Overview
Key / Essential / Unique Design Features
Through this design, I incorporated interior and exterior elements of sustainable design such as green roofs, passive solar design, accessibility to the site, and solar panels. This image shows the overall design site with all model systems in the coordination space:
My three main initial goals of this project were:
- Reducing overall emissions
- Maximizing the amount of green space
- Reducing the amount of single occupancy vehicle transportation to the building
Reducing Overall Emissions
To reduce overall emissions, I incorporated elements of passive solar design, which means that a lot of my glazing features were south-facing given the project location of the Stanford Dish. I also used well insulated walls (R values greater than 30). In the construction of the building, I created a steel structural system which has lower life cycle emissions than concrete systems. This system also allows for prefabrication to that there is a lower number of materials transported directly to the site. There is a main AHU on the second floor that connects to the entire building. However, to avoid large cooling costs since the Dish does have a high Heating Degree Day 65 (HDD65) value of about 3000, I also made sure to include overhangs on the roof that have south-facing windows. This image shows the south-facing glazing features with overhangs:
Maximizing the Amount of Green Space on Site
I incorporated the use of green space around the building and into the building design as well. The roof of the entrance to the museum highlights the green roof space that is accessible through the second floor of the museum. I created planter boxes that highlight elements of creating local food supplies and the natural outdoor landscape. I incorporated apple trees and oak trees that would be found in California to bring in more native plant species to the landscaping. This image shows some of the green spaces in the design:
Green Roof Image:
Landscaping Image:
Reducing the Amount of SOV Transportation to the Building
The site model shows a route that would come from Junipero Serra Road. This route is designed to be pedestrian and bicycle accessible so that a single occupancy vehicle is not needed. The museum would be closer to the road and lower in elevation so that pedestrians would not have to go up to a high elevation to reach the museum. A marguerite route will also be created (similar to the SLAC route) that could reach the site and bring tourists from main campus to the museum. However, I recognize that not everyone will be use public transit to get to the museum, so there are parking spaces available on the west end of the site. Half of the parking spaces have electric vehicle charging spaces to encourage those with electric vehicles to use them as a form of transit, but ideally the best option is to walk, bike, or ride the bus. This image shows the route:
Big Successes
Some features that I am most proud of are the use of outdoor space, the transportation route to the building, and the passive and active solar elements of the design.
Outdoor Spaces
The outdoor spaces include paved paths so that they are accessible for all people, but also have sitting areas and highlight the natural beauty of the Dish. I added planter boxes where food would be grown to be served in the café area. The greenhouse exhibition further displays how food can be grown indoors as well. Here is an image of the green house:
Transportation Routes
The transportation routes mentioned above were also a big success for the site and put the building into the context of the Stanford University community. People are encouraged to tour the museum as a part of their Stanford tour, and students are encouraged to take a bus or a bike ride and study here. This image shows the bike parking spaces around the building:
Passive and Active Solar
Passive and active solar heating will be used in the design to decrease energy usage and costs. Passive solar design was used by incorporating an atrium and skylight that will allow for more light to be passed through the building along with the south-facing glazing and window features. Active solar is generated through the rooftop solar PV panels that can further decrease the need for the building to buy energy directly from the grid. This image displays the main atrium:
Big Challenges
While there were successes to the project, I naturally also faced some challenges along the way.
System Coordination
At times, I struggled with coordinating my systems so that they would not collide with each other. For example, my HVAC systems and plumbing systems clashed in that the additional walls I created to support my plumbing system clashed with a duct of the HVAC system. The solution was to move my HVAC system a couple feet so that it would no longer clash with my plumbing system. I was able to put my HVAC system below some of my structural features so that they would not clash. I definitely did not fix every clash with the timeline I had, but I tried my best to use model coordination to find these issues. This image shows the HVAC and plumbing system clash I was having:
Time Allocation
In trying to fix all my clashes, I sometimes found myself spending hours fixing one small element of the building. While it is important to have accuracy, it is also important to meet project deadlines and use time wisely. At times, I don’t think I allocated my time in the best way since I spent so long trying to fix small clashes when I should’ve been focusing on the overall system itself. In the future, I would like to allocate my time more wisely.
Lessons Learned
Many lessons were learned throughout the process, but I would like to highlight some of them.
Trial and Error
Sometimes I would try something, and it would not work. I learned that it is okay to have errors in the design and push ideas further. I normally design everything in a square or L shape so I pushed myself to work with hexagons and pentagon-like shapes. This made modeling ducts form the central AHU very difficult so maybe in the future I would explore some other building layout, but it was a useful experience to try a unique shape.
Revit Tools
Revit has many tools that can help optimize designs. I particularly enjoyed using the solar and energy analysis throughout the design process. I had never modeled an HVAC or plumbing system before so they are useful tools to have as well.
You Can’t Fix Everything Sometimes
I did not fix all of the elements that clashed, but that is okay. I allocated my time more towards the overall site design because I wanted to meet my transportation goals.
Design for People
As I developed my design, I thought more about who would use the space. I originally wanted to place the site at the top of the hill, but realized that is not accessible for some people without a car. However, I also wanted to reduce the number of SOV transportation. The compromise was to place the building at a lower elevation.
I also drew some inspiration from the science museum my partner had worked at previously and they encouraged me to add more outdoor spaces to highlight my own background of landscaping and farming. I would like to thank my colleagues and friends who encouraged me to incorporate different ideas into the overall design.
Final Comments
Thank you to Professor Glenn Katz and Nicolas Ortiz Abello for the support throughout the entire design process.
Design Flyer:
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Video Presentation / Tour of Project Features
Zoom Recording Link:
Topic: Kim Juarez-Rico CEE 120B Final Presentation
Meeting Recording: https://stanford.zoom.us/rec/share/1nKIOiRO0h8f0uSDi6xWtfZ2D84srBIX3eThq9NIsVazwSVI4h5Y4r-4SCiHAtEL.LCGCmeyHjUOjHf-x
Link to Presentation Slides:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iCuMH54pQjWw0nQ76FQ8br3Ipq9_FZNOzeLtLFxJP5A/edit?usp=sharing