The site I have chosen for this project is the Stanford Dish. There is a lot of open space, making surrounding buildings and structures less of an issue for the design. It will be interesting to consider the topography here, as it is situated on a hill.
After examining the topography of the area through Revit, I’ve placed my exhibition space at the highest point on the hill, which will allow for good rooftop views and a more exciting experience for visitors. The shape of the building will be two L shaped structures connected by a central atrium space that bridges the indoor and outdoor environments.
A solar analysis was completed to assess the PV potential and the results are shown here:
In this location, there is good natural light on all sides except the north.
With a 12.2 year payback time, it could be worth installing solar panels since the exhibition space is expected to be in operation for much longer than 12 years.
From the energy analysis, the original building results indicate that it would be just below the ASHRAE limit.
Several changes were compared for the energy analysis, including roof insulation, lighting efficiency, and plug load efficiency. The effects of these changes are shown in the graph. It can be observed that lighting and plug load efficiency have the greatest effect on the energy savings, while roof insulation provides minimal energy savings. However, the addition of a green roof can be a good aesthetic opportunity and improve air quality. Changes in the building orientation showed minimal effect on the energy savings.
Individual changes considered are shown in the graphs below.
The result of these changes is a much better benchmark comparison that is approximately half the ASHRAE limit. Additional analysis could target the ARCH 2030 limit.
