Sandro Boaro

Journal Entry For
Module 4 - Conceptual Design - Building Context & Passive Design
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This is the NW side of Lake Sammamish near Redmond, WA. The target location for my building will be oriented such that the north of the building faces geographical Northwest.

Temperature: High: 92F & Low: 45

Climate Type: Semi-Coastal, Windy, Elevated & Inland, High Sun Exposure

Building Design Proposal:

The motif is opulence. Designing a center to embrace the creativity of the brain is very much dependent on creating one of two spaces: all-encompassing / connected or Isolated Campus buildings.

Location (3D):

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Red denotes project site. Blue arrow indicates Ocean direction. Black Arrow indicates North Direction.

Design One: Connected Building

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Sun Path on Summer Solstice: Hottest Day of the Year

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The connected campus provides tons of shading during the day for visitors to enjoy the outside while facing the lake and various paths. Staggered heights provide a unique shape of the building so that it blends in with the wilderness and skyline around it without being a massive brick.

FLOOR AREA: ~31,000 over 4 stories max with a 2 story minimum.

Benchmarks:

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Interesting Notes: Building Orientation does not impact performance by any measurable cost.

Design 2: Campus

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Benchmark Performance:

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Conclusions:

Both buildings need some heavy refinement as to the mass modeling in order to further drive the cost to reach ASHRAE 90.1. My location does not have a lot of solar potential in regards to flat surfaced roofs. It will be interesting to start modeling clerestory or even half-gabled roofs to maximize the angle of solar potential.

Under current assumptions of a 12/7 schedule format, we can expect energy costs to be about as low as they can be without pushing the limits of the use. I was challenged in gathering an accurate site topography to model negative spaces, however, I am intending to keep chipping away. Realizing that building orientation won't impact energy performance in both criteria, it is safe to proceed with a design that highlights the beauty of the lake and the view of the Pacific Ocean just behind the Seattle skyline.

Although model 2 came in lower benchmark wise to model 1, Model 1 looks to be far superior because its benchmarks are much closer to the ASHRAE standards than the campus version.