A Major Building - A2

Purpose

This assignment has three purposes. It:

1. Introduces you to an innovative building.
2. Asks you to think in detail about three of the major systems in a building: Architecture; Structure; HVAC
3. (Re) introduces you to one of several tools for conceptual 3D design - Sketchup.

As a team you're asked to find a Sketchup model of a significant contemporary building and analyze it visually, with calculations, and in writing by preparing "diagrams" appropriate for several audiences and answering questions about the building.

Web Page

Document your work by creating a single web page or site for the work of your team.

Details

As indicated above the essence of this problem is to examine and present a major existing building using the Sketchup model as the starting point for your analysis. Ideally you'll use that same model to create diagrams (drawings) of the building appropriate for different audiences. You may, however, prepare the diagrams independently if you choose, including reusing and enhancing ones that you find on the web or in books. Finally you'll analyze what you've done.

The steps you are to follow are therefore:

1) Research the building you've chosen as a team documenting at the least the following about it:

First you need to select a building. The recommended choices are in this spreadsheet that lists all the architects in the two books that are located in the CadLab - "Architecture Now! 6", and "Digital Architecture". During the first class your team will sign up for a building after checking that a model that you can use exists in Google Earth Warehouse, or Great Buildings Online. You're welcome to use other sources as well. We may approve substitute architects/buildings provided they are signficant contemporary works.

You will need to document the following about your building in your web page.

Facts

• Location
• Building Type
• Owner
• Number of floors
• Architect
• Structural Engineer
• MEP Engineers
• Contractor
• Contracting Method (Design-Build; Design-Bid-Build; Other)
• Architectural Organizing Principles
• Major Structural System(s)
• Major HVAC system(s)

Note explicitly if the information is not available for any of these items.

Opinions

• Major design challenge for each of the design team: Architect, Structural, MEP
• Innovative systems used by each of the design team members
• Conventional systems used by each of the design team members

2) Download a Sketchup building Model in Google Earth Warehouse.

• Almost all models that you'll find show the exterior only. You'll need to make assumptions about the interior systems to complete the rest of the assignment
  • Note that you are free to create your own model or use other programs such as Revit if you choose. Sketchup is identified because there are so many models available in the Warehouse.
• See the Google Sketchup Tutorials for suggestions on how to learn and use SketchUp.

3) Analyze and Describe the Architecture System of the building

Drawings/Diagrams

Document the building with at least the following drawings. You may extract them from sketchup or use other sources (which are likely to be much more detailed).

• Plan at first floor level
• Two perpendicular building sections
• Two building elevations
• Aerial perspective view(s) chosen to illustrate the unique aspects of the building

Calculations

Calculate or indicate at least the following relevant building characteristics, being explicit about the assumptions.

• Ground Floor area - footprint
• Number of floors
• Total Building area
• Number of occupants - assume 200SF/Occupant unless you get better information
• Building elevation area in each major direction (usually N,E,S,W

Analysis and Description

Analyze the architectural system using the results of your calculations answering the following questions - recognizing that some answers may be speculation.

• How did the site of the building affect its form?
• How does the form of the building affect its structural system?
• How does the form and location of the building affect its HVAC system?

4) Analyze and Describe the Structural System of the building

Drawings/Diagrams

Document the building's structural system with at least the following drawings. You may use those from the architecture section as bases or use other sources (which are likely to be much more detailed). You'll probably want to use a 2D drawing tool such as paint.net or Inkscape to draw over the building plans or sections.

• Show how the vertical loads are taken to the ground
• Show how the horizontal loads are resisted
  • This one may have to be speculative - be sure to discuss it in class.

Calculations

Calculate the following using either real values if you can find them or the assumptions given. Ask in class if you need further information.

• Note that in a real project, including Senior Design, you'd need to use exact numbers for the specific material or the code requirement. Look at your textbooks for materials information and the relevant code (usually IBC in the US - MadCad database for it and other codes. These are just to help you start develop your "intution" about typical numbers.
• Building dead load (weight) in pounds using the following assumptions (document them)

• density of the major materials:
  • Steel 490 PCF
  • Concrete 145PCF (or 100PCF for lightweight)
  • Glass 185PCF
• Partition Load 5PSF of floor area
• Equipment Load 5PSF of floor area
• Ceiling Load 2PSF of floor area
• Vertical structure area 1.5% of floor area of a given floor - don't forget the height to calculate volume
• Building live load based on the following assumptions
  • 40PSF residential
  • 80PSF commercial
  • 300PSF industrial/storage
• Load on Foundations
  • Total load in pounds
  • Load/SF of the building footprint
• Maximum Horizontal wind load using the following assumption
  • Maximum wind speed of 90mph = 21PSF
    • Note that windspeed varies greatly with location and with other factors. What's given here is a typical number for Philadelphia. In Miami the speed would be 140mph which would produce a pressure of 50PSF - more than double Philadelphia.

Analysis and Description

Describe the structural system using the results of your calculations to answer the following questions - recognizing that some answers may be speculation.

• What are the relative magnitudes of the total Dead, Live and Horizontal loads and what implications do these have for the structure of the building?
• Looking at the foundation load what do you think it means for the type of foundation to be used, and what additional information would you need?
• Would this be an easy or a difficult building for which to develop the structural calculations (assuming you'd already completed the senior year structural sequence)? Why?

5) Analyze and Describe the HVAC System of the building

Drawings/Diagrams

Document the building's HVAC (mechanical) system with at least the following drawings. You may use those from the architecture section as bases or use other sources (which are likely to be much more detailed). You'll probably want to use a 2D drawing tool such as paint.net or Inkscape to draw over the building plans or sections.

• Building fenestration - emphasizing the percentage of the building walls (and roof) through which the sun can shine.
• Show how the building is heated and cooled with a single-line diagram
  • This one may have to be speculative - be sure to discuss it in class.

Calculations

Calculate the following using either real values if you can find them or the assumptions given. Ask in class if you need further information.

• Heat load out of building in cold winter night - no occupants or lights - in BTU/Hr

  • use the following assumptions (document them)
    • average nighttime winter temperature for your building's location
    • Your assumption about the length of the cooling system at that nighttime temperature
    • R-value of wall material = 10 ft²·°F·h/Btu.
    • R-value of roof material = 30 ft²·°F·h/Btu.
    • R value of glass = 2 ft²·°F·h/Btu.
    • HVAC air flow and leakage are neglected - not realistic, but we're simplifying
  • Convert this number to gallons/hour of heating oil - assume 120,000 BTU/Gallon delivered
  • Calculate the heating cost per year assuming $2/gallon of heating oil
• Building heating load that must be dealt with by the cooling system
  • Calculate
    • The Hourly heat load in BTU/HR, Tons of HVAC, Watts
    • The daily heat load
      • Remember that that the sun moves
      • Make your assumptions about how to complete this calculation explicit
    • Estimate the season=annual cost to cool this building using these assumptions
      • Convert that to cost/SF as well
  • Assumptions in the absence of better numbers
    • 300 BTU/hr by people
      200 SF/Person
      1.5 w/SF for lighting
      3 w/SF for equipment
      100 w/SF incident solar on horizontal surface
      60 w/SF incident solar on West or east facing surface at peak time
      Ton of AC = 12,000 BTU/Hr per ton
      Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is 10 (explain what this means)
      Electrical Energy costs $0.10/KWH

Analysis and Description

Describe the HVAC system using the results of your calculations to answer the following questions - recognizing that some answers may be speculation.

• What are the relative magnitudes of the total hourly heating and cooling loads?
• What are the relative costs of heating and cooling the building?
• Would this be an easy or a difficult building for which to develop the HVAC calculations (assuming you'd already completed the senior year HVAC courses)? Why?

6) Evaluate What you accomplished by answering the following questions

• Expectations vs results
  • Each individual should describe what you expected at the start of the assignment and what you believe at the end of the assignment, with an emphasis on the system that you analyzed. Identify who you are and your system.
  • Describe what you learned from performing this analysis
• System Interaction
  • As a group comment on what you see as the interactions and dependencies between the different systems.
• Group Process
• As a group describe the issues you faced in completing this assignment
  • What were the major problems?
  • How did you check that your results "made sense" for each system?

7) Create a web page/site combining all your results

The goal is that the site should appear to be the work of a single person although it will combine the work of all members of the team.

• Submit the URL for your website two places
  • In the VistaBB assignment submission slot - so we can give you a grade.
  • In the assignment database
• EACH PERSON Submit the teamwork evaluation assignment in VistaBB.

8) Timing of Submission

You are to make your submissions by the start of your section's class (3:00 for Section-2, 5:00 for section 501)

• Note that for technical reasons VistaBB is set to automatically mark assignments "late" only for the later section for each assignment. We can, however, check the actual times to ensure that all students turned their assignments in on time.

Teamwork

You are welcome to consult with your classmates for suggestions - short of direct copying. The grading is on an absolute scale so mutual assistance can only help each group.

Teams for this Assignment - Building Page

At the end of the project, as noted above, submit an evaluation of your team's performance using the assignment in VistaBB. Do so with EACH PERSON submitting their own teamwork evaluation.

Deliverables

• The web page URL submitted to the places defined above.
• Each individual submits their teamwork evaluation as a VistaBB
  

Web Page Identification Requirements

• The specifics defined by the assignment details and grading criteria.
• Course Name
• Your name (yes people have forgotten that)
• Assignment title
• Date

Grading Criteria

The following will be be used to assess your success in meeting the project's requirements. Note that each project will be "weighted" as shown in the syllabus to determine the overall term grade.

General advice - BE SPECIFIC, you'll only get an average grade if you give generalities without specific numbers, details, examples to back up your generality.

Updated: 9/20/09