My idea is for a sustainability museum near the Stanford Dish that would become another fun destination when heading just outside of the Campus Drive loop. My hope is that students would be able to meet up there, have a lunch, take photos, and learn more about the measures that Stanford has taken to make its campus more sustainable.
To this point I decided to make a wavelike structure that would both imitate the hills near the building and evoke an oceanlike, watery image. My ideal is streamlined and nautical, while still including solar panels on the roof and water collection for the infrequent rains. I want the building to also be beautiful and count as a legitimate 'attraction,' so that Stanford is able to justify giving a hefty budget for this project.
For this design, I decided to incorporate the wave structure into the roof level, where there will be an external seating area for students and a small garden. I also hope to include wavy awnings that will help to provide shade to the building and help with cooling.
There was another design (below) that incorporated the wave idea into a building, but I didn't think the roof level stood out enough, and it would have greater difficulty incorporating other programming into a cohesive outdoor space, so I scrapped it.
I would like to look more into the opportunities for PV surface coverage, which would help with sustainability, but might not be worth it in terms of cost. Overall though, my building seemed to be very cost effective.
A big difference came from Lighting Efficiency, which would really help my building to meet its goals. This might mean I need to look into large curtain walls with glass with a high R-value that can let in light but prevent the escape of heat, rather than some of the porthole windows I had been excited about for a nautical look.
I think I would like to focus on the energy and water efficiency goals, which are particularly reachable and necessary due to the drought in California and Stanford's established energy goals for the campus. In particular, the 'indoor water use reduction' and 'renewable energy production' are goals that I should aim to reach.
As I stated in a previous design journal, I would still like to be certified Silver, Gold, or Platinum on the LEED scale.
Based on this sun model, I am happy with the project to be facing north. However, I am concerned about possible shade/light obstruction from the surrounding hills, so I am excited to begin modeling with the topographical model that will help me to decide where/how to place the building so that it receives as much light as possible. I am excited to see that the sun will provide lots of energy to the PV elements on the roof year round, though, and I would like to preserve that element in coming models.