harvesting the energy from the sun to generate electricity resulting with a less electric bill cost, environmental friendly and a constant reliable source because the sun is present most of the year in this section of Texas. In the second photo of the roof there are supposed to be more 3 solar panels above or below the sky windows for maximum easterly sun exposure. Another thing wrong is the design of the solar panels: they are flat and should be angled towards the south for being the face that receives the most sun because of it being close to the Tropic of cancer climate zone.

  • Passive Cooling

    • At the top of the the roof at the top of the first patch of grass there are roof sprinklers to cool the building down during the day. They turn on when the roof reaches a set temperature and begin the showering water starts to absorb the suns rays resulting in an indirect gain of passive cooling. (A first idea for a passive cooling system I though of having a water fall run off instead of the sprinklers, the water fall run off will fall into a pond of water that drains to the water tank). Kind of difficult to see but its positioned at the bottom of the picture frame. Another factor of the passive cooling are the operable windows reachable by getting to the concrete slabbed floor supported by steel rod suspended to the ceiling. (First image roof sprinklers second image concrete slab floor)

  • Green Building

    • Green Roof/Garden and irrigation control
      • The roof has a green garden that reacts with the cycle of the water system by: collecting the rain water runoff and water from the roof sprinkler, after collection the water is then drained down to the water collection tank which is a key factor of the water utility functioning process. The vegetation used is a mixture of sedum and native plants to Texas: studies show that the problem with a green roof in Texas is finding plants that can sustain in a harsh environment for a long period of time. So the thought of still including one was: having the water storage tank and roof sprinklers as a reliable source of water.

INSIDE THE INSIDE:

This Unit contains 3 bedrooms: two that exist on the second floor, they sit side-by-side with identical space. The Hammocks are not permanent they are just there as a personal preference. And for the third room: is on the first floor passed the stairs in the room after laundry area. I assume this would be used as the master room.

Down Stairs:

IMAGE 1: This section of the home is not finished yet, that freezer is not going to be there that was just a random throw in. For the washer and drying machine should have a cherry finished wall to go around it that vacuums the heat (moist caused from the dryer) into the evaporating cooling system that works for this specific room because its adding extra humidity to the room; for this to work the temperature pressures between the two different rooms would have to be at different levels because wind speeds or in the case air circulation is a resulting factor of air pressure differences. (Outside air and inside air)
IMAGE 2: The other side of the laundry section is planned to have another set bathroom if the buildings function is to be a summer home/summer vacation unit and the adjacent room was separated into two bedrooms
IMAGE 3 & 4: If you walk passed the laundry utilities and look to the left and right you ill notice a spatial difference between the rooms. There was an idea to make this a summer home/ summer vacation unit and have this bottom room split into two bedrooms.
BATHROOM:
 
IMAGE 1 & 2: I made the two elements of a bathroom separate so that both utilities are accessible while someone is still in the shower (of course its missing a shower curtain but the material of the glass was undecided between regular transparent glass or a designed grained glass design where its non-transparent). A climatic change design I though for this layout of a bathroom is for the shower area in particular, and the thought was having a steam/sauna add-on.
IMAGE 3: What this is showing is the top of the bathroom, I did this because in the critique I brought up the bathroom to attention because the original height that I showed for the bathroom was scaled with the actual height of the building (25 feet) now see that is a very scary ceiling for a bathroom and generates negative moods/emotions i decided to: cut it down to the height of the shower and made the above elevation accessible for view, reading area, rest area, shrines or any other purposes.
 
FULL SCALE VIEW:
 

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification Week 5 Research

14 Replies

WHAT IS LEED CERTIFICATION:

LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design,construction and operation of high performance green building construction. From individual buildings and homes to entire neighborhoods, LEED is transforming the way we think about how our buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and operated across the globe. LEED is a green building tool that addresses the entire building life cycle recognizing best-in-class building strategies. Applying sustainable concepts and ideas to these structures can acquire them certification plaques Silver, Gold, and Platinum. For this week of Research I researched and read many articles about LEED certification and LEED certified elements. Most of the concepts I learned about were incorporated into my week 5 design. Below are the links and files for safe keeping. The point distributions are:

Certified 40–49 points
Silver 50–59 points
Gold 60–79 points
Platinum 80 points and above

The categories for being awarded these points are being on a:

Sustainable Site: (page 9)

  • Control erosion to reduce negative impacts on water and air quality

Water Efficiency: (page 25)

  • Limit or eliminate the use of potable water for landscape irrigation. 

Energy and Atmosphere: (page 29)

  • Verify and ensure that fundamental building elements and systems are designed, installed and calibrated to operate as intended.

Materials and Resources: (page 41)

  • Facilitate the reduction of waste generated by building occupants that is hauled to and disposed of in landfills.

Indoor Environmental Quality: (page 55)

  • Establish minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) performance to prevent the development of indoor air quality problems in buildings, thus contributing to the comfort and well-being of the occupants.

Innovation and Design: (page 74)

  • To provide design teams and projects the opportunity to be awarded points for exceptional performance above the requirements set by the LEED Green Building Rating System and/or innovative performance in Green Building categories not specifically addressed by the LEED Green Building Rating System.

The point distributions and ways to get the points can be found here:

Link:

http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/LEEDdocs/LEED_RS_v2-1.pdf

Download:

LEED Rating System

Summary of Green Roof Benefits:

  1. Green roofs can help cities and improve the quality of the air and reduce storm water runoff while also improving the energy efficiency of the building beneath them.
  2. Reduction of heat island effect, the heat island effect is the difference in temperature between urban areas and more city areas caused by a lack of vegetation and a large number of reflective surfaces that absorb heat
  3.  Green roofs retain and filter storm water through vegetation. In areas where rainfall contains significant pollution loads, green roofs should be able to improve the water quality of the storm water. 
  4. The cooling and shading properties of a green roof can decrease the amount of heat flowing into a building and can significantly reduce air conditioning needs,because of vegetation absorbing the solar rays. 

Summary of Solar Energy Benefits:

  1. Solar energy comes from a consistent reliable renewable source of energy the sun. so we don’t need to worry about running out.
  2. Solar energy is environmentally friendly. Compared to fossil fuels which release greenhouses gases, carcinogens and carbon dioxide, solar cells don’t release anything into the air.
  3. Solar cells make no noise while collecting energy. There are no other renewable energy sources that are completely silent.
  4. In the long run, solar electricity is cheaper than buying it from the power company. There is a start up cost, but then it starts paying for itself. Once you break even, everything after that is profit. Compare this to paying a monthly bill and getting no return on investment.
  5. And its practically free

Summary of Using Rain Water Harvesting Tanks:

  1. Rainwater is free; the only cost is for collection and use. It lessens demand on the municipal water supply. It saves money on utility bills.and rain water does not produce corrosion or scale like hard water allowing it t0 help achieve LEED Green Building Rating Credit
  2.  It makes efficient use of a valuable resource and it diminishes flooding, erosion, and the flow to storm water drains.
  3. It reduces the contamination of surface water with sediments, fertilizers and pesticides from rainwater run-off resulting in cleaner lakes, rivers, oceans and other receivers of storm water.It is good for irrigation and plants thrive because stored rain water is free from pollutants as well as salts, minerals, and other natural and man-made contaminants.
  4. It is good for laundry use as rain water is soft and lowers the need for detergents.

Resources:

Introduction to Solar Energy

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/feneric/solar.html

Energy Efficiency

http://freshome.com/2013/04/11/how-to-make-your-home-more-energy-efficient-without-breaking-the-bank/

Green Roofs

(PDF) Article for Green Roofs (this pdf was used for my seminar article)

Sedum

http://www.ehow.com/info_8715480_use-sedum-green-roof.html

Can Green Roofs Work In Texas 

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2011/10/27/can-green-roofs-work-in-texas/

Rain Water Harvesting For Texas

(PDF) RainWater Harvesting Tank in Texas

Video on How Evaporation Cooling Works

http://www.breezair.com/eu/why-evaporative/how-evaporative-works

Geothermal Wells

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/geothermal/general_info/pages/production_wells.aspx

Heating and Cooling Systems

“Building Construction Illustrated 4th edition” chapter 11.07-11.16