The design of a carbon neutral building requires that students and faculty be engaged in the series of broad topic areas listed below. These are the same ten topic areas that are critical to my teaching of carbon neutral design, as well as the areas where students make their biggest mistakes in the design process.
[a] Contextually Appropriate
[b] Climatically Appropriate
[c] Culturally Appropriate
[d] Clear Design Intentions
[e] Collaborative Design
[f] Integrated Design
[g] Iterative Design Process
[h] Leading Edge Digital Simulation
[i] Measurement + Verification
[j] Academy-Industry Partnerships
In order to design carbon neutral buildings, students of architecture must be able to understand how to make their buildings Contextually, Climatically, and Culturally appropriate. By setting the stage for the design of buildings that are responsive to place, climatic conditions, and the people that will occupy them, the design student will be in a position to develop a clear set of design intentions and the metrics by which those intentions can be verified.
Clarity of intent should lead to clarity of concept. By having clear intentions and concepts, the collaborative design team can develop a well integrated design that begins with controlling external and internal loads, takes advantage of passive strategies, and uses the iterative design process to test ideas, compare results, and move the design forward to the point where design concept and performance can be tested with leading edge digital simulation. The use of digital simulation is another step in the iterative process and will provide the team with detailed feedback about parametric design ideas and their relative impact on performance, and, as a result, changes in building appearance. This measurement and verification process can only be achieved through the careful establishment of the problem and parameters that are to be evaluated, including what the measures of success are for specific aspects of the project.
In addition to the critical issues, precedent is brought into the studio in a way that includes evaluations of past projects of similar type, and the assignment of selected readings outside of the discipline of architecture. These readings are intended to highlight the key issues of the studio, but with the perspective of other professions addressing issues of outcomes and verification of intended performance.
While the two quotes below are examples from within the profession of architecture and design, they are related by approach and thought to those issues of the UWM Carbon Neutral House project.
The first quote is from Victor Papenek, whose book Design for the Real World should be mandatory reading for all students of design (architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, etc.). He sets the bar for designers by stating, in essence, ‘be part of the solution, not part of the problem.’ While this seems like a simple premise, it demands that individual ego be removed from the process, and that the end product of the design be something that fits its purpose.
“Ecology and the environmental equilibrium are the basic underpinnings of all human life on earth; there can be neither life nor human culture without it. Design is concerned with the development of products, tools, machines, artifacts, and other devices, and this activity has a profound and direct influence on ecology. The design response must be positive and unifying. Design must be the bridge between human needs, culture, and ecology.” Victor Papanek, The Green Imperative: Natural Design for the Real World, p. 29.
The second quote, from Bob Berkebile (the first AIA-COTE national chair), is an imperative for students and practitioners of architecture.
“You can’t change what you don’t understand; and you can’t understand what you are unwilling to measure.”
As quoted by Bob Berkebile, BNIM Architects at the 2006 Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Building Energy Conference, Boston, MA.
In addition to the critical issues, precedent is brought into the studio in a way that includes evaluations of past projects of similar type, and the assignment of selected readings outside of the discipline of architecture. These readings are intended to highlight the key issues of the studio, but with the perspective of other professions addressing issues of outcomes and verification of intended performance.
The course work shown here is part of the University of Wisconsin-Milwuakee Solar Decathlon Project. The Solar Decathlon is a student design-build-evaluate project, which is interdisciplinary, runs over the course of two academic years, and encompasses several courses outside of the design studio. Students involved in the project have taken either the design studio, one of the subject area lectures or seminars, or more a combination thereof.
While the first studio was broken into several phases, having to do with precedent studies, climate evaluation, and design iterations focused on clarifying the program and formal elements of the design. The studio project, as defined by the Solar Decathlon competition is a real building that is designed, constructed, and tested to be net-zero energy for its operations. The University of Wisconsin-Milwuakee Solar Decathlon Project is documenting construction decisions and materials in an effort to track carbon emissions associated with construction.
Studio Topics Key
TEACHING TOPICS PROFILED
1. Climate Analysis
Begin with the design of space with an understanding of place. The physical context of the site and the influence this has on climate and microclimate can be understood through analysis of climate with respect to human occupation of space and place.
2. Daylight & Solar Control
Develop a sunshading strategy for controlling solar radiation and daylighting as bioclimatically appropriate.
Perform solar control and sunshading device analysis using progressively more complex methods. Begin with manual calculations and design sketches that address conceptual issues. Design development issues should be evaluated with accurate digital tools.
3. Passive Heating & Cooling
Develop strategies for passive heating and cooling. Investigate the relationship between quantitative aspects of the physical contexts and the qualitative design opportunities associated with placemaking.
Analyze bioclimatic data for conceptual design appropriateness. Develop schematic design detail for the chosen strategy, using more detailed climatic information, such as monthly and hourly data for more accurate analysis.
4. Fresh Air Ventilation
Develop strategies for natural ventilation. Investigate the relationship between quantitative aspects of the physical contexts and the qualitative design opportunities associated with placemaking.
Analyze bioclimatic data for conceptual design appropriateness. Develop schematic design detail for the chosen strategy, using more detailed climatic information, such as monthly and hourly data for more accurate analysis.
5. On-site Energy Production
Create adequate on-site energy to power all of the appliances, heating and cooling, and lighting systems.
Use conceptual data for first pass information about energy demand and production capacity. Increase detail in the analysis by using accurate solar radiation data and array size and orientation.
6. Embodied Energy & Carbon Sequestration
Understand the carbon footprint (both positive and negative) implications of material choices in
the design process. Prepare comparative structural and construction systems for evaluation material properties and carbon sequestration.
7. Energy Modeling in the Design Studio
Create analytical component to the design studio that can evaluate design intentions and criteria. Use parametric energy models and iterative design steps to set the stage to evaluate relative differences between design choices.
8. BIM & CND
Create single model interoperability between architectural documentation tools and energy analysis tools to rapidly evaluate design decisions. Complete several iterations of the design project using BIM techniques. Import designs into energy analysis software for evaluation of the design decisions.
![climate key]](../../images/studio-climate-key-thomson.jpg)
