My building design will be inspired by nature and the power of energy efficiency optimization through the implementation of energy conservation measures to meet ASHRAE and LEED guidelines. The building will be located in San Jose, California and due to it being a highly populated area, I will optimize land area by building upwards.
I believe it is of utmost importance to prioritize the conservation of energy in building design and most importantly, to design a building in a way that will enhance occupant quality of life — the mental health benefits of a green building will be the greatest motivation behind my design. I hope to capture the following design elements within my building:
- Passive geothermal cooling and heating system
- To reduce HVAC energy consumption
- Solar photovoltaic cells
- To utilize energy from the sun to produce electricity
- Wind turbines
- To generate electricity
- Green/living walls
- To benefit occupant mental health
- To provide an aesthetically pleasing design
- To provide natural shading mechanisms
- Smart home automation
- To control building automation by increasing energy efficiency and ultimately optimizing building performance
- I.E: plug load controls, automated shades when sun is beaming, enabling economizer mode for HVAC system.
The following images inspired my desire to design a green building revolving around energy efficiency and optimization. I hope the development of green construction gains traction down the road because the integration of green designs poses many great benefits not only in terms of energy consumption, but also in terms of occupant mental health.
