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BUILDING SYSTEMS
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Flexibility
Materials
Energy
Non-sustainable
systems . . .
. . .only serve one moment
in time.
. . . deplete resources and
compromise indoor
environment.
. . .rely on current
energy costs and
availability.
Sustainable systems . . .
. . . allow community to adapt and
persevere.
. . . limit impact on natural
resources and allows
healthier living.
. . . reduce reliance on specific fuels
that pollute the air. reduce the amount
of energy used and the cost of
operation
Defining Sustainability for
Building Systems
Materials
Environmental system
Building
system
Human comfort
and prosperity
Flexibility
Energy
All buildings extract materials and energy from an environmental system.Buildings provide humans with comfort from the physical elements and prosperity.
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Services
Concept Matrix
-Ventilation options-Private Green spaces
-Prefabricated elements-Recycled/Recyclable materials
-Insulation/ air barrier-Solar protection-Access to daylight
-Fuel source options-Water source options
-Reduced Hazardous materials
-Reduce Water consumption-Load shifting-Options for local sources
-Shared structures-Convertible structures
-Orientation-Shared surfaces
-Concrete Alternatives-Waste reduction
Building Type/Structure
Envelope
Flexibility
Materials
Energy
This matrix organizes the components of a building system relative to the importance of considering flexibility, materials and energy.
Building size
Orientation
Structural
engineering
Weather enclosure
Window systems
Roof and fa ade
systems
Heating and cooling
Drinking water
Vertical circulation
Domestic electricity
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Expansion and Conversion
Planning for ability to expand, saves available land for the future. Planning for expansion within provides development options in the future. Shared structures saves material and green space.
Housing over parking spaces housing over commercial. Conversions of residential to commercial, Commercial to light industrial, light industrial to parking, etc. Integration of living and working saves transportation energy when workers can telecommute or conduct light manufacturing near their home.
Planning for Structural Grid Compatibility
Flexible Housing layoutsSource: Eric Friberger, Sweden 1935
Flexible Housing layoutsSource: Werner Kohn, Germany 1976
Building Type / Structure: Flexibility
Parking movedunder housing
Parking Commericial Residential
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Building Type / Structure : Energy
Good orientation is east westFor thermal reasons . . .
Solar energy in winter
Solar energy in Summer
Good shapes
Bad shapesSolar Exposure
Balance solar thermal concerns with maximum daylight penetration orienting building with solar criteria for 10% energy savings from cooling and heating. Integrate overhangs on southern side of building if possible for 1-5% cooling savings Integrate vertical Shading into building on E and W facades.
Ideal orientation achieves a balance. Plan shift approach ensures good thermal exposures with day lighting. Good modulation of massing can achieve the same if plan is aligned.
The daylight from 1 skylight is easily worth 100 meters of photovoltaics in electrical terms
Solar thermal absorbers are a cost effective way to harness solar energy
A global Overview of renewable resourceswww.agores.org
A good thermal approachFor buildings . . . but is not so good for daylightingthe green spaces
A good approach for Green spaces but bad forBuilding units
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Prefabricated Stackable Units
A modular manufacturer, developed an 18 wide factory built home that enabled each row house to be constructed with two modules instead of four. Fewer modules sped up factory construction time as well as on-site fieldwork, and allowed for more spacious interiors. Each assembled row house contains 1,338 square feet. Each module used rigid structural steel framing instead of wood because of its lightweight, price, and quality control. Construction waste and disposal costs were very low compared with on-site construction because of controlled factory construction. Also, the factory controlled construction allowed for greater scheduling control, meaning the product was delivered on time, as needed, with greater quality assurance than site built construction, and without any weather or product delays. Finally, the modular construction in this development allowed for reduced labor costs.
West Of Pennsylvania Project - Brooklyn, New YorkSource: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/imquaf/afho/afadv/cote/usprho/index.cfm
Growing housing conceptSource: Peter Rice, Renzo Piano 1980
Variations on a spatial moduleSource: Brandlhuber & Kniess, Architects Cologne,Germany
Building Type / Structure : Flexibility
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Prefabricated Concrete Wall
Large wall segments up to 25ft (7m) can be pre-assembled in the factory. These panels may include window frames and part of the reinforcement. Custom sections can be tailor made, elements are taken from the store and glued to specification. No time for curing is needed.
A full truckload can be shipped. The panels are relatively light and can be set in place by light cranes, as concrete is poured on site. Other than with prefab concrete panels, slight adjustments in size can be made on site. Broken panels can be repaired instantly.
Individual component, Prefab Concrete WallSource: http://rastra.net/rastracom/web-site/prefabri.htm
Building Type / Structure : Materials
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Prefabricated Concrete Balcony
The site is prepared. A crane is moved into position. Brackets have already been fixed earlier to the apartment block. These will be used to attach the prefabricated balcony to the building.
The crane lifts the prefabricated component to the top of the balcony stack
The component is carefully maneuvered into position. After the component is placed in position, the joints are sealed and the component attached to the existing structure.
Individual component, Prefab Concrete BalconySource: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~scinst/jan96.html
Building Type / Structure : Materials
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Concrete
Fly Ash, a by-product of coal burning power plants can be substituted for energy intensive cement. Tire Rubber, Recycled post consumer aggregate, Ceramic micro spheres, Industrial byproducts can be added to concrete. Concrete with these admixtures requires less cement and has greater insulation value and less weight:Use high strength concrete only where it is required and avoiding long spans (greater than 10 meters) or column plan shifts saves concrete and reinforcing steel. industrial waste materials as lightweight aggregates to replace sand in mortar. The use of interlocking CMUs (requiring no mortar) is ideal for landscape retaining walls..
www.cleanairpartnership.org
Aerated Autoclaved Concrete WallSource: Xella International GmbH Website, 2005
Integrated formworkSource: Riiswiyk Holland Photo:ER
Fly AshSource: Clean AirPartnership
Coal Power PlantSource: Clean AirPartnership
Building Type / Structure : Materials