Stephanie Gady

Journal Entry For
Module 11 - Sharing Your Project

Overview

Replace this text with your reflections on your design journey through class from a higher level and share your insights about the entire experience. What were:

  • Key Essentials -- Some key essentials I explored in this project were implementing passive heating and cooling strategies, maximizing views and use of natural landscape, and incorporating an indoor-outdoor space into my exhibition.
  • Your Big Successes -- I think my biggest success was implementing the use of northern and southern curtain wall systems to maximize views of the surrounding landscape while also keeping heating costs down for my exhibition. My structure is located in a cold climate where heating is essential, and using large south facing windows helps minimize heating costs during cold winter months. I also incorporated large curtain windows on the north side of the structure to balance out southern light and allow more views of nature on the second level. I also feel that incorporating my building into the existing hillside was a big success because doing so helps the exhibition space blend better into existing landscape, as well as minimize some cooling costs in the summer.
  • Your Big Challenges -- One of the biggest challenges was orienting the building and the interior layout to maximize natural light while minimizing the need for east and west-facing windows. The summers in my climate are very short but very hot, and any east or western windows can cause the building to heat to astronomical temperatures. Thus, I oriented the exhibition and arranged the interior layout so there are only a few eastern windows and no western windows in the structure.
  • Lessons Learned -- To other students who are working on a similar project, I would suggest trying multiple schemes before settling on a final design. I had to revise my exterior facade and interior layouts many times before settling on one final scheme. This took time, but doing so allowed me to incorporate many elements of sustainability and thoughtful design into my final project.

Video Presentation / Tour of Your Project Features

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Design Journal Entries | Winter 2021