Goal 1: Energy efficient and self sustainable
- Measure: kW of the building’s electricity consumption that will be provided from sustainable sources.
- Targets:
- At least 70% of the energy toward the building’s electricity consumption should come from renewable sources.
- Target would be 90% of energy comes from renewable sources.
- Strategies:
- Solar panels on the roof, between a 15 to 30 degree angle to help optimize collection. The building will be built on the north side of Devils Lake, facing the sun to maximize exposure. This will help with solar energy collection and heating.
- Use an incoming river or stream to generate hydroelectric power. This can also be displayed within the building (possibly under a glass floor or behind a glass wall) to further promote teachings of sustainability.
Goal 2: Optimized heating and cooling of building
- Measure: Btu of heating/cooling load
- Targets:
- Minimally, the ASHRAE guidelines within Insight should be met
- Target is to go below the Architecture 2030 goal. As a sustainability center, meeting this goal is crucial to ensuring credibility.
- Strategies:
- South facing windows and well insulated walls will help to maximize heat collection and retention during the winter.
- Concrete as a primary material in the design. Concrete has a high heat capacity which can help to ensure heat retention.
- Natural cooling during the summer. By using natural ventilation methods as well as cooling through the incorporated river/stream, we can reduce the need for air conditioning and cooling. Control of the building’s interactions with these natural systems can be further enhanced using PID implementation and weather forecasting.
Goal 3: Recycled material
- Measure: Volume of material used in construction
- Targets:
- 35% recycled material in construction
- 50% recycled material in construction
- Strategies:
- Since this building is designed to promote and “show” sustainability, we have the freedom to recycle without needing perfection of materials. Imperfect materials help tell the story of the center.
- Recycled concrete, that also incorporates some form of carbon capture during manufacturing, would be a great starting point on the way to sustainable materials.
- For wood walls and decor, recycled paneling can be used. Further, since this in Wisconsin, there is likely a great deal of agriculture products that can be repurposed in this way (barn materials, etc.)
- For the main structural system of the building, zero emission steel can be sourced. Companies like Boston Steel have products like this available.
- For furniture, vegan solutions such as mycelium based “leather” will give the center a classy look and feel while also being environmentally conscience.
Side Notes:
Going beyond these goals, it could also be interesting to explore how this center can interact with nature and the surrounding communities in some more novel ways. Some ideas that come to mind are rain water collection for irrigating crops as well as using cows/cows waste in some sort of coexisting relationship. I would also really like to incorporate a large educational aspect to the space.
However, with the three main goals in mind, I think I have a solid framework of the overarching strategies I will apply throughout this design process. The main area that I want to explore further but do not have a lot of experience with is the incorporation of hydroelectric power generation as well as cooling/heating. I may have to pivot my center’s location to make this a more viable technology to incorporate at a lower cost. Currently, cost is not a major concern, however, I would like to keep it realistic to a real life construction project.