For my site selection, I picked the plot near the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. I plan to take advantage of the slope of the hill to make my outdoor amphitheater. The slope helps with a natural rise in elevation for the seating area with the use of short retaining walls.
I haven’t decided on an orientation yet since it will be complex to match with the slope of the hill and incorporating the cast of the shadow of the sun dial. Furthermore, my building shape is sort of circular, so there are many orientations that may work.
San Mateo lies in Climate Zone 3 in Climate Consultant. After looking at the psychometric chart, I understand that for 40% of the year, there is potential for passive solar energy gains, which is ideal for our site conditions (shown below):
So, our main focus with orientation and shape would be to maximize the PV potential for the open side of the building. I placed a preliminary shape with the open side facing the slope of the hill as below:
Then, I realized with the sun path, I want the open side of the building with solar panel facades to face the sun, while the entrance area to be relatively shaded, as shown with the solar analysis:
Furthermore, I played with the shape of the mass. I would rather not have varying roof heights and block off certain solar panels on the roof. With further refinement, I came up with the following shape:
Once I run the PV analysis, I can decide on what facade materials to use and how much of it and where to use them. Currently, I will be running more in-depth concept designs on shape and orientation.
Once PV analysis is complete, I can check the EUI using the Energy Analysis model and compare the building energy performance for all concept models.
Finally, a benchmark comparison of all models will provide better insight on what might be best from all aspects.