Architecture Commons^™

Designing For Ventilation With Cfd: Evergreen State College Costantino Recreation Center, Sergio Palleroni, Russell Wisniewski, Noureddine Dib, Huafen Hu, Mark Stroller, Jeanne Jameson, Stephen Colin, Erika Colvin

Research-Based Design Initiative

The Costantino Recreation Center (CRC) houses the offi ces for all head coaches, athletic training, and recreation and athletics administrative staff. The CRC gymnasium holds three full-size basketball courts and four full-size volleyball courts, and can seat up to 1,500 for events. It was last re-modeled in 1990 to add a gymnasium, multi-purpose exercise room, offi ce space and wellness center, and general recreation use by students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

The Role Of Healing Gardens, Kalina K. Vander Poel, Zgf

Research-Based Design Initiative

The overarching objective of this research is to expand the dialogue of the role of healing gardens in hospitals. In order to understand the role of healing gardens in hospitals, it is important to determine how and to what extent the healing garden is being used. By expanding this dialogue we can reaffirm the legitimacy of current approaches such as design criteria and the program. When the perception and role of healing gardens in hospitals is understood, research based design decisions can improve the quality of life for patients, providers, and visitors.

Beaverton High School, Katie Barmore-Mccollum, Nicole De Jong, Sergio Palleroni, Huafen Hu, Reid Weber, Pae

Research-Based Design Initiative

The intended task was to study early massing concepts for climate responsiveness using Sefaira as an analytical tool. We were to work rapidly to analyze a series of massing concepts during the schematic design phase and provide feedback to the Boora design team to determine which factors/outputs to be studied such as daylighting, energy use, and building orientation. We received three massing models from Boora to study in Sefaira and compare EUI, Fabric Conduction Loss, Peak heating hours, and Monthly Consumption. Some of the results we were coming to evolved the initial task and drove this project down a different …

Faubion Pk-8 School: Daylight Analysis, Sergio Palleroni, Haufen Hu, Adam Mcsorley, Katherine Odell, Valeriya Shcheglova, Boora Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

Light is the first thing that captures your eye after you are born and is often the last th ing you see before you fall asleep. Light makes humans, objects, spaces, architecture and everything we see around us visib le by its reflection. Everyday, people are confronted with light and shadow, two elements that are complementary. Daylight is a natu ral element that changes every minute, caused by the rotation of the earth around the sun. It informs us of days, time, seasons, which causes humans have to surrender to this. Architecture must adapt this element in its design process. …

Examining Feasibility Of Thermal Mass For Passive Heating And Cooling In The Pacific Northwest, Portland State University. School Of Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

Scientifically, thermal mass is equivalent to thermal capacitance or heat capacity, the ability of a body to store thermal energy.

In building design, thermal mass is a property of the mass of a building which enables it to store heat, providing “inertia” against temperature fluctuations. For example, when outside temperatures are fluctuating throughout the day, a large thermal mass within the insulated portion of a house can serve to “flatten out” the daily temperature fluctuations, since the thermal mass will absorb thermal energy when the surroundings are higher in temperature than the mass, and give thermal energy back when the …

Fairbanks Wall System Study, Zach Hampton, Asmait Zeleke, Sergio Palleroni, Reid Weber, Haufen Hu, Zgf

Research-Based Design Initiative

The purpose of this study was to understand and develop the best wall system possible for ZGF Architects to potentially implement into future projects in the city of Fairbanks.Alaska that requires a wall system to reach at least R-30. ZGF has been working on an 80.000 square foot surgical addition to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and ask for our research to infonn future insulation system selections. The extreme climate of Fairbanks.Alaska is what makes this project unique and challenging and then you add to that a medical program that requires different interior temperatures for each program. The hospital currently uses …

Envelope Optimization Analysis For South Cooper Mountain High School: Setaira Web-Application, Juan C. Garduno, Mike Manzi, Corey T. Griffin, Boora Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

Research Goals:

1. Identify Sefaira’s energy simulation limitations Goals:

2. Identify successful Sefaira strategies/setting compared to eQuest strategies/settings

Bicycle Level Of Service: Where Are The Gaps In Bicycle Flow Measures?, Pamela Christine Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Bicycle use is increasing in many parts of the U.S. Local and regional governments have set ambitious bicycle mode share goals as part of their strategy to curb greenhouse gas emissions and relieve traffic congestion. In particular, Portland, Oregon has set a 25% mode share goal for 2030 (PBOT 2010). Currently bicycle mode share in Portland is 6.1% of all trips. Other cities and regional planning organizations are also setting ambitious bicycle mode share goals and increasing bicycle facilities and programs to encourage bicycling. Increases in bicycle mode share are being encouraged to increase. However, cities with higher-than-average bicycle mode …

Participation, Information, Values, And Community Interests Within Health Impact Assessments, Nicole Iroz-Elardo

Dissertations and Theses

Health impact assessment (HIA) has emerged in the U.S. as one promising process to increase social and environmental justice through addressing health equity issues within planning. HIA practice is guided by values such as democracy and equity and grounded in broad social determinants of health. The most readily applied definition of democracy is problematic because it implies an element of direct, participatory engagement with the public. This is at odds with HIA practice that largely relies on stakeholder engagement strategies.

This dissertation critically examines the engagement strategies of three transportation planning HIA cases to more fully understand how the HIA …

Building And Maintaining Plankhouses At Two Villages On The Southern Northwest Coast Of North America, Emily Evelyn Shepard

Dissertations and Theses

Plankhouses were functionally and symbolically integral to Northwest Coast societies, as much of economic and social life was predicated on these dwellings. This thesis investigates both plankhouse architecture and the production of these dwellings. Studying plankhouse construction and maintenance provides information regarding everyday labor, landscape use outside of villages, organization of complex tasks, and resource management.

This thesis investigates three plankhouse structures at two sites, Meier and Cathlapotle, in the Lower Columbia River Region of the southern Northwest Coast of North America. Methods consisted of digitizing over 1,100 architectural features, creating detailed maps of architectural features, and conducting statistical and …

Convergent Surface Water Distributions In U.S. Cities, Meredith K. Steele, James B. Heffernan, Neil D. Bettez, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Peter M. Groffman, J. Morgan Grove, Sharon J. Hall, Sarah E. Hobbie, Kelli L. Larson, Jennifer L. Morse, Christopher Neill, Kristen C. Nelson, Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, Laura A. Ogden, Diane E. Pataki, Colin Polsky, Rinku Roy Chowdhury

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Earth's surface is rapidly urbanizing, resulting in dramatic changes in the abundance, distribution and character of surface water features in urban landscapes. However,the scope and consequences of surface water redistribution at broad spatialscales are not well understood. We hypothesized that urbanization would lead to convergent surface water abundance and distribution: in other words, cities will gain or lose water such that they become more similar to each other than are their surrounding natural landscapes. Using a database of more than 1 million water bodies and 1 million km of streams, we compared the surface water of 100 US cities with …

Impact Of Sustainable Cool Roof Technology On Building Energy Consumption, Prem Kiran Vuppuluri

Dissertations and Theses

Highly reflective roofing systems have been analyzed over several decades to evaluate their ability to meet sustainability goals, including reducing building energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island. Studies have isolated and evaluated the effects of climate, surface reflectivity, and roof insulation on energy savings, thermal load mitigation and also ameliorating the urban heat island. Other sustainable roofing systems, like green-roofs and solar panels have been similarly evaluated. The motivation for the present study is twofold: the first goal is to present a method for simultaneous evaluation and inter-comparison of multiple roofing systems, and the second goal is to …

Planning On The Map: National Awards For Newberg & Lake Oswego, Michael D. Harrell

Metroscape

Since its inception, the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning has produced nearly 700 graduates in the Master of Urban Studies and Planning program who have made their mark on the nation and the world. It should not be surprising, therefore, that four of them were involved, one way or another, in the award-winning projects described in this article. They are Sarah Selden and Laura Weigel, associate planners in Lake Oswego, Clackamas County Commission Chair Lynn Peterson, and Steve Olson, Associate Planner with the City of Newberg.

Identification And Characterization Of Fine Particulate Matter Hot Spots On An Urban Arterial Corridor Integrating Probe Vehicle, Traffic And Land Use Data, Katherine Eleanor Bell

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of integrated probe vehicle, traffic and land use data to identify and characterize fine particulate matter (PM[subscript 2.5]) hot spot locations on urban arterial corridors. In addition, a preliminary analysis is conducted to consider volatile organic compound (VOC) hot spot locations. A pollutant hot spot is defined as a location on a corridor in which the mean pollutant concentrations are consistently above the 85th percentile of pollutant concentrations when compared to all locations along the corridor. In order to collect data for this study, an electric vehicle was equipped with …

Skateboarding As Transportation: Findings From An Exploratory Study, Tessa Walker

Dissertations and Theses

In recent decades skateboarding has expanded from recreation into a form of transportation. Skateboarders appear to use roadways much as other non‐motorized modes do. However, there is little academic research on the needs and characteristics of the skateboard as a mode. This research reports demographics, multi‐modal and travel behavior findings, and other data from an exploratory mixed‐methods study of skateboarding as a mode of transportation.

Diffusion Of Energy Efficient Technology In Commercial Buildings: An Analysis Of The Commercial Building Partnerships Program, Chrissi Argyro Antonopoulos

Dissertations and Theses

This study presents findings from survey and interview data investigating replication of green building measures by Commercial Building Partnership (CBP) partners that worked directly with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL partnered directly with 12 organizations on new and retrofit construction projects, which represented approximately 28 percent of the entire U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CBP program. Through a feedback survey mechanism, along with personal interviews, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered relating to replication efforts by each organization. These data were analyzed to provide insight into two primary research areas: 1) CBP partners' replication efforts of green building …

Evaluation Of Phase Change Materials For Cooling In A Super-Insulated Passive House, Jeffrey Stephen Lauck

Dissertations and Theses

Due to factors such as rising energy costs, diminishing resources, and climate change, the demand for high performance buildings is on the rise. As a result, several new building standards have emerged including the Passive House Standard, a rigorous energy-use standard based on a super-insulated and very tightly sealed building envelope. The standard requires that that air infiltration is less than or equal to 0.6 air changes per hour at a 50 Pascal pressure difference, annual heating energy is less than or equal to 15kWh/m2, and total annual source energy is less than or equal to 120 kWh/m2. A common …

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 …

Breezeway Wind Analysis, Andrew Borgerding, Scott F. Burns, Corey T. Griffin, Ben Deines

Research-Based Design Initiative

The project is focused on the wind strategies for the Black Butte Ranch site in central Oregon. The foundation is at the edge of a lake in the high desert with the central Oregon mountain ranges to the west. These mountains help to maintain a consistent wind direction for the majority of the year. Wind rose studies have given THA the basic idea of direction, west to east in the winter and slightly southwest to northeast in the summer. The Black Butte Ranch is rebuilding the main pool house along with a restaurant and new pool. The wind has been …

Daylight And Artificial Lighting Strategies For A Nicu Remodel, Rachel Browne, Huafen Hu, Elham Masoomkhah, Nada Maani, Karina Adams, Sergio Palleroni, Ben Deines, Srg Partnership, Inc., Luma Lighting Design

Research-Based Design Initiative

SRG is proposing an NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) remodel for a major healthcare provider here in the Portland metro area.This is an intensive care unit for babies born prematurely and up to 6 months of age. The space is in an existing hospit al and has previously been used as an N ICU. However, it is currently being used as overflow office space and is now under consideration for being remodelled and re-commissioned as an N ICU.The healthcare provider who owns the hospit al has recently realized that this could be a value-added service for their business model.

Our …

Thermal Imaging For Facade Performance Evaluation: Informing Decisions For Srg’S Psu School Of Business Renovation, Kelsy Colvin, Samuel North, Corey T. Griffin, Ben Deines, Srg Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

This research serves to evaluate the current condition of existing building skins on The School of Business and The School of Education at Portland State University (PSU) through infrared thermography. The buildings were constructed at two different points: The School of Education in 1979 and The School of Business in 1986. Both have had minor renovations since their construction, and each are articulated in differing materiality. Infrared thermography is best suited for the researcher’s purposes as it is non-invasive and will allow them to produce a data analysis of building structures before any deconstruction is conducted.

The research will inform …

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) …

Entryway Wind Impact Assessment, Andrew Borgerding, Scott F. Burns, Kelsy Colvin, Sergio Palleroni, Haufen Hu, Ben Deines

Research-Based Design Initiative

The project consists of a current medical facility located in Gresham, Oregon. This site is subjected to fierce winds pushing west out of the Columbia River Gorge. These winds have the ability to reach hurricane wind speeds which will ultimately guide the shape of the building footprint and overall orientation/ building envelope. ZGF is looking for a qualitative study between multiple massing models in relationship with wind turbulence. These models are desired to reveal not only the effects of the wind on the massing models, but the existing buildings surrounding the new building. The goal behind this series of wind …

Evolutionary Analysis For Building Efficiency: Inventing Generative Tools For Diagramming Spatial Relationships, Christopher Boon, Corey T. Griffin, Sergio Palleroni, Huafen Hu, Lyee Chong, Ben Deines, Zgf

Research-Based Design Initiative

This project attempts to utilize generative software in order to create an analytical system intended to enhance order and efficiency within groups of complexly inter-connected architectural programs. The focus of the research involves developing a parametric definition that can diagrammatically arrange spatial volumes. These volumes represent the various building functions (programs) in terms of square footage. The driving condition for these experiments is adjacency. The theory is that if two functions in a building need to be connected, they should be adjacent to one another. The degree of adjacency is here viewed as the distance between the centers of programmatic …

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 …

Maximixing Daylight In Lower Level Classrooms Using Lightwells, J. Primozich, R. Webber, Corey T. Griffin, Ben Deines, Tha Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

Student and worker performance has been shown to share a correlation with access to natural sources of lighting (Heschong, 2002). Natural lighting also provides environmental benefits through the reduction of a building’s energy dependence (Ihm, P., Nemri, A., Krarti, M., 2008). Lower-level classrooms are particularly troublesome to daylight because skylight strategies are unavailable and relying on exterior glazing increases solar heat gain as well as increased envelope costs. Lightwells offer a potential solution for daylighting without the costs associated with traditional solutions. A lightwell is a vertical shaft extending from an opening in the roof structure to lower level rooms. …

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 …

Nicu Lighting Design: Responding To The Diverse Lighting Needs Of Nicu Users, Rachel Browne, Corey T. Griffin, Nada Maani, Srg Architects, Luma

Research-Based Design Initiative

SRG is redesigning a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for a major healthcare provider in the Portland, OR metro area.This is an intensive care unit for babies born prematurely and up to 6 months of age. The space is in an existing hospital and has previously been used as an NICU. For the last several years it was being used as overflow office space, but now is being remodeled and re-commissioned as an NICU. The healthcare provider who owns the hospital recently realized that this could be a value-added service for their business model.

This paper focuses on two factors …

Calculating Energy Consumption For Building Materials, G. Antons, M. Hoover, W. Uebelacker, Sergio Palleroni, Huafen Hu, Ben Deines

Research-Based Design Initiative

Sustainability is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. With that, Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) was born and is now a standard tool in measuring how sustainable we are in building from material extraction to end of life.

Architects have adopted the responsibility to lead the building industry down a green and sustainable path; as a part of this, many architecture firms have expanded their practices to include studios that work specifically on green buildings or green energy audits for clients. Throughout history sustainable design has used …

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 …