Architecture Commons^™

Parametric Analysis For Building Efficiency Developing A Tool For Diagramming Programmatic Relationships Using Adjacency Requirements, Christopher Boon, Lyee Chong, Sergio Palleroni, Huafen Hu, Ben Deines, Zgf

Research-Based Design Initiative

Emerging Parametric technologies are opening new opportunities in Architecture. Generally, it is seen primarily as an engine to drive formal exploration and renderings. Its implications however are larger and it is possible to employ it is at many stages in the design process. During the initial design stage, much of what is explored involves theoretical concepts. The work is expressed diagrammatically. If the concept can be distilled to its parameters, then it is possible to begin including parametric analysis. This type of analysis will allow designers to develop a much wider range of options in a much shorter timeframe. This …

Post-Occupancy Daylight Analysis: Vernonia K-12 School, Portland State University. School Of Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

Early design approaches are becoming increasingly important in the architectural design process. Studying the buildings performance after occupancy has allowed our field to study the accuracy of design modeling. This has been especially true with daylight analysis. Specifically in school settings, daylight is not only desirable but crucial to the health and performance of children. Analysis of daylight in the architectural field has increased as the opportunity to perform more accurate simulations during the design process. Alongside this development, there is a move to explore the efficiency of software analysis to real world projects. This research examines the effectiveness of …

Evaluating Sefaira: A Research Collaboration, Mart Schaefer, Sergio Palleroni, Huafen Hu, Ben Deines, Boora Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

Sefaira Concept is a plug-in that runs in Trimble SketchUp, a 3D modeling program with wide usage in architecture design. Known for its ease of use, SketchUp is particularly useful during a project’s schematic design phase. Until now, however, it lacked robust analysis tools. Sefaira Concept fills that gap and allows designers to explore a variety of options for reducing energy impact early in a project’s life. Before a tool of this nature existed, energy modeling and analysis would be done by consultants with more specialized knowledge and at a point in the design process where it was too late …

Renton Highlands Library Daylighting Analysis, Sergio Palleroni, Vanessa Vanderhoof, Huafen Hu, Ben Dienes, Angela Cutright

Research-Based Design Initiative

It is common knowledge that natural light is better for the built environment and occupying such environments. It also is important to note that society spends the better part of their lives in structures or buildings; these spaces have a hand in our daily experiences. Not only do people benefit from natural lighting, physically and mentally, but daylighting systems can also lower dependency on electricity, lowering the usability and lifetime costs of a structure. There is also a chance for creating too much daylight, bright surfaces and areas can hinder the occupants and some spaces do not need daylighting. It …

Life Cycle Assessment American Center, Rangoon, Myanmar, W. Uebelacker, Cole Poland, Corey T. Griffin, Ben Deines, Ygh Project Team

Research-Based Design Initiative

This LCA looks at the cradle to grave operations of a building, quantifying the environmental impacts of the materials, production process, transportation, operating use, deconstruction, and disposal. There are several environmental categories that can be identified for evaluating global impacts including global warming, ozone depletion, eutrophication, acidification, smog formation, particulates, and fossil fuels. According to the International Organization for Standardization, there are four phases for performing LCA of a building: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory (LCI), impact assessment and analysis of results. The goal and scope defines the intent of the LCA (cradle to gate, cradle to grave) …

The Bridge Newsletter Winter 2013, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Roof turned into teaching tool
-Prakash recognized
-Alumna of the Year
-Super Miners

The Reduction Of Plug Loads: The Next Obstacle In Achieving Net Zero Energy Buildings, Cian O'Driscoll, Garrett O’Sullivan, Jim Harrison

Conference Papers

As industry pushes for further reductions in the energy consumption of buildings the era of net zero energy, zero carbon buildings has been realised. However, this frontier of highly efficient architecture has unveiled the considerably large problem of plug loads. In a typical office building plug load alone can account for 15% of total energy consumption. In a Net Zero Energy building that percentage can increase to 50+%. This paper discusses the reasons for this increasingly significant building energy load and the importance of reducing it. A methodological approach and results of monitoring the kWh consumption at plug level and …

Phytotechnologies - Preventing Exposures, Improving Public Health, Heather F. Henry, Joel Gerard Burken, Raina M. Maier, Lee A. Newman, Steven Rock, Jerald L. Schnoor, William A. Suk

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Phytotechnologies Have Potential to Reduce the Amount or Toxicity of Deleterious Chemicals and Agents, and Thereby, Can Reduce Human Exposures to Hazardous Substances. as Such, Phytotechnologies Are Tools for Primary Prevention in Public Health. Recent Research Demonstrates Phytotechnologies Can Be Uniquely Tailored for Effective Exposure Prevention in a Variety of Applications. in Addition to Exposure Prevention, Plants Can Be Used as Sensors to Identify Environmental Contamination and Potential Exposures. in This Paper, We Have Presented Applications and Research Developments in a Framework to Illustrate How Phytotechnologies Can Meet Basic Public Health Needs for Access to Clean Water, Air, and Food. …

Wall Assembly And Material Analysis, Sam North, Cole Poland, Reid Weber, Sergio Palleroni, Huafen Hu, Ben Deines, Tha Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

We researched the thought process and reasoning behind the design of wall assemblies from start to finish. We explored the specific reasoning for placement and use of every material in the wall and brought to light where the reasoning came from. The wall assemblies in question are those of an academic building currently under construction on Portland Community College, Cascade Campus designed by Thomas Hacker Associates Architecture (THA).

The project consists of two new buildings and a plaza space. The building programs consist of classrooms, open study rooms, a cafeteria and administrative offices. We analyzed the wall type and assembly …

Portland State University Engineering Building Expansion Feasability Study, Nicole Dunbar, Huafen Hu, Sergio Palleroni, Ben Deines, Zgf Architects, Glumac

Research-Based Design Initiative

he building was certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold after its construction, achieving a 45% reduction in energy use from the original building. A geothermal (ground source heat pump) cooling system is the primary cooling device in the building, along with operable windows in classrooms for natural ventilation and cooling (PSU).

Portland State University’s commitment to sustainability sparked the impetus to push for a design that would achieve the LEED Gold standard. Originally designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca (ZGF) Architects and PAE Engineering, the building serves as the main space for all of the branches of Portland …

An Anthropology Of Urbanism: How People Make Places (And What Designers And Planners Might Learn From It), Brooke D. Wortham-Galvin

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

In their word play on what design praxis might succeed the New Urbanism movement in the United States, the July 2013 article “Newest Urbanism” in the Architect introduced to the uninitiated the concept of tactical urbanism. Defining tactical urbanism as "temporary, cheap, and usually grassroots interventions—including so-called guerrilla gardens, pop-up parks, food carts, and 'open streets' projects—that are designed to improve city life on a block-by-block, street-by-street basis," the article claims that it took this approach to shaping the city less than a decade to mainstream into the practices of US cities and firms alike. While Architect used the term …

Plants As Bio-Indicators Of Subsurface Conditions: Impact Of Groundwater Level On Btex Concentrations In Trees, Jordan Wilson, Rachel Bartz, Matt Limmer, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Numerous Studies Have Demonstrated Trees' Ability to Extract and Translocate Moderately Hydrophobic Contaminants, and Sampling Trees for Compounds Such as BTEX Can Help Delineate Plumes in the Field. However, When BTEX is Detected in the Groundwater, Detection in Nearby Trees is Not as Reliable an Indicator of Subsurface Contamination as Other Compounds Such as Chlorinated Solvents. Aerobic Rhizospheric and Bulk Soil Degradation is a Potential Explanation for the Observed Variability of BTEX in Trees as Compared to Groundwater Concentrations. the Goal of This Study Was to Determine the Effect of Groundwater Level on BTEX Concentrations in Tree Tissue. the Central …

Choosing An Appropriate Main Contract For Building Work In The Republic Of Ireland - An Overview, Tony Cunningham

Other Resources

This study discusses the considerations which underlie the choice of contract forms in Ireland. It has discusses the influence and implications of procurement and payment arrangements on this decision and concludes that the basis for the choice generally flows from the client’s priorities and that due consideration of these priorities, wants and needs is key to making effective choices. It discusses the nature of bespoke and the different families of contracts and their main forms. This should help in directing the surveyor to an appropriate form for the client’s situation. It explains the purpose and application of the GCCC and …

Development Of Long Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Concrete For Dynamic Strengthening, Zahra S. Tabatabaei, Jeffery S. Volz, Benjamin P. Gliha, Darwin I. Keener

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper discusses the development and testing of long carbon fibers-fibers 75 mm long or longer-to improve the resistance of reinforced concrete to dynamic loading, such as blasts and impact. In the past, attempts to use long fibers in concrete have failed as a result of both balling (agglomeration) and poor dispersion of the fibers. In the present study, two types of long carbon fibers were developed and optimized for their use in reinforced concrete. The resulting long carbon fiber-reinforced concrete (LCFRC) was subsequently evaluated through impact and blast testing. Full-scale blast testing revealed that these fibers significantly increased the …

Ua3/9/2 2010-2022 Master Plan, Wku Planning, Design & Construction

WKU Administration Documents

WKU master plan map showing buildings needing renovation, proposed buildings, affiliated buildings and WKU property in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Dynamic Nonlinearity And Nonlinear Single-Degree-Of-Freedom Model For Cable Net Glazing, Ruo Qiang Feng, Jihong Ye, Guirong Yan, Jin Ming Ge

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Nonlinear Vibration Differential Equation and Vibration Frequency of Cable Net Glazing Subject to Earthquake Loading Was Determined, and a Geometrically Nonlinear Single-Degree-Of-Freedom Model for Cable Net Glazing Was Developed. the Nonlinear Response Spectra Were Established, and Nonlinear Time History Analysis with Finite Element (FE) Models Was Conducted to Verify Them. the Nonlinear Vibration Differential Equation and Frequency Obtained as Described in This Paper Provide a Basis for the Nonlinear Single-Degree-Of-Freedom Model for Cable Net Glazing. the Analytical Formula for the Nonlinear Frequency with a Simplified Expression is Highly Precise and Convenient for Use in Engineering Practice. for Larger-Amplitude Seismic …

Ecology Of Scale In Visual Landscape Assessments, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Background readings on scale plus twenty-three visual landscape assessment studies from 1968 to 2006 were examined to understand the nature and use of scale and its relationship to the visual environment. The objectives of this study were to: 1) describe the concept of scale as applied to visual assessments, 2) review scale use in selected visual assessments, and 3) identify issues that need further research to better integrate scale into visual landscape assessments and landscape ecological theory.

Basic concepts and features relating observers with landscape and scale required defining scale, bounding visibility, perceiving scale, seeing hierarchically, and visualizing grain and …

Custodianship Of The Walking Box Ranch Property: Project Compendium, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

This Project Compendium contains information and products resulting from a multi-year cooperative effort between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Vegas Field Office and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to care for and make available a BLM-owned Southern Nevada historic property: Walking Box Ranch. This project was focused, primarily, on the custodianship of the site through UNLV’s design, management, and coordination of a resident caretaker program, which was carried out by a series of excellent volunteers. University experts contributed to the decision-making process for necessary repairs and site security was enhanced through an innovative volunteer project open to …

The Paradox Of Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations: Insights From Sustainable Silicon Valley’S Regional Co2 Emissions Reduction Program, Peter Melhus, Bruce Paton

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

Significant progress toward sustainability will require effective collaboration among governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and citizens. But research on multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts as tools for achieving environmental results has identified an apparent paradox. Collaborative efforts can be extremely effective in enlisting participation of diverse participants, heightening awareness of critical problems, and catalyzing actions in the absence of clear public policy requirements; however, they may not be effective at achieving specific quantitative objectives. This paper illustrates this paradox, based on the experiences of the “Sustainable Silicon Valley” (SSV) project in the San Francisco (California) Bay Area. SSV is a multi-stakeholder collaboration among …

The Localism Movement: Shared And Emergent Values, Nancy B. Kurland, Sara Jane Mccaffrey, Douglas H. Hill

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

Localism, a movement to encourage consumers and businesses to purchase from locally owned, independent businesses rather than national corporations, has grown rapidly in the past decade. With several national, federated organizations and popular “buy local” campaigns, the localism movement has the potential to affect buying patterns, marketing, and distribution in American business. Yet localism remains understudied by researchers. This article, based on data from 38 interviews with localism leaders, identifies four of the movement’s priorities: independent ownership, local buying, local sourcing, and pragmatic partnering. In addition, we analyze the movement’s emerging values, including responsibility to workers and to the natural …