Terri Meyer Boake, BES, BArch, MArch, LEED AP
Professor School of Architecture University of Waterloo
email: tboake@uwaterloo.ca
 
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Arch 226:
Environmental Building Design
2015

Final Term Project:
Portable Classroom Decathlon

 

Project Description:

THIS IS A THREE PERSON PROJECT (two permitted, but no singles)

Portable classrooms are routinely used to allow for the expansion and contraction of the sizes of schools in North America as a cost effective means to adjust to the demographics of neighbourhoods as they change over time. Sadly cost effective seems to equate to the complete elimination of amenities, proper comfort control, daylight and efficient systems.

You are charged with the design of a very Low Carbon portable classroom that achieves a very high level of amenities along with extreme efficiency in the use of resources. The word "portable" is central to this project as the building must be designed to be prefabricated into components and be able to be moved from place to place (assuming within the same climate zone). It should be programmed as an elementary school classroom but be able to provide for a range of classroom activities that can accomodate different grade ranges, desk layouts - ie. to go beyond desks in a row with a black/white board at the front. The building should at minimum consist of a classroom space of approximately 6.5m x 9m; ability to include a small "kitchen sink/counter area" and a bathroom (toilet/sink).

The size and agenda of the Portable Classroom are quite similar to that of the Solar Decathlon that is sponsored by the United States Department of Energy. Hence, the work and the grading will be divided into 10 categories. Each section will require that the team provides drawings and text that are suitable to demonstrate success in the area. This is over and above the standard documentation required that would include site plan, floor plan(s), elevations, cross sections and construction details. It would be expected to see magic arrow diagrams (for ventilation), solar shading diagrams for applicable times of year, etc. (To be clear this is modeled on the SolarD event in terms of 10 Categories. We are using MY categories, not those from the SolarD.)

You may select either a temperate or cold climate zone. Please use Climate Consultant to also provide charts to demonstrate the data that you have used to inform your strategies.

A HEED Analysis is required as an additional graded component. You should START with a HEED based set of selections that will allow you to begin to select your strategies but you are expected to MOVE BEYOND the limitations of HEED in terms of your choices in materials, massing, roof shape and systems.

1. Passive Heating: Prove the minimization of energy use for heating via the use of solar energy, conservation (insulation) and thermal massing. How do you make thermal mass portable? /10

2. Passive Cooling: Prove the minimization of energy use for cooling via the use of shading, materials and natural ventilation. /10

3. Active Systems: Work to provide as much as you can in integrated PV as well as other efficient mechanical systems to power your building. /10

4. Daylighting: Demonstrate effective daylighting for the classroom activities. As school buildings are predominantly used during daylight hours, this is the best way to reduce your energy costs. Include information about your electric lighting, zoning of lighting, use of dimming strategies, etc. (think back to the contents of the daylighting lecture). /10

5. Design for Disassembly/Portability: A portable classroom must be portable! You need to account for the transportation of the building by dividing it into shippable components. {REMOVING THE MORE DETAILED d4d REQUIREMENT! Just be sure it can be divided into larger transportable elements.} You will need to detail the way the building sits on its site and ensure that this is adaptable when the building needs to move. /10

6. Net Zero Water Goal: This building will require a washroom and a kitchen type sink. Demonstrate how you are making this building water independent through the use of collection means and efficient fixtures. {REMOVING THE TREATMENT REQUIREMENT: and waste treatment. You can work your waste treatment strategy into your landscaping and assume that this is not necessarily as "portable" as the classroom and may stay as a permanent element. If you provide landscaping that is living, you should be able to keep it alive without using potable water.} /5

7. Accessibility (for disabled): The classrooms will require two means of egress. These must be handicapped accessible (ramps). Likewise, the bathroom needs to be sized to accommodate a wheelchair. /10

8.{REMOVING THIS REQUIREMENT: Landscape: Ensure that your building sits well in a created landscape environment (not plunked onto asphalt...). Look at some of the recent Solar Decathlon entries to understand how landscape can be portable. You can work your waste treatment strategy into your landscaping and assume that this is not necessarily as "portable" as the classroom and may stay as a permanent element that is perhaps shared with other portable classrooms as the number grows or diminishes.} /0

9. Aesthetics and Inspiration: You need to go beyond your HEED model appearance! This is about "Architecture" and enabling students to learn through the creation of an inspirational environment. /10

10. Year Round Use Plan (adaptability): Have a plan for the use of your buildings in the evenings, weekends and summer season. This might include thinking about community service uses. This will mean that the comfort levels need to be adequate during these additional hours and the plan layout somewhat flexible. /10

Climate Consultant Charts. Make sure you state which comfort model you are using. Include for your location the Monthly Diurnal Averages Chart,Temperature Range, Psychrometric Chart, Wind Roses for the 4 seasons that are critical to your design (you need to separate out winter and summer, etc). /10

Overall graphic presentation. /10

OR ALTERNATE SET OF REQUIREMENTS:

If anyone is interested in leveraging this project and using it to submit to the ACSA/AIA COTE Competition then you will instead use their 10 requirements instead of mine. Same grading applies, 8 points for each of the categories, 10 points for the overall design quality and 10 points for the graphic presentation.

Measure 1:   Design and Innovation /8
Measure 2:   Regional/Community Design /8
Measure 3:   Land Use and Site Ecology /8
Measure 4:   Bioclimatic Design /8
Measure 5:   Light and Air /8
Measure 6:   Water Cycle /8
Measure 7:   Energy Flows and Energy Future /8
Measure 8:   Materials and Construction /8
Measure 9:   Long Life, Loose Fit /8
Measure 10: Collective Wisdom and Feedback Loops /8

Climate Consultant Charts. Make sure you state which comfort model you are using. Include for your location the Monthly Diurnal Averages Chart,Temperature Range, Psychrometric Chart, Wind Roses for the months that are critical to your design (you need to separate out winter and summer, etc). /10

Overall graphic presentation. /10

Please look on the ACSA/AIA COTE web page for the detailed explanations for their categories and the other resources provided as well as to follow THEIR FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS. You will find that external competitions are very particular about formatting and they will disqualify entries that do not follow the rules. They use these categories to judge architectural submissions each year for their environmental design awards. These are a really big deal in the USA.

The ACSA/AIA version will also be due on December 22, however it is not actually due to the competition until later in January. You are free to improve it prior to submission, however I am NOT entertaining grade revisions to the Arch 226 work.

It is necessary to register for the competition by December 9. Please email me to get you registered. If you decide not to follow through there is no harm. I am out of the country from Dec 3 to 15 with limited access to email/internet so we should get this done ahead of my departure.

RESOURCES AND IDEAS:

Check out the websites associated with the Solar Decathlon.

2013: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/

2011 and earlier: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2011/

SUBMISSION:

Submissions will be digital and submitted via LEARN in PDF format. Ensure that your entire submission is submitted as a single PDF.

For MY base submission: Keep to a horizontal format as I grade these on a horizontal screen. When creating your submission imagine that you are working to a "competition-driven" format (which will also be beneficial for your coop portfolios in future). Maximum number of "boards" is TWO assuming a virtual print size of 24" x 36" (60cm x 90cm).{This requirement was 4 boards. I think you can do it in two if you are tight with your drawings}

For the ACSA/AIA COTE submission: You need to follow their format which is for FOUR 24" x 24" digital boards. Likely the same amount of information as for my submission but perhaps more graciously laid out.

GRADING:

Grading will follow the Solar Decathlon model, more or less. See point distribution above. The removal of some of the components has meant a shift in some of the points. The nature of your drawings and presentation methods will inevitably influence each category as these impact your ability to communicate your strategies.

HEED COMPONENT: see bottom of page for how to fake out HEED to make it into a Portable Classroom!

A HEED analysis is required of the basic shape and strategy of your building. Please print screens as suits the project (including the one of the model that shows your configuration, PV and window placements) to describe your overall energy use as well as the temperature range achieved. This information can constitute an additional "board" in your submission to make the project more coherent. This is worth 10% of your term grade. This is also required for the ACSA/AIA COTE projects. It would lend credibility to your designs to include some of the Climate Consultant and HEED work on those submissions as well.

LATE PENALTIES:

The project is due via LEARN at as per the course outline. Projects received late will be docked 5% per day of lateness to a limit of 5 days, then a grade of zero will be awarded.

portable
Your project should NOT look like this.

portable
A better strategy for transportation, adaptability, and D4D please!

landscaping
A start at "landscaping" but a bit barren.

electricity
Think about how your project will be powered to minimize electricity.

 

FAKING OUT HEED TO MAKE IT THINK YOU ARE DESIGNING A PORTABLE CLASSROOM

 

1. Open HEED

2. Start a New Project and give it a title.

3. On Initial Design screen ask it to:

            Construct a brand new home

            Single family house

            One storey (most likely but not necessarily…)

            Square footage that you would have determined from your initial design sketch

            Pick a flat or sloped roof

            Input your location/climate data using the load EPW Help file in the Help menu (PC version)

4.         Hit next

5.         No attached garage (most likely choice), next

6.         It will calculate two schemes, 1: Meets Energy code and 2: More Energy Efficient. These are based on HOUSE occupancy. So now you need to make it into a school. So really these first two designs are not about your school but about a house that is this size.

7.         Hit Next to get you into the screen that copies the version 2 to a new version copy. You are going to modify this into the Portable Classroom by changing the internal data of the file

8.         Name the third version something memorable to denote this is really the starting point for your design. On the screen that you see with the 3 bar graphs, Click the Advanced button at the top of the screen and then click Climate and Start Date. Work through this series of screens to create the “school function”. Also have a look at the data boxes that have been inserted from the EPW data file to see the conditions. Things that you may wish to change:

Climate, Site and Start Date screen:

            - design conditions: Indoor comfort values

            - what is your ground reflectance? It is assuming grass all around the building so think about what materials are underneath your south facing windows

Check out the next screen that gives you sketch suggestions on what you might do, then next

Envelope Design Summary:

            - are these dimensions correct?

            - floor to ceiling height likely to be different for your school

            - floor to floor height may be different

Surface Area Design summary:

            - are your wall U values right here?

Window, Sunshade, Door Design:

            - you can change these later in your iterations but good to see what is loaded. If you have found some other window types you might want to input them now?

Daylight: Automatic Lighting controls:

            - change your footcandles to office

            - think if any of the other categories are suitable to your school purpose

Thermal Mass Interior Storage:

            - this might be of some use to change or at least take note of assumed materials

Internal Loads (really important):

            - change number of occupants to 35

            - change lighting to office value

            - change hours when lights go on or off understanding that we cannot make it off for the weekend as this is not an option in this program but would provide cost savings

            - not sure to bother to change appliances except that you won’t have any

HVAC

            - thermostat setbacks

Solar Water Heating

            - might downsize this tank as less HW will be required for a school than a house

PV Power Design

            -you might want to play with this data or at least look through the defaults

Electric Rates, Fuel types, etc

            -leave alone and you will all be at least using the same data

 

Hit next and proceed to run the program as demonstrated in class.

 

Good luck!

 

 

updated Tuesday, November 24, 2015 6:19 PM