Architecture Commons^™

Natural Reflection: Reducing The Environmental Impact Of Architecture Through Biomimetic Design, Keenan Doricent

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This project studies how typical building projects contribute to our environmental issues today and possible ways to reduce that contribution moving forward. In my literature review, I discuss the potential of biomimetic design as a possible solution for more environmentally considerate architecture techniques. Building operations and the construction process are two of the leading contributors to energy consumption and our growing ecological footprint as an industry. Everything from sourcing materials, to site preparation, and ultimately building occupation, factor into the effect of a structure’s life on the environment. The embodied and operational energy use of our expanding infrastructure continues to …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering March/April 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering January/February 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering November/December 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering September/October 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Genetic Algorithm Theory In Simulation Programs As A Tool For Improving The Environmental Performance Of Office Buildings, Somaia Mohamed Arafa, Esraa Mohamed Elazab, Nanees Abd Elhamid Elsayyad

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Globally, a large proportion of a building's energy is consumed to achieve thermal comfort, as promoting energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of buildings is an important global goal. Therefore, the new building regulations are geared explicitly toward energy-saving projects. However, there are usually many competitive priorities, such as maximizing energy use in office buildings, leading to the complex multi-objective optimization topic. The main objective of this research was to reduce the energy consumed for cooling load in the office buildings in the city of Cairo, which is located in a hot desert climate. This was achieved by optimizing ten different …

Building Services Engineering July/August 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering May/June 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Zero Net Energy Test House, Timothy Hemsath, James D. Goedert, Avery Don Schwer, Yong Cho

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper describes the first phase of a residential research program to reduce the impact of new construction on the environment through research and education using a Zero Net Energy Test House as a framework. Containing four bedrooms, three and a half baths, the 1,800 square foot house, 1,000 square foot basement, is located in Omaha, Nebraska. It is being used to validate several research projects and provides a platform for applications research of a number of technological advances. Laminated photovoltaic solar panels, a wind turbine, and an occupant monitoring energy control system are some of the sustainable design innovations …

System As A Living Organism, Xinyi Liu

Masters Theses

This is cross-disciplinary research in urban systems, architecture, bio-systems, agriculture, energy supplies, circular economy, and sustainability.

From Waste To Energy:   Reuse Of Landfills To Create Eco-Friendly Spaces, Maya Maasarani, Ayman Afify, Hiba Mohsen, Maged Youssef

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Waste to Energy (W to E) minimize the amount of waste sent to landfill, which also reduces negative impacts on the environment. This problem has been a common occurrence since the beginning of time. Waste to Energy will assist in the creation of a low-carbon society. Currently, the challenge behind reaching Eco-friendly space is a result of the continuity of incineration and landfill uncontrolled Municipal Solid waste on slopes and seashore. This environmental disaster as worldwide landfill is oversaturated and can collapse at any moment and cause dangerous damage to the environment. The average trash production increased phenomenally worldwide, resulting …

The New Solar Kiosk Model: A Sustainable Solution To Address The Uptake And Access Of Renewable Technologies To Create Energy Kiosks That Improve Women’S Income In Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Kiryandongo District, Northern Uganda., Musiimenta Joy Kellen

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This thesis was carried out in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda to test a new model to improve access to clean energy technologies in the refugee settlement. The settlement hosts more than seventy-five thousand refugees, including the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Bududa landslides in Eastern Uganda. The literature review shows the challenges faced in the humanitarian sector. The challenge is met in providing lighting and improved cooking technologies to all refugees in settlements and camps globally. The refugees tend to cut down trees in the surrounding forest, and the wood is used for firewood to cook …

A Methodology For Shifting Egyptian Portsinto Sustainable Green Ports, Ashraf Mansour Civil & Architectural Department

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

Egypt has a capacity of more than fifteen ports, situated on both the Mediterranean and the Red sea, with a totalarea of around 518 Km2. They are either commercial, or specialized ports which includes Mining Ports ,Petroleum Ports, Tourist Ports, Fishing Ports and Berths. The main Egyptian commercial ports are Alexandria,El Dekheila, Damietta, El Arish, West Port Said, East Port Said, Suez, Petroleum Dock, Adabiya, Sokhna Port, Hurghada, Safaga, El Tour, Nuweiba and Sharm El Sheikh. Establishing a methodology for shifting Egyptian Ports into sustainable green ports is of a major benefit as it incorporates a balance between environmental, social …

Our Energy Future, Fall/Winter 2007, Issue 15

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Unconventional Energy, Fall/Winter 2015, Issue 31

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Architecture Now: A History Of Sustainable Architecture, Meg Vickery

Sustainability Education Resources

As we move further into the 21st century, architects, planners, landscape architects and the general public are increasingly concerned with climate change, environmental degradation, energy and water consumption and the role the built environment plays in contributing to or addressing these issues. Buildings consume almost 40% of the energy used in this country. The way we access buildings, the materials used to construct them, the demands of users within the building all require the earth’s increasingly precious resources. So how did we get here? How did our built environment evolve to require so much energy, water and so many resources? …

Hammarby Sjöstad: Planning Precedent, Christian Bernard, Arielle Eleazar, Ryan M. Huddlestun

Precedents

Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm, Sweden (2004-16): Located in what had been a dilapidated industrial area close to Stockholm city center, Hammarby Sjöstad was built as a comprehensive infrastructural project with sustainable alternatives for water, energy, and waste management. The district, comprising over 300 acres around the shores of Lake Hammarby, is home to some 25,000 people. The block pattern is based on the traditional urban fabric of Stockholm while the architecture is decidedly modern.

The purpose of investigating this precedent was to interest the students in sustainable features they might incorporate into their own designs, both for Paradise as a whole …

What You Don’T See, Brent Sturlaugson

Architecture Faculty Publications

Follow the supply chains of architecture and you’ll find not just product manufacturers but also environmental polluters and elusive networks of financial power and political influence.

Design Guidelines And Strategies For Thermal Solar Management Of Fenestration In The Desert Climate, David Mccredo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research evaluates the effects of varying thermal properties of windows in

residential energy use for the moderate altitude and 36'N latitude climate of southern

Nevada, which has a distinct cooling season. A selection of windows across different

shading conditions and total window areas were studied using BEopt energy simulation.

Findings demonstrate that for the specific climate, latitude, and altitude of Las Vegas,

Nevada, the most expensive “high performance” windows are not always the best

option in terms of total site energy use, and can be outperformed by properly shaded

less advanced windows. Under certain conditions, shading was found to …

Bioharvest: Energy Efficient Design For The Standardization Of Biomimetic Technologies At Stanford University In Palo Alto, Ca, Usa, Gabriella Santostefano

Architecture Theses

The thesis serves as an investigation of the possibilities of biomimicry as well as an exploration of harvesting energy from the sun, the wind, the rain, and the earth.

Biomimicry, derived from the Greek words bios meaning “life” and mimesis meaning “imitate,” is the examination of nature in order to create systems that are derived from the natural world and provide sophisticated solutions to human problems.

Biomimicry asks the question. “What in nature has already solved what I am trying to solve?” In the case of this project, nature will inspire the creation of a new building typology, Bio-Inspired Solutions …

Compiled Research & Materials, Andrew Tarutani, Madalyn Beban, Laura Kunas, Colin Joern, Conor Mcgrail

Sustainability and Energy

This document outlines the research conducted and progress made over the Spring 2017 semester. It details the team's efforts to pursue implementation of a solar co-op in the McPherson Town neighborhood along with an innovative tiny homes neighborhood on the University of Dayton's campus.

Regenerative Refugee Housing: Creating Temporary Housing With Low Environmental Impact, Erika Guldner

Architecture Thesis Prep

Refugee settlements often have a negative environ­mental impact; by promoting options for sustainable development from the outset, this can be avoided. A plan for a refugee settlement was made, along with a plan for the individual residential units. To expedite the construction process, units were divided into compo­nents. These components could be easily assembled on site. Once the refugee settlement is no longer needed, components can be used for other purposes, such as, affordable housing or the components themselves can be broken down to be either recycled or used for other purposes.

As Above, So Below: Tapping Into The Latent Energy Of Abandoned Underground Infrastructure, Alexandra N. Ramirez

Architecture Thesis Prep

1

Abandoned underground infrastructure is an example of an untapped surplus in energy that an architect has the opportunity to reappropriate. Tunnels in particular, can be used as systems to heat or cool a network of buildings above ground to create more sustainable urban environments. In addition to greater energy efficiency, the system could also have beneficial social implications within segregated cities by providing fluid connections between divided neighborhoods.

This thesis will establish a framework for repurposing underground infrastructures. The strategy operates under an umbrella of sustainability and urban improvement which are two concepts applicable to sites far beyond the …

Sustainable Architecture Design: Environmental And Economic Benefits, Michael Babcock

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the movement of environmentalism, and its impact on architecture and construction. During an interview with a professional architect, a basis for research of sustainable design was devised, when he explained that “good” architecture attempts to holistically integrate the external and built environment. Presently, the main measurement for sustainability is energy efficiency. Therefore, architects constantly implement new technology in an attempt to unify both the external and built environment in an energy efficient manner. Furthermore, this thesis provides an environmental and financial cost analysis of implementing sustainable design and build. Research shows that the life cycle and up-front …

Sustainable Architecture Design: Environmental And Economic Benefits, Michael Babcock

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the movement of environmentalism, and its impact on architecture and construction. During an interview with a professional architect, a basis for research of sustainable design was devised, when he explained that “good” architecture attempts to holistically integrate the external and built environment. Presently, the main measurement for sustainability is energy efficiency. Therefore, architects constantly implement new technology in an attempt to unify both the external and built environment in an energy efficient manner. Furthermore, this thesis provides an environmental and financial cost analysis of implementing sustainable design and build. Research shows that the life cycle and up-front …

Energy-Saving Occupant Behaviour In Offices: Change Strategies, Mark Mulville, Keith Jones, Gesche Huebner, Joanne Powell-Grieg

Articles

As regulated energy consumption in buildings is reduced, the proportional importance of unregulated energy consumption increases. Reducing unregulated energy use in the commercial office requires an understanding of the factors that influence workplace behaviour. To date these factors have been assumed to be similar to those that influence behaviour in the home. However, the social dynamics of the workplace are different to those in the home. This study examines the degree to which theories of behaviour change generated largely in a domestic building setting could be used as the basis for designing interventions to reduce unregulated energy consumption in the …

Divisible Cities, Noel Brady

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Parity, Hamza Hasan

Architecture Senior Theses

Digital data contributes to an increasingly alienated aspect of our infrastructure. The complex practices of the Internet produce highly specified, engineered objects. Though their forms are ‘optimized,’ their intentions are not: the two primary considerations for the development of the infrastructure of the Internet are energy and security. Each category presents its own deliberations, but both often produce non-architectural, infrastructural elements beyond public visibility. The hidden infrastructure of data storage and mining (the indexing and analysis of data and traffic) produces spaces outside the agency of normative architectural discourse.

The key consideration for the design of the Internet is redundancy, …

Architectural Form, Orientation, And Energy For Residential Design In The Southern Nevada Region., Ludwing Vaca

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the population increase, the high demand of energy from the residential sector, as well as the harsh weather conditions of the Las Vegas region, there needs to be careful consideration in the design of new homes. Energy efficiency in a single family residential building can be augmented early in the design process by careful consideration of the building form and orientation. A systematic investigation and analysis was taken to study the effects of five building forms and different orientations along the cardinal points using the software BEopt version 2.4.0.1. To connect the study to real world circumstances, a residential …