Part 1: Location and Climate Analysis
The site I have chosen for my Sustainable Built Environment Learning and Exhibition Center is near the Stanford Dish. The reasons I chose this location are because:
- There is a lot of open space and unobstructed land cover. Therefore, I don’t need to worry too much about the effect of the surrounding buildings.
- The Stanford Dish loop is a popular hiking and jogging route for Stanford University students as well as Silicon Valley professionals. This can bring in customer traffic. Also, this place can provide people with a place to rest and visit during their trips.
- The Stanford Dish is surrounded by natural beauty, which can serve as an inspiration for sustainable design and environmental conservation.
- Choosing a high point on the fill not only gives visitors good rooftop views but also prevents the building from being damaged by hill sediment and runoff.
Here is a picture of the site from Google Earth:
The climate in Stanford, California is classified as Mediterranean. This means that the area experiences mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. According to the Climate Consultant shown below, the temperature typically ranges between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The area receives most of its precipitation during the winter months, with an average of about 20 inches of rainfall per year.
Therefore, buildings should be designed to take advantage of the milder temperatures and natural light of the region by facing south to maximize solar gain in the winter, and having proper shading devices such as louvers to block the sun in the summer. Also, using natural ventilation to cool the building during the summer and rainfall collection systems to take advantage of the precipitation.
From the psychrometric chart, we can see that heating is typically required in order for the occupants to be comfortable. Therefore, besides using solar PV panels to provide some heating power. I also noticed that the ground temperature is relatively constant. Therefore, I am thinking of using a Ground-Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system, which uses the constant temperature of the earth as a heat source in the winter and as a heat sink in the summer to provide heating and cooling to the building.
Part 2: Conceptual Models
Then, I created two different model types: an “S” shaped building and a “D” shaped arc building. Each conceptual model has a gross floor area of around 31000 ft^2. Also, a total building height of 45 ft, 3 floors, each floor height is 15ft. My insight is that curved surfaces can potentially receive more sunlight and by using natural light, the energy performance can be better.
Conceptual Model 1
Conceptual Model 2
Part 3: Perform Solar Insolation
There is less potential PV energy production and less cumulative isolation of model 2 compared to the other model. However, model 2 has a shorter payback period of 6.5 years. This is reasonable and encourages the use of a PV system for the building.
Part 4: Performance Comparison Insight
Next, I compared the performance of these conceptual models via Insight. Conceptual Model 2 performs better under the baseline scenario. Therefore, it shows a larger possibility of achieving the Architecture 2030 target and even becoming a net-zero project. I decided to move forward with Conceptual Model 2.
The figures below show assumptions of the operating schedule, wall construction, lighting efficiency, and plug load efficiency of the baseline scenario.
To design more efficient buildings, and achieve the Architecture 2030 target, I looked through other parameters. The deeper the curve is, the more sensitive this factor is. The figures below show other assumptions for my building in order to achieve the Architecture 2030 target. Finally, my building is enabled to achieve the Architecture 2030 target.
Part 5: The Most Important Factors
Based on the above analysis, the efficiency, payback limit, and surface coverage of the solar panel have the biggest impacts on the value of EUI. Changes in the building orientation showed minimal effect on the energy savings, so the current orientation will be kept.