Design Project Check-In: Project Goals, Targets, & Strategies

Journal Entry For
Module 3 - Project Goals Targets & Strategies
  • Design Goal #1: Reduce net energy use by as much as possible
  • Measure: Building energy use modeling / EUI
  • Targets:
    • Desired: Zero net energy building
    • Minimally acceptable value: 2030 design challenge goal of 80-90% reduction (2020-2025)
  • Strategies:
    • South facing-windows and thermal masses to reduce heating and cooling loads
    • Maximize daylighting to reduce lighting plug loads
    • Solar Panels wherever possible to produce energy
    • Cogeneration to make use of waste heat for heating
    • Automated HVAC controls that can vary loads depending on the number of “occupants”
    • Use batteries or other energy storage methods to store excess energy produced from solar panels to be used at other times (this isn’t part of net-zero necessarily but I think is still important for the health of the grid and could also be another cool exhibit)
    • Use a digestor to produce methane (to be used for energy or heating) from the food waste and possibly some wastewater from the facility (I’m not sure of the feasibility of this on a small scale like this, but again it could be another really cool exhibit and would also lower the impact on the landfills and wastewater treatment facilities)

  • Design Goal #2: Serve the public
  • Measure: Accessibility (ADA, distance to public transit stop, parking spaces, bike parking), Open space area
  • Targets:
    • Desired: See below I guess? This one feels more broad
    • Minimally acceptable value:
  • Strategies:
    • Auto Parking beneath the facility to minimize land use impact
    • Entire roof area to be public park (I’m thinking if my building is on the Willamette waterfront - in Portland - I’d love to figure out a way to make the “roof park” accessible from the street, so maybe a sloped building with the taller side facing the water)
    • Area for enough bike racks for average daily amount of visitors + staff to all bike if they’d wish (hopefully this would allow for more than enough bike racks during peak times?)
    • Elevators and ADA ramps as required obviously, but I’d also like to try to make it less “hidden” or “out of the way.” I feel like some ADA stuff feels way out of the way or hidden compared to the normal “pathways” in some buildings so I’d love if it didn’t feel like a second thought or just “meet the requirements” kind of thing

  • Design Goal #3: Reduce water use and stormwater impact
  • Measure: Total water consumption and stormwater runoff (speed and volume)
  • Targets:
    • Desired: Increase the stormwater control as compared to the undeveloped site, and decrease water consumption by 50% (LEED full points)
    • Minimum: Stormwater impact remains the same as undeveloped site and reduce water consumption by 25%
  • Strategies:
    • Use recycled water for all toilets
    • Low water flushing toilets and urinals
    • Use recycled water for the irrigation of the park on the roof (is this allowed for a public park?) also pumping water up to that height might be energy intensive so would watering at the peak solar production time of day make the most sense?
    • Collect rainwater and save area for bioretention basins (could also be part of an exhibit)

  • Design Goal #4: LEED Rated
  • Measure: LEED point
  • Targets:
    • Desired: LEED Platinum - 80 points
    • Minimum: LEED Gold - 60 points
  • Strategies:
    • All strategies mentioned before have at least some applicability
    • Building LCA and materials analysis (I’m thinking Mass Timber)
    • Recycled materials
    • Build on a site that makes sense (not a diverse eco-system) and preferably a site that has already been damaged by development or waste of some sort anyway (this is where the idea of building on top of the now shutdown sand and gravel mine on Ross island could be cool)