UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Date:______
I, ______, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in:
It is entitled:
This work and its defense approved by:
Chair: ______
Sustainable Skyscraper - Energy from Immediate Surrounding and Within
A Thesis submitted to the
Division of Research and Advanced Studies
of the University of Cincinnati
In partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE
In the School of Architecture and Interior Design
Of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
2008
By
Minnu Srinivasan
Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering Trivandrum, India 1997
School of Architecture and Interior Design, DAAP
Committee Chair: Professor Tom Bible
Professor Elizabeth Riorden
Professor Gerald Larson
ii Abstract
The early dwelling was a direct response to natural elements. As time elapsed, with technological advances and emergence of global culture, the gap between the relationships of nature with the human race widened.
Can a large-scale building be designed that is evolved out of the relationship with the immediate environment and the environment within? Can it increase the awareness of the user about the relationship of the building and our actions on the environment to enable a paradigm shift in reacting in a more responsible manner?
The exploration and pursuit for a sustainable skyscraper was a response to technology and social aspects in macro and micro scale. Since almost all of the evolution in nature takes place in the molecular level, an in depth analysis of incorporating nanotechnology need to be done. This thesis looks at how these three levels can be interrelated to work as a unified whole, can this incorporation help the building evolve and adapt to the changing requirement of users and the environment.
iii iv Table of content
List of Illustrations vii
1Topic
1 Introduction 1
2 Thesis Statement 3
3 Argument 5
4 Renewable Energy and its significance in Architecture 17
5 Smart Materials 33
6 Summary – Proposed outcome 38
2 Precedent Study
1 Passive Strategy 40
2 Programmatic 52
3 Site Responsive 57
v 4 Smart Technology 67
5 Summary – Sustainable Strategy Matrix 71
3 Program
1 Program description 74
2 Program Requirement 76
4 Site
1 Location 77
2 History 79
3 Green Policy 80
4 Sun Analysis 81
5 Wind Analysis 83
6 Flow Analysis
7 Zoning Map 88
5 Design Development 89
1 Space Development 90
2 Design Exploration 96
vi 6 Final Design Development 99
7 Final Design 107
Bibliography 111
vii List of Illustrations
1.01 Natures sustainable skyscraper – The Tree - image by author 1.02 Energy Consumption pie chart - Ken Yeang. The green skyscraper : the basis for designing sustainable intensive buildings . Munich ; New York : Prestel, c1999 1.03 Thesis concept - image by author 1.04 Disection of a building in three scale - image by author 1.05 Taking advantage of hillside - Coch, Helena. "Chapter 4—Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2.1-2 (1998), 67-87. 1.05 Layout for a group of building- Coch, Helena. "Chapter 4—Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2.1-2 (1998), 67- 87. 1.07 shelter from wind and rain - Coch, Helena. "Chapter 4—Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2.1-2 (1998), 67- 87. 1.08 Tower of tommorow - McDonough William. “Tower of tomorrow”. CNN Money.com: 2006. http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/future_tower/index.html 1.09 Renewable Energy Chart- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/World_renewable_ energy_2005a.png 1.10 Renewable energy Source - Tester ,Jefferson W. ... [et al.]. "Sustainable energy : choosing among options" .Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 2005 1.11 Solar path - Schittich, Christian (ed.)Solar architecture : strategies, visions, concepts . München : Edition Detail ; Basel ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2003 1.12 Building Form- Schittich, Christian (ed.)Solar architecture : strategies, visions, concepts . München : Edition Detail ; Basel ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2003 1.13 Thermal map - http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wres/index.htm 1.14 Wind current - Boyle Godfrey, ed.Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford University Press, 1998. 1.15 Wind power in USA - Kammen M. Daniel. "The Rise of Renewable Energy." Scientific America Sep 2006: 84-93. 1.16 Local Wind effect - Boyle Godfrey, ed.Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford University Press, 1998. viii 1.17 Power from wind - http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wres/enrspeed.htm 1.18 Wind turbine size- http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wtrb/size.htm#anchor1567870 1.19 Different Type of Wind Turbine - - Boyle Godfrey, ed.Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford University Press, 1998. 1.20 Roof edge wind turbine- http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1108 1.21 Wind boundary layer effect- Mertens, Sander. Wind Energy in the built environment : concentrator effects of buildings. Essex : Multiscience Publishing, 2005 1.22 Urban area wind effect -Mertens, Sander. Wind Energy in the built environment : concentrator effects of buildings. Essex : Multiscience Publishing, 2005 1.23 Dense urban area - Mertens, Sander. Wind Energy in the built environment : concentrator effects of buildings. Essex : Multiscience Publishing, 2005 1.24 Wind Flow around Building - Becker, S., H. Lienhart, and F. Durst. "Flow around three-dimensional obstacles in boundary layers." Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 90.4-5 (2002), 265-279. 1.25 Recirculation Zone - Ikhwan, M. and B. Ruck. "Flow and pressure field characteristics around pyramidal buildings." Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics 94.10 (2006), 745-765. 1.26 Smart Materials Chart – image by author 1.27 Smart Materials Chart – image by author 1.28 Smart Materials Chart – image by author 1.29 Dissecting a building – image by author 1.30 Envelope Function – image by author
2.01 Philip Merrill Environmental Center - http://www.smithgroup.com/index.aspx?id=637§ion=34 2.02 Diagram - http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/29500.pdf 2.03 Diagram - image by author 2.04 Photovoltaic shading device - http://www.time.com/time/2002/greencentury/enarchitecture.html 2.05 Genzyme Center - Mandel Julia . “Genzyme Center””. Rice University: 2006. www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch316/2005_genzyme.pdf 2.06 Atrium Space - Mandel Julia . “Genzyme Center””. Rice University: 2006. www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch316/2005_genzyme.pdf ix 2.07 Atrium Diagram - Mandel Julia . “Genzyme Center””. Rice University: 2006. www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch316/2005_genzyme.pdf 2.08 Double skin Diagram - Mandel Julia . “Genzyme Center””. Rice University: 2006. www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch316/2005_genzyme.pdf 2.09 Post Tower - http://www.bauen-mit- stahl.de/bilder/presseinfo/stahlbaupreis2004/Post-Tower%2012.JPG 2.10 Interior- http://www.geze.de/794+M52087573ab0.html 2.11 Atrium Space- http://www.pilkington.com/resources/bonn3.jpg 2.12 Curtain Wall Section Blaser, Werner Basel . Post Tower : Helmut Jahn, Werner Sobek, Matthias Schuler; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2004 2.13 Conde Nast - http://think24seven.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/10-nyc- buildings-worth-seeing/ 2.14 Energy Diagram- http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/documents/pdfs/29940.pdf 2.14 Eco Tech City- http://www.arcspace.com/architects/kurokawa/technopolis/ 2.16 Eco Tech City- http://www.arcspace.com/architects/kurokawa/technopolis/ 2.17 Eco Tech City- http://www.arcspace.com/architects/kurokawa/technopolis/ 2.18 Mori Tower - http://planetagadget.com/2007/10/08/mori-tower-roppongi- hills/ 2.19 Facilities - http://www.roppongihills.com/en/facilities/ 2.20 Bahrain WTC - http://www.trendwatching.com/img/briefing/2007- 12/bahrainwtc.jpg 2.21 Turbine- http://www.e- architect.co.uk/bahrain/jpgs/bahrain_world_trade_centre_atkins231207_08.jpg 2.22 Wind attack angle – Image By Author 2.23 Wind Flow throught the Channel- 2.23 Pearl River Tower – 2.23 Sun Path diagram - http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0612casestudy-1.asp 2.26 Turbine Section - http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2227 2.27 WindFlow - http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2227 2.28 Wind Flow - http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0612casestudy-1.asp 2.29 Studio Project - image by author x 2.30 Studio Project - image by author 2.31 Studio Project - image by author 2.32 Monte Verde - Ritter, Axel. Basel. Smart materials in architecture, interior architecture and desig ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2007. 2.33 Senior Citizen Apartment - Ritter, Axel. Basel. Smart materials in architecture, interior architecture and desig ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2007. 2.34 Latent Heat gain - image by author 2.35 Matscape- Ritter, Axel. Basel. Smart materials in architecture, interior architecture and desig ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2007. 2.36 Sun Strategy – image by author 2.37 Wind Strategy - image by author 2.38 Social Strategy – image by author
4.01 site aerial view - http://maps.google.com/ 4.02 site aerial view - http://maps.google.com/ 4.03 Site Photo -image by author 4.04 Site Photo -image by author 4.05 Site Photo- image by author 4.06 Site Photo- image by author 4.07 Site Photo -image by author 4.08 Old Boston Harbor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Boston_1630_1675.jpg 4.09 Boston City Limits - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Boston_annexation_landfill.gif 4.10 Boston Airport- http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/bostons_logan_a.php 4.11 Sun Analysis- image by author 4.12 Sun Analysis- image by author 4.13 Sun Analysis- image by author 4.14 Sun Analysis- image by Author 4.15 Climate information of boston - http://www2.aud.ucla.edu/energy-design- tools/ 4.16 Seasonal Wind Rose diagram - http://www2.aud.ucla.edu/energy-design- tools/ xi 4.17 Monthly wind rose diagram - http://www2.aud.ucla.edu/energy-design- tools/ 4.18 Turbulance macro scale – image by author 4.19 Vertical Wind zone - image by author 4.20 Wind Zone – image by author 4.20 Site Flow Pattern - image by author 4.20 Boston financial district - http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/
5.01 Rectangular profile - image by author 5.02 Triangular profile - image by author 5.03 Circular profile - image by author 5.04 Vertical garden - image by author 5.05 Plan Study - image by author 5.06 Plan Study - image by author 5.07 Massing - image by author 5.08 Initial Exploration - image by author
5.09 Massing - image by author 5.10 initial exploration - image by author 5.11 Initial exploration - image by author
6.1 Site lines – image by author 6.1 Initial Plan - image by author 6.1 Wind flow from all direction - image by author 6.1 Corner turbine- image by author 6.1 Balcony- image by author 6.1 Wind flow on sloped surface - Ikhwan, M. and B. Ruck. "Flow and pressure field characteristics around pyramidal buildings." Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics 94.10 (2006), 745-765. 6.1 Wind flow analysis foe vertical section - image by author 6.1 Section - image by author 6.1 Final Form - image by author 6.1 Sphericalsolar cell - Kyosemi,http://www.kyosemi.co.jp/pdf/save_on_silicon.pdf
xii 6.2 Piezo electric generator - Priya, Shashank. "Advances in energy harvesting using low profile piezoelectric transducers." Journal of Electroceramics 19.1 (2007), 165 – 182 6.3 Piezo Solar Scales – image by author
7.01 Site Plan and Perspective – image by author 7.02 Section and plan – image by author 7.03 Perspectives - – image by author 7.04 Atrium Space -– image by author 7.05 Curtain wall section -– image by author 7.06 Curtain wall - – image by author 7.07 Energy Diagram – image by author
xiii 1.1 Introduction
As we are moving forward in the 21st century, the architecture field is also embracing
the concept of “Sustainable design” and “green design” as its future. The possibility of
sustainable design is a broad field. Within this topics are ideas about efficiency,
urbanism, ecology, economy, ethics and many more areas of discussion. However, the
underlying, main theme of sustainability is an understanding that the earth’s resources
are limited and that current trends and patterns are destructive and will ultimately
destroy the earth and humanity. According to Gro H. Brundtland “A sustainable
culture is one that meets the needs of the present generation, without compromising the
needs of future generations to satisfy environmental, economic and social needs” (1).
Sustainable development is necessary for ensuring the quality of life for our future
generation.
The sun, water, and wind are three natural resources that will remain indefinitely if 1.01 Nature sustainable skyscraper used in a responsible manner. That is to say, if these three resources are used properly,
they can be recycled (in the case of wind and water) and used again. This suggests that
1. Bruntland, G. Ed. Our Common Future: The World Commissionthe form on Environmentof a building, and Development. specifically (Oxford: Oxfordits shape, University organization, Press), 1987. and material 1 properties, can be manipulated in an approach that utilizes these resources as they are
available in a specific site in a responsible fashion. This idea is similar to that of
evolution as established by Darwin. A species takes the shape that allows it to survive
within its environment. Similarly, can a building be designed is such a way that it does
not rely on the use of fossil fuels and does not create waste that cannot feed the earth. If
we understand our renewable resources and use them responsibly, we will continue to
provide the earth and humans with life.
Building contributes to 40% of the energy usage of the world2. The aim of this thesis is to
gain an understanding of how a sustainable building can generate the energy required
for its requirement or may be generate more to give to the immediate surrounding be a
part of the urban eco system. The design project will explore on the aspect of sustainable
1.02 way of generation or conservation of energy from renewable sources using a three-step
process
• Designing for minimal dependency on active energy
• Recovery of energy
• Generating energy on site by utilizing renewable method
2. Dieter Holm & Howard Harris . "Energy Efficiency Standardsin building for Competitiveness and Jobs: The latest developments" . (Oct 2007 https://www.sabs.co.za/pdf/Corporate/Energy%20Efficiency%20Standards%20for%20Competitiveness%20and%20Jobs(1).pdf) 8.
2 1.2 Thesis Statement
The original dwelling of human race was a direct response to natural elements. As
time elapsed, with technological advances and emergence of global culture, the gap
between the relationships of nature with the human race widened. This thesis
explores some of the key issues of sustainable building, such as - Can a large-scale
building be designed that is evolved out of the relationship with the immediate
environment and the environment within for sustaining itself? Can it increase the
awareness of the user about the relationship of the building and our actions on the
1.03 Thesis Concept environment to enable a paradigm shift in reacting in a more responsible manner? Living beings evolved with a direct relationship with their immediate environment
for its survival. An understanding that no community indefinitely can carry more
organisms than its resources can support is crucial. Understanding the ecosystem
that is created within the building and its immediate surrounding is necessary. This
could help create an ecosystem sustainable for a building, which is a subset of the
ecosystem in its vicinity.
The exploration and pursuit for a sustainable skyscraper that manifest some of the
factors discussed above was a response to technology and social aspects in macro and
micro scale. This thesis will also undertake the exploration in the trajectory of 3 an evolution of skyscraper considering form and function not just an attribute but also a
relationship with the environment. Since almost all of the evolution in nature takes
place in the molecular level, an in depth analysis of incorporating nanotechnology will
be done. This scale offers high discriminate level of control. It will allow in capturing
small potential differential within the environment as a potential energy source. In
addition to new form of energy generation there is the possibility of developing diffuse
low energy sources to power diffuse responses near the source. How these three levels
can be interrelated to work as a unified whole, can these incorporations help the
building evolve and adapt to the changing requirement of users and the environment
1.04. Dissection of a building in three scale will also be considered. The emphasis will be on the seamless integration of the energy generation on the building using renewable sources and make the energy consumption
more cyclical process without compromising the quality of the interior space.
There is no debate that Skyscraper is sustainable if we consider the density of
population it supports compared to the building footprint. But if we consider from an
energy consumption viewpoint, most of the skyscrapers today are inefficient buildings.
Design of the mixed used skyscraper in Boston is used to explore this topic. Boston
downtown was selected because of its of the sustainable nature of the city. The site in
Boston was selected with the consideration of the application of energy generating
technology that is mainly sun and wind. 4 1.3 Argument
The image of our world started changing during the early years of industrial revolution
and is continuing to change due to the technological advances. Architects were busy
trying to catch up with the fast paced world. Creating a new language to represent
architecture faced the challenges of new materials, new building types, new
technology, and the changing lifestyle of people. Passive design strategies were
rendered uneconomical with introduction of mechanical heating and cooling and
available cheap energy to drive them. With the introduction of electric lighting,
designing buildings for natural light was no longer considered necessary. One wonder
at what point of the timeline did the passive design strategies lose its priority as a
design element and what factors played a major role for the dismissal of the passive
strategies. Was it aesthetics, economics or the introduction of electrical lighting and
mechanical heating and cooling?
William McDonough, an advocate of sustainable design, quoted
“As the twentieth century came to a close, most new buildings had become so divorced from their surroundings that the Wall Street Journal devoted an entire front page feature to a new office building designed by my firm, because it had windows that could actually be opened. When operable windows makes news for setting a design standard, we have reached an astonishingly low point in architecture.”3 3. Gissen David, ed. Big & green : toward sustainable architecture in the 21st century (New York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2003) 8. 5 Understanding the relationship of environment and the architectural style resulting
from those environmental factors in the context of past and present is essential to move
forward in the right path. Throughout history sustainable architecture has played a
crucial role in helping to define humanity’s relationship to its larger physical and
cultural context. Ancient architects oriented their buildings to maximize sun during
1.05 Taking advantage of the hill side the winter months and shade during the summer months. These types of small design
decision produce a lasting effect on the operation and the life of a building.
Any analysis of the role played by energy in architecture is faced with serious
limitations due to the lack of studies in the architectural bibliography, especially
studies of popular architecture. An awareness of these limitations will allow us to 1.06 layout a group of building for better air flow understand better why architects have paid little attention to the interaction of form
4 and energy and to the bioclimatic approach in contemporary architecture in general.
• The first limitation stems from the very essence of bioclimatic analysis, energy
is immaterial and difficult to represent in images changing in time and wrongfully left
out of the architectural literature. This is why it is difficult to find a basic knowledge of
the functional aesthetic possibilities of bioclimatism in the cultural experience of
present-day architects.
4. Coch, Helena. "Chapter 4—Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture." (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2.1-2 -1998), 1. 6 • The second limitation to this knowledge even more important than the previous
one is the low value given to the more anonymous popular architecture as opposed to
representative architecture.
The latter is the kind of architecture built by established power, which attempts to
impress the observer and clashes with dominates and often destroys the natural
environment. This style of architecture is crammed with theoretical aesthetic concerns,
which would rather create artificial environments than be integrated in the natural
setting. To sum up, it is the architecture undertaken by well-known authors found in
important buildings, which have been commented and widely appreciated by
architecture critics throughout history. Nowadays representative architecture can be
said to describe the architecture found in large office buildings, which embody the
legacy of such works from the history of culture as the pyramids classic shrines
medieval castles and large Gothic cathedrals baroque and Renaissance palaces etc.
These modern buildings clad in glass as a symbol of their modernity are incongruously
dark and require artificial lighting during the day while the flimsy casing separating
them from the outside makes it necessary to use air conditioning all year round even
when outside conditions are pleasant. We can well acknowledge that these buildings
are so wrong that they work worse than the climate.5 5. Coch, Helena. "Chapter 4—Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture." (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2.1-2 -1998), 1-2. 7 In comparison with this type of representative architecture we find popular
architecture, performed by the people as a direct response to there needs and values.
These buildings show a greater respect for the existing environment whether natural or
artificial. They do not reflect theoretical aesthetic pretensions and use local materials
and techniques as far as possible repeating over and over again the course of history 1.07 shelter from wind and rain models, which take the constraints imposed by the climate fully into account. Our
popular architecture so often forgotten in official circles may well be the kind which
can best teach us today how to assimilate the bioclimatic approach in the practice of
architectural design. However we should not consider these solutions to be models to
copy in current architecture. Our technical capacity and our cultural grounding
prevent us from returning to these obsolete architecture forms but what may be of use
as a lesson and a source of inspiration is the attitude of the builders of this popular
architecture which recovers a relationship to the environment which has been lost in
6 the more official architecture of the 19th century.
In the late nineteenth century, before electrical heating, cooling, and illumination
architects used a combination of mechanical devices and passive technique to
illuminate and ventilate the interior space of high-rise and long span buildings. 8 6. Coch, Helena. "Chapter 4—Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture." (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2.1-2 -1998), 2. Many large buildings used mechanical ventilation equipment and relied on steam
system of heating. Cooling and illumination were usually achieved through passive
means. They often devised ingenious systems to remove hot air and introduce cooler
air, and the designers tempered the heat of summer sun by setting window deep into
the façade, where they were shade. 7
Many of Louis Sullivan’s structure had integrated retractable awnings that presaged the
current use of smart skins. Joseph Paxton’s famous Crystal Palace contained ventilator
on the peaks of the roof. Giuseppe Mengoni in 1877 developed an artful solution for
ventilating the long span space, were air was pulled into underground chamber where it
was cooled by the earth and then returned through vents in the floor as needed. In
Manhttan’s Rockefeller Center, workers had access to sky garden, and their work space
were within 27 feet of operable windows recessed into a stone skin.8
As architects explored the potential of air conditioning, they developed a new form for
high-rise, mid-rise and long-span spaces that reflected the move away from passive
strategies. These buildings featured an entirely new language of smooth-skinned glass 7. Gissen David, ed. Big & green : toward sustainable architecture in the 21st century (New and steel boxes without operable windows, ventilators or external sunshades. And with York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2003) 11.
8. Gissen David11 the development of low-wattage fluorescent lights that did not emit much heat, 9 the floor area of these structures was widened to the point where natural illumination
was replaced completely with artificial.9
One of the first examples of a building air conditioned for personal comfort was
recorded in 1902 when the New York Stock Exchange was equipped with a central
cooling and heating system. Air conditioning took of after World War II, when
resources were no longer scares. Modern air conditioning systems are now used
globally to control the temperature, moisture content, circulation, and purity of air.
Today we move from one air-conditioned space to another. 10
Another factor that had been over looked is the split up architecture into different field,
starting with the split up of architecture and engineering during the industrial
revolution. The gap between these fields only grew greater as time passed. The
architecture field split up into Architecture, interior design, planning and Landscape.
The engineering field further developed and split into Civil, Mechanical, Chemical and
Electrical engineering. Another field that added a new dimension to architecture was
the development of the Media and Information technology. Even though architects are
introduced to the various aspects that are involved in the field of design somewhere
there is a gap in the application of their knowledge to their design.
9. Gissen David, ed. Big & green : toward sustainable architecture in the 21st century (New York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2003) 12. 10 10. Gissen David, 12. As the realization of the unsustainable nature of the dependence on non-renewable energy become more prominent, and the harmful effects that it has on the environment, the world is taking initiative towards a positive change. Lots of research and development are being done in the renewable source of energy. Green Building is becoming an important and scientifically backed international initiative that is starting to profoundly change the way designers must design and build. Even though the negative environmental effect of the current way of life is becoming more and more evident, sustainability for a majority is not conservation of the resources but a mere calculation in economical terms how long will it take for the pay back if they chose this path will they make any profit, or will it boost the companies image. Eventually Green- building practices will come to be seen as good building practice and slowly will become part of everyday design. The form of the building will be generated considering the environmental, ecological, functional, economic and aesthetic issues.
Moving forward in the 21st Century - Sustainability Today
Within the past thirty years, sparked by the 1970’s energy crisis, research and testing has occurred with a large number of sustainable concepts. The result of this research has sparked a movement in the design industry, and sustainability has been steadily growing. Architects, owners, and builders are embracing the subject and it is 11 believed throughout the industry that the topic is here to stay. The overall objective of sustainability is to utilize the earth’s natural resources without disrupting the ecological balance of that area and to leave the natural environment to our heirs in at least as good a condition as we found it.
Innovative new designs and technologies started taking ecological building onward and upward. Germans were the pioneer in sustainable building in the new era followed by other European nation primarily due to tougher emission regulation and high-energy prices that has long been triple those in North America. The interest was sparked in US when studies revealed the economic potential of green buildings designed using natural light. One study focused on the Lougheed 157 building, constructed in Sunnyvale,
California, in 1983. It’s design featured a sophisticated wall and atrium system, including floor-to-ceiling windows with horizontal shelves placed directly behind the glass to redirect light deeper into the building. Specially shaped ceilings were also designed to bounce light even further into the interior. The study documented savings in electric lighting costs - but these paled in comparison to statistics that demonstrated a
15 percent reduction in employee absenteeism. It was calculated that combined, these two factors resulted in a savings of $500,000 (US) per year for the company. The study showed not only savings in lighting cost, but also a 15% reduction in employee 12 absenteeism. Combined, these factors the company was able to generated considerable
economic benefit. The US green Building Council (USGBC) was formed to find
consistent means of evaluating the relative greens of buildings.11
Sustainability is a contemporary movement toward ecological or “green” design that
seeks to maintain basic ecological welfare. The most widely accepted definition for
“sustainability” is from the Bruntland Report, on “Our Common Future” issued in 1987
by the World Commission on the Environment and Development. “Sustainability” is
simply what its etymology suggests. It is the ability to “sustain,” or “keep going. ” In
this sense, the argument for sustainability and for “green” architecture is ultimately an
argument for survival.12
An alternate definition of “sustain” is “to provide with nourishment. ” This is contained
in “sustains” derivative, “sustenance. ” This definition is much closer to what many
leading practitioners propose for the future of sustainable practices in architecture. In
his Hanover Principles, William McDonough formulates an approach to sustainability
focusing on certain natural limits. Some of McDonough’s key issues are recognizing 11. Boake, Terri Meyer. "Green Superbuildings." (Alternatives Journal 30.5 -2004) 19-23 interdependence of humans and the natural world, accepting responsibility for design 12. Bruntland, G. Ed. Our Common Future: The World Commission on Environment and Development. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, decisions over the long-term, and understanding the limitations of design. 1987.) 13 Instead of trying to be “less bad,” explains McDonough and Michael Braugart in Cradle
to Cradle, design must totally reverse its path toward a more nurturing, long-term
relationship. “If we understand that design leads to the manifestation of human
intention, and if what we make with our hands is to be sacred and honor the earth that
gives us life, then the things we make must not only rise from the ground but return to
it. ” Good design must be both inspiring and nurturing, vertical and horizontal.13
Today, sustainable/high performance design covers the entire life cycle (design, build,
maintain) of a building. Design areas of focus include site design, energy effectiveness,
material use, and indoor environmental quality. From the overall site layout to the cove
base on a wall, these design concerns cover the entire building spectrum. Sustainable
design decisions are also linked closely to each other. For example, maximizing thermal
comfort for better-improved indoor environmental quality is tied to energy effectiveness
of the HVAC equipment. If thermal comfort is compromised, the HVAC system will
change and as a result, the system may not run at its optimal performance. With this in
mind, sustainable design decisions need to be based on a holistic, integrated approach. .
13. McDonough, William. (“The Hanover Principles.” in Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture. Kate Nesbit Ed. New York; Princeton, 1996). 400-409
14 Smarter technology will have to be implemented to minimize the wastage of energy in
the building and to make the building generate its own energy. Currently these
technologies are applied in lighting spaces, but in future the technology will be applied
in conditioning space by automated monitoring system. Architects are getting more and
more involved in the field of reducing energy consumption of the building over its life
cycle. Designing buildings with energy generating material and wind turbines
integrated to their building design. Other energy saving techniques used includes,
emphasizing on the orientation of the building, form generated from site condition,
testing the building performance using advanced computing tools and trying to design
to reduce the carbon dioxide emission of the building.
According to William McDonough the sustainable building of the future will be more
similar to the most efficient trees in our nature. He used the existing possibilities to
arrive at the conclusions. “Buildings consume 40 percent of our energy and can have life
spans longer than humans. Because we live, work and associate with others in
1.01 buildings, they form part of the fabric of human life—and thus have an enormous effect
not only on the quality of individual lives but also on the state of the earth. A structure
that is not just kind to nature; it actually imitates nature. Imagine a building that makes
1.08 Tower of Tomorrow oxygen, distills water, produces energy, changes with the seasons—and is 15 beautiful. In effect, that building is like a tree, standing in a city that is like a forest.” 14
The journey of the building started from built environment to shelter and connected to
the immediate setting, to building disconnected to its setting, to building that consumers
energy, to building that conserves energy and finally to building that generates energy
taking advantage of its location. The technological innovations of today will further
improve the technology of yesterday, solving certain problems and no doubt creating
new and efficient solutions. It is an attempt to connect the present with the future. As
such, sustainability is a cyclical gesture.
14 McDonough William. “Tower of tomorrow”. CNN Money.com: 2006. http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/future_tower/index.html
16 1.4 Renewable Energy - Influence on Architecture.
“Sustainable Energy : a dynamic harmony between the equitable availability of energy-
intensive goods and services to all people and the preservation of earth for future
generations.” 15
The global energy demand is on the rise and will continue to rise with socio- economic
growth. How can this energy need be satisfied without affecting our environment. The
answer will be to take advantage of renewable energy sources. Solar energy, wind
energy and biofuels are some of the major sources of renewable energy. Right now the
market demand for renewable energy sources is less, but it is on the rise as there is
greater awareness on the impact of carbon emitting energy sources.
Energy is essential for the functioning of society. As the quality of life increased the
demand for energy per person increased. During the 1970’s there was increase in the
development of the renewable energy field driven by the high-energy cost, later the
driving factor was the realization that earth can run out of its oil resources and currently
the driving factor is the damaging effects of the fuels used for energy generation on the
environment. Enthusiasm for renewable energy is currently driven by three desirable
1.09 Renewable Energy 2005 characteristics: 15. Tester ,Jefferson W. ... [et al.].("Sustainable energy : choosing among options" .Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 2005) xix 17 o Renewable energy is abundant and available everywhere
o It inherently does not deplete the earth’s natural resources
o It causes little, if any, environmental damages
Among the renewable energy available there is three primary energy sources:
o Solar radiation
o Gravitational forces
o Heat generated by radioactive decay 1.10 Renewable Energy Type and source
All renewable energy (except tidal and geothermal power), and even the energy in
fossil fuels, ultimately comes from the sun. The sun radiates 174,423,000,000,000-
kilowatt hours of energy to the earth per hour. On average, planets net primary
production is about 4.95 x 106 calories per square meter per year. Solar, thermal and
photovoltaic energy results from capturing a fraction of incident solar radiation. Wind,
hydro, wave, ocean thermal, and biomass energy are secondary source of solar energy.
Gravitational force between the moon and earth causes the tidal wave. Gravitational
force is the source for the earth’s planetary motion around the sun. Geothermal energy
is a result of radioactive decay of isotopes of certain elements contained in the earth’s
interior. Other factor contributing to geothermal is volcanic activity resulting from the
motion and frictional forces of colliding tectonics.16
16. Tiwari G.N Ghosal M.K.(Renewable energy resources : basic principles and applications . Harrow, U.K. : Alpha Science International, 2005.)52 18 Even through the history of using renewable fuel is older than the fossil fuel it only provides for about 10% of the world’s primary energy source. The environmental benefits of renewable energy are evident as renewable system; it has not been in the forefront due to economic reasons. Performance of the renewable energy system has to be improved in terms of capturing, storing and converting the energy into useful form.
The ability to dynamically store captured renewable energy is also crucial in determining whether a given renewable resource can provide a viable energy solution.
There are four major needs that storage addresses
Dispatchability - responding to fluctuation in electricity demand
Interrptibility – reacting to intermittent energy supplies like wind and solar energy
Efficiency – minimizing wasted energy
Regulatory driven needs
Environmental conscious architects are already designing building, which exploit these renewable energy sources. Solar, Wind and geothermal are the main three renewable sources that is being considered. Explorations are also done in coming up with creative designs using tidal wave energy. The advantage of solar and wind is that both these renewable source have a great role in passive design aspects of a building. If they can also contribute to the active strategies it will be a positive aspect from sustainable viewpoint. 19 Solar Energy and Architectural significance
Human throughout the history has used solar energy. It is one of earth’s primary energy
sources and with out solar energy life in earth will be impossible. Early dwelling took
advantage of the solar energy by using the various kind of passive strategy such as
placement, geometry, building components and materials. Today the focus is primarily
on the energy generating aspects of the sun and to seamlessly incorporate these
technologies as building components. Paying attention to the environmental aspect
during the design process using both active and passive methods will add a lot more
value to the design and the end result will be valuable to the society.
Passive Solar Strategies
One of the major aspects of passive design is the site location and the local climate
condition. The global climate zone will have the primary impact such as the temperature
per season and length of the day, humidity, insolation, wind velocities and directions.
The microclimate of the location also has equal impact for a passive design, such as the
topography, plants and trees and location near open water and an urban or suburban
location. Site selection one should locate the best possible microclimate but in today’s
situation that might not be practical everywhere.17 17. Schittich, Christian (ed.)(Solar architecture : strategies, visions, concepts . München : Edition Detail ; Basel ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2003) 29 20 Orientation and Form
The positioning of the building on the site has an influence on its energy balance. In
the early ages the orientation and form responding to the sun was an unalterable
design factor. Shading from neighboring buildings, vegetation and topography must be
taken into consideration. The zoning of a building is based on the premise that rooms
1.11 Solar Path have different quality requirement with regard to their use and indoor climate.
Structured zoning makes sense not only from the perspective of energy efficiency: it
introduces order into the various functions, clarifies the building structure and
facilitates efficient building use and operation. Zoning creates orders- an essential
condition for the evolution of architecture. 18
Building skin or envelope is the primary interface between the sun and the interior of
the building. The insulation property of this envelope is essential for the passive use of
solar energy. This skin can either act as a barrier or a buffer, or it can act as a thermal
storage or a latent thermal storage layer.
Opening in the envelope of the building is another important fact in the passive
strategy. Given appropriate dimension, arrangement, orientation and execution, they
can make a considerable contribution to the energy supply of a building and comfort of
its users. But they can also be the source of considerable heat loss, cooling or 1.12 Building Forms overheating.
18. Schittich, Christian (ed.)(Solar architecture : strategies, visions, concepts . München : Edition Detail ; Basel ; Boston : Birkhäuser, c2003) 32 21 Wind Energy
The energy crisis leading to sudden rise in the price of fossil fuel in 1970’s, stimulated a
number of sustainable government funded programs towards research and
development of renewable energy sources. The worldwide generating capacity of wind
turbines has increased more than 25 percent a year, on average, for the past decade,
reaching nearly 60,000 MW in 2005. The growth rate was higher in Europe between
1994 and 2005, the installed wind power capacity in European Union nations jumped
from 1700 to 40,000 MW. Germany alone has more than 18,000 MW of capacity. The
northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein currently meets one quarter of its annual
electricity demand with more tan 2,400 wind turbines, and in certain months wind
power provides more than half the states electricity. (19) In the U.S. the wind power
industry has accelerated dramatically in the past five years, with total generating
capacity leaping 36% to 9,100 MW in 2005. Although wind turbines now produce only
1.13 The hot areas are indicated in the warm colours, red, orange and yellow in this 0.5% of the nation’s electricity, the potential for expansion is enormous, especially in infrared picture of sea surface temperatures (taken from a NASA windy Great Plains states. If the U.S. constructed enough wind farm to fully tap these satellite, NOAA-7 in July 1984). resources, the turbines could generate as much as 11 trillion kilowatt-hours of
electricity. The wind industry has developed increasingly large and efficient
19. Kammen M. Daniel. ("The Rise of Renewable Energy." Scientific America Sep 2006) 84-93. 22 turbines, each capable of yielding 4 to 6MW. And in many locations, wind power is the
cheapest form of new electricity, with cost ranging from four to seven cents per kilowatt-
hour.
The growth of new wind farm in the U.S. has been spurred by a production tax credit
that provides a modest subsidy equivalent to 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour, enabling wind
turbines to compete with coal fired plants.
The reservations about wind power come partly from utility companies that are reluctant
to embrace the new technology and partly from Not in My Backyard attitude of the
1.14 – Major Wind flow direction general public. Because society’s energy needs are growing relentlessly, rejecting wind
farms often means requiring the construction or expansion of fossil fuel- burning power
plants that will have more devastating environmental effects.20
20. Kammen M. Daniel. ("The Rise of Renewable Energy." Scientific America Sep 2006) 84-93.
1.15 Wind power in USA 23 For this thesis exploration the wind map of US was a guide for selecting the urban area
that had a good wind density. The site is located near the coastline of Boston
Massachusetts.
Differential heating of sea and land causes more minor changes in the flow of the air.
In general, during the day the air above the land mass tends to heat up more rapidly
than air above water. In coastal region, this manifest itself in a strong on-shore wind.
At night the process is reversed because the air-cools down more rapidly over the land
and the breeze therefore blows offshore. 21 The nature of the terrain, ranging from
1.16Local wind effect mountains and valleys to more local obstacles such as buildings and trees, also has an
important effect on the origin of wind.
Power in the Wind (22)
The power (P) in the wind is a function of
= the density of dry air = 1.225 measured in kg/m 3 (kilogram’s per cubic meter, at
average atmospheric pressure at sea level at 15° C).
Area intercepting the wind (A)
V = the velocity of the wind measured in m/s (meters per second).
Increase in any one of these factors will increase the power available from the wind.
1.17 Power (P) = 1/2 x AV3 The graph shows that at a wind speed of 8 meters per second we get a power (amount of energy per 21. Boyle Godfrey, ed.(Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford second) of 314 Watts per square meter exposed to the University Press, 1998.) wind (the wind is coming from a direction 22. Danish wind energy association.
P=1/2 V3 r2
= (pi) = 3.1415926535...
r = the radius of the rotor measured in m (meters).
The Power of the Wind: Cube of Wind Speed
The wind speed is extremely important for the amount of energy a wind turbine can
convert to electricity: The energy content of the wind varies with the cube (the third 1.18- Rotor diameters may vary somewhat from the figures given above, because many manufacturers optimize their machines to local power) of the average wind speed. Essentially this is Newton's second law of motion. wind conditions: The wind turbine uses the energy from braking the wind, and if the wind speed is
doubled, we get twice as many slices of wind moving through the rotor every second,
and each of those slices contains four times as much energy. 23
Density of Air
The kinetic energy of a moving body is proportional to its mass (or weight). The kinetic
energy in the wind thus depends on the density of the air, i.e. its mass per unit of
volume. In other words, "heavier" the air, greater the energy received by the turbine. At
normal atmospheric pressure and at 15° Celsius air weighs some 1.225 kilogram’s per
cubic meter, but the density decreases slightly with increasing humidity. Also, the air is
23. Danish wind energy association.
pressure is lower, and the air is less dense.
A larger generator, of course, requires more power (i.e. strong winds) to turn at all. So if
you install a wind turbine in a low wind area you will actually maximize annual output
by using a fairly small generator for a given rotor size (or a larger rotor size for a given
generator) For a 600 kW machine rotor diameters may vary from 39 to 48 m (128 to 157
ft.) The reason why we get more output from a relatively smaller generator in a low
wind area is that the turbine will be running more hours during the year. 24
Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT)
Most of the Wind turbines used today are horizontal axis wind turbines. The reason is
simple: All grid-connected commercial wind turbines today are built with a propeller-
type rotor on a horizontal axis (i.e. a horizontal main shaft). 1.19 Different Types of Wind Turbine The purpose of the rotor, of course, is to convert the linear motion of the wind into
rotational energy that can be used to drive a generator. The same basic principle is used
in a modern water turbine, where the flow of water is parallel to the rotational axis of
the turbine blades. Wind may be expected to change its direction frequently in a
horizontal plane and the rotor must turn (yaw) to follow the wind without 24. Boyle Godfrey, ed.(Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford University Press, 1998.) 210 26 oscillations. Upwind and downwind machines of capacity greater than about 50kW are
usually turned by electric motors in a controlled mode. Two or three bladed rotors are
common for electricity generation. The three- bladed rotor operates smoothly and may
be cross-linked for greater rigidity.
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT)
Vertical axis wind turbines have an axis of rotation that is vertical, and so, unlike their
horizontal counterpart, they can harness winds from any direction without the need to
reposition the rotor when the wind direction changes. The Darrieus VAWT is the most
advanced of the modern type of wind turbine. 25
Environmental Impact
Wind energy development has both positive and negative environmental impact. The
generation of electricity by wind turbines does not involve the release of carbon
dioxide, acid rain, smog or radioactive pollutants. Possible environmental impact of
wind turbines are noise, electromagnetic interference and visual impact, possibly
including flicker caused by sunlight interacting with rotating blades on sunny days.
When a wind turbine is positioned between a radio, television or microwave
transmitter and receiver, it can sometimes reflect some of the electromagnetic radiation
in such a way that the reflected wave interferes with the original signal as it arrives at
the receiver. This can cause the received signal to be distorted significantly. The 25. Boyle Godfrey, ed.(Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford University Press, 1998.) 212 27 extent of electromagnetic interference caused by a wind turbine depends mainly on the
blade material and on the surface shape of the tower. Wind farms have also been
accused of disturbing wildlife and causing deaths of birds of prey that have been known
to fly into blades in stormy weather.
Designing for Low Mechanical Noise from Wind Turbines
Noise is a significant factor in an operational wind turbine operation. There are two
principle components, wind noise across the blades – aerodynamic noise and gear noise
– mechanical noise. The noise levels measured; under rated wind speed conditions are
similar either with or without a wind farm. But problem arise when the noise is
combined with a regular beat. The mechanical noise can be controlled by using quieter
gears, mounting equipment on resilient mounts, and by using acoustic enclosures. The
aerodynamic noise is affected by; the shape of the blades; the interaction of air flow with
blades and the tower; the shape of the blades trailing edge; the tip shape; whether or not
the blade is operating in stall conditions; and turbulent wind conditions, which can cause
unsteady forces on the blades, causing them to radiate noise. Noise nuisance is usually
more of a problem in light winds than at higher wind speeds, when the background
wind noise tends to mask wind turbine noise. Operating at a lower rotation speed will
help to minimize any aerodynamic noise problem in low wind condition.26
26. Boyle Godfrey, ed.(Renewable energy: Power for Sustainable Future . Devon, U.K. : Oxford University Press, 1998.) 28 Wind Energy in the Built Environment
Currently majority of wind turbine on building, are applications on small scale off the
grid building. These are generally turbines mounted on the rooftop of the buildings.
There are only a few application of wind turbines installed on tall buildings that are
being currently under construction. The advantage of implementing wind turbine on tall
buildings are that the turbines can be installed at higher height than current wind turbine
and the form of the building can be taken in advantage to directing and enhancing the 1.20 Roof edge wind turbine power output of the wind turbine.
Tall buildings are generally situation in an urban setting. The urban settings have a high
roughness factor than a rural setting. The high roughness causes a small wind speed in
the built environment. But the wind speed around taller buildings can be appreciably
higher than the average free stream wind speed. In order to profit from the acceleration,
the wind turbine should be close to the body and its size should be limited compared to
the building size.
Atmospheric Boundary Layer
In order to fulfill the no-slip condition at the earth’s surface, the wind speed decreases to
zero at the ground, which results in the atmospheric boundary layer. Mechanical 29 turbulence is the main driving forces for the structure of the atmospheric boundary
layer above an average wind speed of 6m/s at 10m heights. Above this wind speed, the
fully developed turbulent atmospheric boundary layer is mostly neutral and
temperature effects are negligible. The flow in the neutral boundary layer can be
divided into two regions with equal shear stress but different scaling, an inner and
outer layer. Matching of the velocity gradient in the outer and inner region results in a
logarithmic boundary layer profile or log law.
1.21 Wind boundary Layer effect – grass land
27) Log law at earth’s surface u(z) = (u*/ K) x ( ln(z/z0)) (
z – height
u* - Friction velocity K – Von Karman constant
z0 - earth surface roughness height
Log law is valid upto 150~200 m
Log law at high roughness 1.22 Wind boundary Layer effect – Urban area 28 u(z) = (u*/ K) x ( ln(z-d/z0))
d – displacement height for the new virtual surface level at d+ z0 above earth surface
H - average building height of the roughness element
27. Mertens, Sander. Wind Energy in the built environment : concentrator effects of buildings.(Essex : Multiscience Publishing, 2005) 18 28. Merten Sander,20 30 (In the case of the site selecte it’s the average height of the buildings on the east side
(zone D) of the site have to be considered)
Step in Roughness height
When the flow enters city it experiences a step in roughness from Z01 to Z02.
Z02 defines a new boundary layer called internal boundary layer.
Outside the internal boundary layer the atmosphere behaves according to the upwind
1.23 Wind boundary Layer effect – Dense urban roughness Z01
(The internal boundary layer for the site at zone C and zone B)
Wind flow around buildings
The wind speed around taller buildings can be appreciably higher than the average
free stream wind speed. A better understanding of the wind flow around the various
building profile will help in application of building augmented wind turbines more
efficiently. The shape for the building is differentiated into three types
o Aerodynamic building have a thin boundary layer attached to the surface of the
whole building and characterized by small wake angle.
o Bluff building have an early separation of the boundary layer from their surface
and a large wake. The boundary layer separates at the upwind edges and
separation bubbles are formed on the sides and on top of the building. 31 The main stream is deflected around the building and a large wake downwind of
the building is formed.
o Blunt building shows a combination of the flow phenomena of bluff and
aerodynamic buildings.
The characterization of buildings as aerodynamic or bluff depends on the flow direction.
1.24 Wind flow around building 29
Stagnation point -The height of the stagnation point is an important aerodynamic
quantity. It characterizes the flow around the building and gives the point on the upwind
building façade with the highest pressure.30 The angle of the face of the building has a
contribution to the stagnation point.
Separation - At a sharp upwind edges of the roof, the boundary layer separates from the
building. The separation results in a region with low velocities, a high turbulence level
and recirculation of the flow at the roof and sides of a building. The angle between the
1.25 Recirculation zone roof and velocity vector outside the recirculation region is called skew angle and the
angle in the horizontal plane is called yaw angle. 31 29. Mertens, Sander. Wind Energy in the built environment : concentrator effects of buildings.(Essex : Multiscience Publishing, 2005) 23-24 30. Merten Sander,32 31. Merten Sander,33 32 1.5 Smart Material
Smart materials goes back to history to when humans first combined different
materials to produce a material with properties superior that its parent materials. Lot of
materials is out there to be discovered or have been discovered but not found the right
user group to exploit their full potential. As applied to architectural field - Smart
materials and structures are those objects that sense environmental event, process that
sensory information, and then acts on the environment. Whether a molecule, a
material, a composite, an assembly, or a system, smart materials and technologies will
exhibit the following characteristics:
• Immediacy – respond in real time
• Transiency- respond to multiple environmental state
• Self actuation
• Selectivity
• Directness 32
Standard building materials are static, as they are intended to withstand building
32. Addington,D. Michelle, Daniel. Smart forces. Smart materials can be considered dynamic in the sense they react to their materials and new technologies : for the architecture and design professions . (Schodek. Amsterdam ; Boston : Architectural Press, 2005) 10 environment and energy field. Smart materials can be classified into two general 33 groups one will be materials that undergo changes in one or more of their properties –
chemical, mechanical, electrical, magnetic or thermal – in direct response to a change in
the external stimuli associate with the environment surrounding the material. Changes
are direct and reversible – there is no need for an external control system to cause these
changes to occur. The second class of smart material is comprised of those that
transform energy from on form to an out put energy in another form, and again do so
directly and reversibility. 33
The second class of smart material is more relevant to this thesis topic. The class of
material can be compared to the nano scale and can be used to generate the small-scale
energy.
The chart from page(35-37) gives a collected information of the various smart material
currently available.
33. Addington,D. Michelle, Daniel. Smart materials and new technologies : for the architecture and design professions . (Schodek. Amsterdam ; Boston : Architectural Press, 2005) 15-17
34 1.26 Smart Materials Chart
35 1.27 Smart Materials Chart
36 1.28 Smart Material Chart 37 1.6 Summary- Proposed Outcome
The strategies will be
o Explore the current state of the art renewable energy technologies
o How is the current technology applied in sustainable building
o Identifying creative way to use the current technology in
o Maximizing useful energy output
o Minimizing energy losses
o Recovering energy spend
o Will result in minimizing the energy requirement of the building
o Studying various aspect of a skyscraper design that would have a significant
impact in the energy equation
o Focusing on building design that are driven by its self-sustaining nature
o Implication of this integration on the comfort of the built environment
o Implication of the design during various season
o Implication of the design at daytime and night time
To figure out the possibilities of energy generation of on all possible scale in a building, 1.29 Dissecting a building the initial process is a deconstruction of the building and analysis the possibility 38 in different level:
Dividing the building into different scale for energy generation
Then figuring out the possibility of renewable energy generation in that scale.
Identifying different kind of energy used in the building
Thermal Energy for heating and cooling
Geothermal, Chemical, Electric or Natural gas
Lighting
Electric or natural lighting
Equipments – Electric energy
Water pressure – Electric
Hot water- Electric/ Natural gas/ Solar
Determining the possibility of recycling energy
1.30 Envelope function chart
39 2.1 Precedent- Passive Strategy
Philip Merrill Environmental Center
Architect – Smith Group, Inc
Annapolis, Maryland
Office Building - 2000 2.01 Philip Merrill Environmental Center
The Philip Merrill Environmental Centers’ (Leed Platinum certified) was created to
house the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), a 35-year-old organization dedicated to
resource restoration and protection and environmental advocacy and education. The
building literally connects CBF to the bay and is designed with the specific intention of
minimizing its effect on the bay. The Merrill Center design shows an awareness, not only
of the building's link to the bay, but to the land and to the ecosystem of it’s
surrounding.34
The building sits on the footprint of a defunct beach club. Construction did not touch
previously undisturbed portions of the site and maintained existing native landscaping,
including mature hardwoods. Placing the building on piers allowed for under-building
parking, which also helped keep the building footprint small and preventing 34. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/29500.pdf 40 harmful runoff from the vehicles. Any storm water runoff flows to a constructed
wetland via a bio-retention system designed to treat oils. This protects the water
quality in the adjacent creek and bay.
The Merrill Center building features many energy-saving technologies. These include
both passive and active solar energy, and geothermal energy from the earth itself. The
efficient use of energy lowers the need for electricity, and thus for nonrenewable fossil
fuels in the region's power plants. It also lessens the air pollutants produced by those
plants. Fewer pollutants in the air means less pollution "washed" from the air into the 2.02 Bay by rain. The Merrill Center uses two thirds less energy than a typical office. One-
third of the building's energy comes from renewable resources.
o To reduce the Merrill Center's need for electricity, the architects placed the
building carefully on its site to achieve both southern exposure and the proper
angle to take advantage of prevailing winds for natural lighting and ventilation.
The walls and roof are constructed of thermally efficient Structural Insulated
Panels (SIP's), providing a tight building envelope that further reduces energy
consumption. The panels used in the Merrill Center were manufactured
without CFC's or HCFC's in the foam.
o In the basement, geothermal wells drilled into the earth to reach below the frost
line take advantage of the constant temperature there (about 50 degrees 41 F.) to assist in cooling the Center's interior in warm weather and heating it in
cold weather.
o Photovoltaic panels on the south wall produce renewable electric power to
reduce the Center's dependence on commercially generated electricity.
Meanwhile, roof-mounted solar panels connected to a heat exchanger provide
hot water for the building, cutting the need to operate a conventional electric
water heater.
o A total energy management system monitors the Center's energy use and 2.03 Photovoltaic and shading controls it for maximum efficiency.
o When conditions are right, the building will be cooled and ventilated through
the timeless technique of opening the windows. When the total energy
management system determines that conditions are right, signs will alert the
staff to open the windows. Non-accessible windows will open automatically.
The open office plan promotes daylight distribution, which minimizes
dependence on electric lighting. A glazed wall on the south heats the interior in
the winter, while trellised sunshades keep it cool in the summer. 35
2.04 Photovoltaic and shading
35. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/29500.pdf 42 Precedent
Genzyme Center , Massachusetts
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Office Building - 2004
Home to the Genzyme Biotech company, the Genzyme Center is an attempt to create
an innovative, low impact workspace. The architect’s competition-winning design is an
effort to think of a building as a living organism that interacts daily with its occupants
and the environmental forces around it. Because the building is a working space, the
focus of that approach is on lighting and mechanical systems; the architects and their
consultants attempted to create a sustainable system that would be highly controllable 2.05 Genzyme center and would bring large amounts of daylight to every occupant. 36
The building’s interior climate is controlled through both passive and active strategies.
Ventilation strategies cut down on heat gain in summer, and provide a climatic buffer
in winter. A double facade system, which covers 50% of the building’s exterior, creates
a buffer zone against outside temperatures. The atrium is used for a stack effect: air
from the offices is returned into the atrium, where hot air rises and exits through 36. Mandel Julia . “Genzyme Center””. Rice University: 2006. www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch316/2005_genzyme.pdf 43 the roof. This constant flow and extracting of warm air keeps the interior cool and
ventilated in warm weather. Heating is provided by heat exchangers, and steam-
absorption chillers cool the building in summer. The chillers are supplied with waste
heat from the development’s power facilities. The system is designed for microclimate
control, which is especially helpful in a scheme with so much transparency—there are
50 fan coils per floor, and air temperature can be adjusted locally at each one. If
windows are opened, the fan automatically shuts off. Operable and mechanical blinds
and curtains protect much of the rest of the glazing from seasonal heat gain and loss.
The atrium space provides the facility with ample natural lighting. The reflector on the
roof throws the natural light further into the atrium space. The smaller reflecting
mirror hung in the atrium space reflect the light into the occupied space.37
2.07 Atrium
2.06 Atrium Space 37 Mandel Julia . “Genzyme Center””. Rice University: 2006. www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch316/2005_genzyme.pdf 44 2.08 Double skin and Atrium Space
45 Precedent
Post Tower
Murphy/Jahn Architects Chicago
Bonn Germany
Office Building – 2000-2002
Discussion of building with passive strategies is incomplete with the mentioning of
Post Tower in Bonn Germany done by Murphy/Jahn Architects in Chicago. This is an
example of state of the art application of passive strategies in a skyscraper.
For the new headquarters of the Deutsche Post, the clients principal requirement for 2.09 Post tower designs were that the design to embrace low energy use concepts and should express
accountability and accessibility to the public and should promote communication and
interaction amongst its employees. The build cost set at minimum market level but
seeking energy saving 25% below European energy norm. Murphy/Jahn from Chicago
submitted the winning scheme. Design is a 160 meter high, forty-floor tower with base
building stands at the edge of the city adjacent to the Rhein River. The base containing
the parking completes the upper terrace of a river park. A series of grand ramps 46 and stairs connect to the lower terrace near the Rhine. The split, shifted oval tower is
oriented to the Rhine and the city, facilitating views from the city and minimizing
negative wind effects through its aerodynamic shape. The concrete structure has an
integral hydronic heating and cooling system, which takes advantage of the low energy
characteristics of water and the thermal storage capacity of concrete. In addition
displacement system fed by a convector, which cools or heats the supply air along the
façade, mechanically assists in the generation of a comfortable environment.
The building's double envelope consists of an outer layer of laminated glass and an
interior layer of double-glazed glass with operable windows separated by a 5.5.feet gap.
Blinds between the two layers of glass are controlled by a building management system.
Inside face of the outer layer is sprayed with low emissive coating. There is an electric
motor for glass pivoting flaps one unit for two bays on a full nine story. Sun shading is
also hung from every 9th floor each section fitted with its own operating mechanism with
sensor to control the position related to sun angle. The extension on both sides reduces
the wind noises in the corner offices. To keep the hot air should be kept under control to
prevent huge up draughts or the air dispersing inside with the help of vertical division of
the building every nine floor, prevents excessive stack flows developing. In addition to
2.10 Post tower - Interior that the atrium space have opening to let in air. 47 The thin profile of the building lets in plenty of natural lighting. The atrium space also
helps in natural lighting. Even the fire stair has plenty of natural lighting as they have
fire rate glass enclosure.38
2.11 Post tower Atrium Space 2.12 Post tower Interior space section
38 Blaser, Werner Basel . Post Tower : Helmut Jahn, Werner Sobek, Matthias Schuler; (Boston : Birkhäuser, c2004)7-11 48 Precedent
Conde Nast
Kiss and Cathcart Architects
4 Time Square, New York
Office Building – 2001
Conde Nast building at 4 Times Square completed in 2001 was, at the time, the most
environmentally friendly skyscraper ever built in the US. Durst Organization wanted to
demonstrate that energy efficiency and renewable technologies could be easily and
economically integrated into high-end commercial real estate. TerraSolar worked with 2.13 Conde Nast the PV design team, headed by Kiss and Cathcart Architects, to develop one of New
York’s first building-integrated photovoltaic systems.
20 kW PV system comprised of amorphous silicon thin film module replace mirror glass
spandrels from the 37th to 43rd floors on the south and east faces of the tower (total of
3000sq ft of PV module). The PV modules are triple laminated for additional strength
and cut to size to integrate seamlessly into the building’s original design. The properties
of thin-film make the most of this unique geography in the center of New York. 49 Capturing both low and fluorescent lighting that surrounds Times Square, the PV system
generates electricity 24 hours a day. This system will eliminate over one million lbs. Of
CO2 emissions in its lifetime.
All building systems and construction technology have been evaluated for their impact
on occupant health, environmental sensitivity, and energy reduction, making Four Times
Square the first project of its size to adopt state-of-the-art standards for energy
conservation, indoor air quality, recycling systems, and the use of sustainable
manufacturing processes. The building features environmentally efficient gas-fired
absorption chillers and a state of the art curtain wall with excellent shading and
insulating performance. The air delivery system will provide 50% more fresh air than
industry codes, and a network of recycling chutes will serve the entire building.
Stringent procedures have been followed during construction as well as in the day-to-
day operation of the building in order to maintain these standards. A comprehensive set
of tenant guidelines has been developed as well.
One of the themes, which is prevalent in the design, and construction of sustainable
buildings is the study of embodied energy, meaning the amount of energy that went into
the creation, transportation and construction of building elements. Conde Nast integrates
both recycled materials as well as materials capable of being recycled into its overall
form. Also, many of the materials were local or regional, cutting down on overall 2.14 Buildin g energy diagram 50 transportation costs. Another interesting aspect of this building is the fact that it was
designed using modular construction techniques. This means that much of the building’s
physical makeup was constructed offsite, which not only cut down on the amount of
energy expelled onsite, it also dramatically decreased the total cost of construction by
repeating many of the same elements. This type of construction serves the dual effect of
cutting down on the overall embodied energy of the building as well as decreasing the
overall construction time. These are important elements of a sustainable building,
because they help to offset the added expense of technology. This technology is needed
to conserve energy, such as air quality monitors, active energy systems, and illumination
sensors, to name a few.39
39 Energy Efficiency and renewable energy. http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/documents/pdfs/29940.pdf 51 2.2 Precedent- Programatic
Technopolis – Eco Tech City
UrbanKisho CactusKurokawa & Associates
AOne-North, Singapore
The design by Kisho Kurokawa was selected as the winning proposal in the
International Competition on April 18, 2002 for a major development in the Central
Exchange - the cluster for the Infocommunications & Media (ICM) industries in One-
North. Eco-Tec City is a multi-dimensionally layering of residential, office, public
services and commercial. The more layers, the higher the level of vibrancy. A Layered
City is created by a new method called Vertical Zoning instead of conventional
Horizontal Zoning. 2.15Eco Tech City To successfully apply Vertical Zoning, each building is clearly divided into a
specialized core for office floors, specialized core for residential floors, and direct
elevator to the sky garden and public service floor, and each is provided with its own
entrance lobby on the ground floor level. Residences are placed in the top layer with
Roof Garden that is beneficial from the perspective of both the scenic prospect and the
privacy it provides. Offices are, in principle, zoned between level 2 and the residential
layer. 52 Narrow streets on the ground surface are void spaces of atriums opening to the level
zero. Natural light reaches underground level zero through the open space in the
ground. This crack is an atrium containing escalators and stairways linking level zero
with level one, and it is covered with a roof of transparent glass. Which makes it visible
from above through this crack (void space). The three-dimensionally layered artificial
ground level is occupied by gardens, groves of trees, urban public services, sports
facilities, cultural facilities, stores, bars and restaurants, cafe and entertainment
facilities.
The master plan concept calls for high-density narrow. Because this means that the
buildings are close together, it is necessary to guarantee privacy. Priority is given to the
inhabitants for scenic views and privacy by arranging residential parts of each building
at differing levels. Where an office part faces a residential part, the exterior wall of the
office is recessed, and constructing a Sky Garden creates pleasant buffer zones that
provide privacy to both the office and the residential sides. Outside glass of the double
skin of the facade is screened so that it protects the privacy of the rooms behind it while
remaining transparent.
The building incorporates numerous sustainable features. The roof of the building is
2.16 Eco - TechCity
53 made of solar panels that are half transparent and symbolize an Eco-building that uses
solar energy. By allowing part of the light to pass through, it supports the growth of
trees in the Sky Garden. The solar panels are placed on the floor of horizontal Cat Walk
for the maintenance in the double skin facade. Sky Garden is planned for the roof and
other level of each Super Slab, and all are linked with bridges increasing the frequency
they are used. Recycling of Home Garbage produced from residential zones is
composted or processed to form solid fuel. The former is used to fertilize the trees in the
Sky Garden and the latter used as fuel for home generators.
Recycling rainwater and used water is purified for use as recycled wastewater: for
flushing toilets and watering the trees. Rainwater is collected from the sidewalks and
used along with the recycled wastewater. Recycling body heat Part of the heat
generated by the bodies of people in the offices and other spaces is recovered for use as
a heat source. The double skin sharply reduces the penetration of heat from the
outside. The road pavement is all rainwater permeable paving that allows that part of
rainwater not recycled to return to the ground for keeping eco-systems.40
2.17 40 arcspace.com. 25 November 2005. http://www.arcspace.com/architects/kurokawa/technopolis/
54 Precedent- Programatic
Roppongi - Tokyo, Japan (2003)
Mixed Use Development – 2001
Roppongi Hills project is a monumental development situated in the heart of Tokyo
that constitute Japan’s most ambitious urban-renewal scheme. With a concentration of
the most innovative financial, IT, and software industry firms in its office spaces, rental
residences offering unsurpassed hospitality and security, some 230 retail entities, a
cinema complex and a hotel, Roppongi Hills brings together all the multifaceted
41 2.18 Mori Tower elements of urban living.
41 http://www.mori.co.jp/projects/roppongi/en_index.html 2.17 55 2.19 Facilities 56 2.3 Precedent - Site
Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC)
Atkins
Manama, Bahrain
Mixed Use – Skycraper - 2008
The design of the Bahrain World Trade Center towers – which forms the focal point of a
master plan to rejuvenate an existing hotel and shopping mall in central Manama – was
inspired by the traditional Arabian wind towers in that the very shape of the buildings
harness the unobstructed prevailing onshore breeze from the Gulf, providing a
renewable source of energy for the project. BWTC is the first skyscraper to integrate
2.20 Bahrain WTC wind turbine. (Projected completion date - 2008)
The two 50-storey sail-shaped office towers taper to a height of 240 m (787 feet) and
support three 29-m (95 feet) diameter horizontal-axis wind turbines which is estimated
to generate between 1,100 and 1,300 MWh per year, which will amount to
approximately 11 to 15 per cent of the office tower’s electrical energy consumption. In
carbon emission terms this equates to an average reduction in emissions of 55,000 kgC
(UK electricity basis). The elliptical plan forms and sail-like profiles act as 57 aerofoil, funneling the onshore breeze between them as well as creating a negative
pressure behind, thus accelerating the wind velocity between the two towers.
Vertically, the sculpting of the towers is also a function of airflow dynamics – as they
taper upwards, their aerofoil sections reduce. This effect, when combined with the
increasing velocity of the onshore breeze at increasing heights, creates a near equal
range of wind velocity on each of the three turbines.
Wind tunnel testing done has confirmed how the shapes and spatial relationship of the
towers sculpt the airflow, creating an “S’ flow whereby the centre of the wind stream
remains nearly perpendicular to the turbine within a 45-degree wind azimuth, either
side of the central axis. This increases the turbines’ potential to generate power while
reducing fatigue on the blades to acceptable limits during wind skew across the blades.
2.21 Bharain WTC - Turbine The wind climate in the Arabian Gulf with its dominant sea breeze characteristic is
conducive to harnessing wind energy and made the designers to move away from the
more conventional omni-directional solutions and consider unidirectional wind turbine
options that in many respects, lend themselves to the large-scale integration in
buildings. This project had as its primary basis of design the utilization of conventional
technologies and the development of a built form that would be sympathetic to
receiving wind turbines. The premium on this project for including the wind turbines 2.22 Turbine performance angle was less than three per cent of project value. (42) 42 "Atkins put Smart Design into BWTC " . Gulf Construction Online.com. Jan 2006
•Producing technically viable solutions;
•Balancing energy yield/benefit with investment.
The bridge is designed shallow V-shape in plan (173 degrees) to take account of blade deflection during extreme operating conditions and to afford adequate clearance and thus avoid blade strike. Additionally, a laser blade position monitoring system is incorporated that will set the turbine to standstill if deflections become excessive.
Turbine control, monitoring and safety is delivered through three systems:
•Wind turbine control system (WTCS) that directly controls and monitors the turbines;
•Extended wind turbine monitoring system (EWTMS) that is a separate monitoring system developed for this project;
•Building monitoring system (BMS).43
43 "Atkins put Smart Design into BWTC " . Gulf Construction Online.com. Jan 2006
Pearl River Tower
SOM
Guangzou, China
Office Building – Under Construction
The Pearl River Tower epitomizes the super tall corporate headquarters building of
tomorrow as an iconic, high performance structure, which is designed in such harmony
with its environment that it potentially produces as much energy as it consumes. It is a
seamless integration of technology and architecture.
2.24 Pearl River Tower Orientation, conservation, lighting efficiency, geothermal, energy reuse and energy
storage techniques are used to enable the building to generate enough renewable power
to meet its energy demands. This is done by five main methodologies:
1) By orienting the building towards the east the tower takes advantage of midday sun
while the effects of late-day sun on the larger, southern exposure are minimized.
2.25 2) The south facades low E glass, double-layer curtain-wall system reduces heat gain,
which leads to less demand on the HVAC systems. 61 3) The tower reclaims energy by routing each floors exhaust air into the south sides
double-layer curtain-wall cavity. This thermal barrier of hot dry air can then be reused
on the mechanical floor for passive dehumidification.
4) The chilled slab concrete vaulted ceilings in the typical offices enhance day lighting, as
well as cool the air drifting up from the under floor ventilation system, the mass of the
concrete providing energy storage. This system reduces energy used for cooling by 40
percent compared to a conventional HVAC system.
5) A geothermal heat sink is used to provide cooling water, so 100 degrees Fahrenheit 2.26 Turbine Section water in the mechanical systems return loop can be cooled to 75 degrees Fahrenheit prior
to feeding the cooling towers, reducing the size of the mechanical plant by about 30
percent.
These five strategies reduce the buildings energy use by nearly 65 percent over a baseline
2.27 Wind flow of Chinese building codes. To reach the final goal of net zero energy, the design team
incorporated power-generating technologies: wind and integrated photovoltaic.
One of it main source of renewable energy is supposed to be generated from the
four-wind turbine integrated into the building design. The design uses the form of the
2.28 Wind Flow building to improve the generating capacity of the wind turbine. The funneling of 62 the building at the mechanical floors in both horizontal and vertical direction helps in increasing the wind velocity for a constant swept area. The building is also oriented to exploit the prevailing winds from the south, which generate a negative pressure at the rear, or north side, of the building. The tower’s curvilinear structure helps to force air through four turbine inlets in the facade, which SOM’s wind studies have predicted will speed up the wind’s velocity two-and-a-half times. SOM estimates the turbines will produce nearly 15 times more electricity than a typical stand-alone wind generator.
Isolating the wind turbines on these mechanical floors minimizes noise and vibration and simplifies maintenance. Energy can be used directly or stored in batteries for later.44
44 "Jude Stewart. "Super Tall and Ultra Green." (Metropolis Aug 2006) 106-107 63 Chicago Sustainable Skyscraper Studio Design – Winter 2007
With the results of the research done from various precedents and on the latest
technological applications of renewable energy, design was proposed for a sustainable
Skyscraper in Chicago. Exploration was done more on the integration of large-scale
energy generation and micro energy generation using BIPVs (building integrated PV
cells) and micro wind turbine on the skyscraper that flows with the aesthetics of the
building. The large scale turbine positioning took into consideration the major wind
flow direction at the site during summer and wintertime. The location of the PV
integrated spandrel curtain wall located for the maximum output from the sunlight.
2.29 Studio Design
The structural curves funnel natural wind currents at their maximum velocity into turbines located on two mechanical floors.
64 Generating Energy using Solar and wind
1.09
2.30 Studio design
65 2.31 Wind flow analysis 66 2.4 Precedent- Smart Material
Monte Verde
Architect – Albert Wimmer, An_architects, Austria
Vienna, Austria
Apartment Building
Monte Verde an apartment building in South Vienna has been cladded with a self-
cleaning photocatalytic faced system on its east and west side. The narrow ends of
the tower on the north and south have conventional façade.
The ceramic façade slabs have a blue-green glaze on which the titanium oxide-
containing hydrotect surface coating was sprayed as a transparent liquid and then
baked. This ceramic slab is able to use light to form a hydrophilic surface on which
the water drops striking it form a compact film due to their reduced contact angle.
Any dirt particles deposited out of air are easily washed off along with the
rainwater flowing off the surface. This surface also has a light –responsive air-
cleaning effect due to activated oxygen, which is generated by the fee electrons
formed at the surface of the coating.(45)
Application – Macro Scale Performance – Nano Scale 2.32 Monte Verde 45 Ritter, Axel. Basel. Smart materials in architecture, interior architecture and desig ; (Boston : Birkhäuser, c2007.)106 67 Precedent- Smart Material
Senior Citizen Apartment
Architect – Dietrich Schwarz, Switzerland
Domat/Ems, Switzerland
Apartment
Swiss architect Dietrich Schwarz used a new design of a latent-storing insulaton-
glazing system filled with salt hydrate on the south side of the complex.
GLASScrystal is a 3 inch wide system constructed like a ordinary triple insulated
glazing unit. The outer glass is a prismatic panel, which reflects back the summer
sun and allows the winter low sun angle in. The inner layer is a PCM panel
consisting of polycarbonate containers filled with salt hydrate mixture, which 2.33 Senior Citizen Apartment stores heat at 79-82 F. During winter the solar radiation hit the PCM panel, it is
converted to thermal radiation and stored by melting of the salt hydrates. When
the temperature goes down 72 F the salt hydrate crystallizes and releases its
stored heat energy into the room. 46
Application – Macro Scale Performance – Nano Scale
46 Ritter, Axel. Basel. Smart materials in architecture, interior architecture and desig ; (Boston : 2.34 Sun incident on prismatic glass Birkhäuser, c2007.)171-172 68 Precedent- Smart Material
Matscape
Mitchell Joachim
The three-dimensional form results from landscape and climatic vectors. The
grid is encoded as an interpretation of the climatic inputs - solar path, wind
forces, rainfall, and ambient temperature - in reference to human desired
services – comfort, light, air, water, and electricity. The coding grammar is
replicable for other sites; the results will differ appropriately.(47)
Application – Macro Scale Performance – Nano Scale
47 ARCHiNODE STUDIO,http://www.archinode.com/c2c.html
2.38 Matscape 69 2.5 Sustainable Strategy Matrix
2.36 Sun Strategy 70 2.37 Wind Strategy 71 2.39
2.38 Social Strategy 72 3.1 Program Description
The site for the thesis exploration is located in the financial district of downtown
Boston. It is at a convenient location, about 600 feet northeast from the south station.
The sites south east side is waterfront. Being in the financial district the zoning map show that most of the building around the site is commercial office building. The percentage of the residential building in this area is low. There is also a low concentration of retail shops in the vicinity. The study of the current housing market revels that new buyer are preferring more loft type residential units due to the abundance of natural lighting in this type of design.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Economic Development division guides the city's development review process and manages key services and incentives in support of a strong economy for Boston. Working in partnership with neighborhood residents, business owners and community based organizations and developers the division provides a clear and integrated approach to economic investment that addresses the current and future needs of the city. The BRA provides development and planning assistance promoting multi-story and mixed-use development to increase area-housing opportunities, housing choice and to enliven neighborhood 73 commercial districts. They are taking an effort to promote "smart growth" in the City and take advantage of the Boston's urban transit system. The city of Boston also recognizes the economic, social and cultural impact of the creative economy on the overall health of the city, and gives significant emphasis to creative industries as part of its economic development strategy. ONEin3 Boston is an initiative born of the desire to reach Boston's young adult population. This initiative is developing programs in areas ranging from economic investment, housing and jobs, to cultural and civic engagement in the city.(48)
Taking into consideration of the current market demand and the cities plan for its future growth I developed the program allocation for the Mixed Use Skyscraper. The building major portion will be allocated for residential and the rest will for commercial, which includes shopping, office, artist space and community centers. The program will also incorporate green space and explore the potential of vertical farming.
48 Boston Redevelopment Authority. http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/econdev/EconDev.asp
74 3.2 Program – Requirement
Multi Use ECO - Skyscraper
Total site :- 225,000 sft (~5 Acres)
Residential –50%, Commercial 30%, Utilities/Service 20%
Commercial Retail Hydroponic Farming Health Club Hotel Restaurants Gallery space Shopping area Office Public green space outdoor/indoor Parking Retail, Hotel, Service and Office Vertical Farming
Residential Different Units Amenities Private Garden outdoor/ indoor Common green space/ vertical farming Parking
Electricity Main Energy generation, distribution and storage room Storage unit and distribution units - Group of levels Storage unit and distribution units - each level
75 4.1 Site : Boston, Massachusetts
Criteria set for the consideration for site Year round reliability on the renewable energy source such as • Wind - Unobstructed wind flow on at least one side of the site Sun – Southern Exposure Good urban population density, Downtown not largely dependet on one major business group 4.01 Site
4.02 Site 76 4.03 – 4.07 Site 77 4.2 Site History
The first settlement in the immediate area of Boston was a short way across Boston
Harbor at Charlestown. Boston's deep harbor and advantageous geographic position
helped it to become the busiest port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, eventually
surpassing Plymouth and Salem. Until the 1760s, Boston was America's largest,
wealthiest, and most influential city.
The City of Boston has been expanded through landfill. Between 1630 and 1890, the city
tripled its physical size by land reclamation, specifically by filling in marshes and mud 4.08 Old Boston harbor flats and by filling gaps between wharves along the waterfront. Beginning in 1807, the
crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre mill pond that later became the
Bulfinch Triangle. Reclamation projects in the middle of the century created significant
parts of the areas now known as the South End, West End, Financial District, and
Chinatown.(48) After The Great Boston Fire of 1872, building rubble was used as landfill
along the downtown waterfront, which includes the site chosen for the thesis.
4.09
49 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Boston,_Massachusetts 78 4.3 Boston Going Green
Massachusetts State realizing that about 90% of their energy demand is provided by
non-renewable fossil fuels when compared to 60% for the nation. Global climate change
concerns have led to commitments by local and state officials and the private sector to
address greenhouse gas emissions. Boston became the first major city in the United
States to incorporate “green building” requirements into its zoning code for large 4.10 Boston Logan Airport's new Terminal A has become development projects (50,000 square feet). Each project must conform to the baseline the first airport to be LEED certified requirements of the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. This points-based rating
system allows Boston to efficiently enforce its green building requirements, while at the
same time allowing for flexibility in building design.(50)
The LEED rating system provides the building industry with consistent, credible
standards for what constitutes green building. Each new Boston building project must
earn at least 26 points on the LEED rating system
50 http://www.bostonindicators.org/IndicatorsProject/Environment/Default.aspx 79 4.4 Site Analysis - Sun
Represent the analysis of the site solar conditions in reference to the existing site conditions. Show the orientation that has solar gain Represent the analysis of the site solar conditions with anticipation of the future changes that might occur around the site. 4.11 - 4.14 Sun Analysis 80 4.15 Climate information of Boston
81 4.5 Site Analysis -Wind
Wind is the most significant force that is acting on the site. During spring and summer the more reliable wind direction is from the east. The northwest wind is prevalent all seasons.
From the monthly wind rose diagram
(fig 00) during the month ranging from march to September there is reliable wind from the east, northeast and southeast direction.
There is strong wind from the north west, west and south west direction through out the year.
4.16 Seasonal wind rose diagram 82 Monthly wind rose diagram
4.17 83 Wind Turbulence Zone
Zone 1 Wind coming from the direction contained in Zone 1 have the least turbulence. This is mainly due to the low roughness factor.
Zone 2 Wind coming from the direction contained in Zone 2 also has less turbulence. This is mainly due to the water frontage there is enough recirculation distance between the site and buildings to the south east side. Zone 3 Wind coming from the direction contained in Zone will be turbulent at a lower level. The wind at a higher level will be more steam line.
Zone 4 Wind coming from Zone 4 is turbulent due to the proximity to taller building and shorter recirculation distance before it reaches the site. Zone 4 the wind on 4.18 Turbulence - Macro Scale the street level will be higher due to down stream.
84 Wind Turbulence Zone
Zone 4 Zone 2
Zone C Zone D
Zone B
Zone A
4.19 Vertical Wind Zone
Zone D :- The wind flow can be considered laminar and have the strength of the general wind 4.20 Wind Zone boundary layer conditions.
Zone C :- Due to the roughness of the dense downtown the wind velocity will be less than the general wind conditions
Zone B :- The flow pattern of wind in this area will be turbulent.
Zone A :- Wind velocity at this zone will be higher due to the down stream and the flow pattern will be mostly turbulent. 85 4.6 Site Flow Pattern
Vehicle
Pedestrian 4.21 Site Flow Pattern
86 4.7 Downtown Boston
4.22 Boston Financial District 87 5 Design Development
A series of design diagrammatic analysis study was done to develop the over all form of the building and to develop the interior spaces.
88 5.1 Space Development- Residential
Residential Space – Design Intent
Healthy Living Space
o Natural Lighting – Atrium Space/ Light well
o Natural Ventilation
o Green Spaces- Public and private
o Horizontal Space to promote walking Avoid gap in spatial continuity Safe, direct
Mixed Neighborhood
Neighborhood Feel
o Micro socializing space immediate to the units
o Macro Social spaces
o Circulation, Waiting Zone
o Local Amenities. Dry cleaner Health Center Day Care Bank, Post Offices, Groceries
Security 89 Space Development- Residential- Atrium
5.01 Rectangular profile
5.03 Circular profile 5.02 Triangular profile Study done to figure out the possibilities of positioning atrium space on
different geometry.
90 Space Development- Residential- Unit Plan
Study done to figure out the possibility of various unit layout.
Variation in the orientation
Variation in atrium space
Variation in corridor
Possibility of incorporating green space and vertical green façade
5.04 Vertical Garden
5.05 Plan Study
91 Unit Plan/ Section
5.6 Plan Study
92 Space Development- Retail
Retail Space – Design Intent
Ease of access from the neighborhood
Ease of access from with the building for the tenants
Circulation area
• Natural Lighting
• Natural Ventilation
• Wide inviting open stairs to encourage its use
• Open Horizontal Space to promote walking
Avoid gap in spatial continuity
Pickup/ drop off area
3- 4 level
Café and Deli to the North - West side
Restaurant to the water front side
Security not obstructing public
93 Space Development- Office
Office Space – Design Intent
Healthy Work Environment
• Natural Lighting – Atrium Space/ Light well
• Natural Ventilation
• Socializing Spaces
Space to considered
Conference Room
Storage Space
Lunch area
Circulation, Waiting Zone
Lobby Space
Flexibility in renting space
Occupying single level
Occupying multiple level
Single level occupied by multiple clients
Security
94 5.2 Design Exploration – Macro Scale
Exploiting the sun and the zone D wind for a macro scale application, the
massing of the building was derived. The buildings have more surface area on the
southern side and minimal surface area on the northern side. The thinner profile
allows for more natural lighting and the orientation give a good view out on to
the sea.
5.07 Massing Edge piezo generator 3 - Penthouse Series of micro Wind Turbine 6 - Loft
15 - Residential Units
3 - Loft 10- Hotel / Extended stay
10 Office 3 - Commercial
Bipv Curtain Walls Bipvs + Piezo generator
5.08 Initial Explorations 95 Design Exploration – Macro Scale
Exploiting the sun and the zone D wind for a macro scale application, the
massing of the building was derived. This massing also takes in consideration the
future changes that might occur to the site and kept the surface area more to the
southeast side. The building is tapered so that the stagnation point is lowered (as
shown in image 00) ad the wind hitting the Zone D surface is mostly blown up
wards and turbine located at the top and at the cavity takes advantage of the
accelerated flow. The thinner profile allows for more natural lighting and the
orientation give a good view out on to the sea.
3 - Penthouse 5.09 Massing Wind Turbine
North Side Wall 20 - Residential Units Micro turbine Wind turbine 10- Hotel / Extended stay
10 Office 3 - Commercial
Bipv Curtain Walls
5.10 Initial Exploration 96 Design Exploration – Macro Scale
In this massing the main consideration was to exploit the wind from all direction. The spiral on the exterior will scoop the wind upward and micro turbine can be located at regular interval to take advantage off the wind flow. This micro turbine can also be used to generate power from the water coming down during rain. The form is cylindrical which reduces the surface area.
5.11 Initial Exploration 97 6.1 Final Design Development
After the exploration of three design schemes, the positive and negative characteristic
has been weighed for a final design scheme. The design model one has a greater
connection with the street grid, while design two have a more elegant solution for
form with the energy aspect.
Three criteria were considered for the placement of the tower section. The street grid
from downtown (shown in yellow), the clear sun zone even if a future building come
6.1 Site Lines up to the edge of the site towards the south west (shown in red); and the non-turbulent
wind zone 1,2 and Zone B. The southwest corner of the tower is placed at this point.
The shape of the plan of the building is derived considering the exposure to sun and
the wind zones.
6.2 Initial Plan
98 Building Form- Wind Flow Study
Horizontal Profile
The study of wind flow pattern around the plan of the design helped in identifying the separation points on the building for the various possible wind directions. At the separation point, the wind velocity is high; and after the separation point the flow becomes turbulent.
6.03 Wind Flow from all direction 99 By the introduction of ducts at these separations point we can capture the wind with
high velocity. The section of the duct should aid for a laminar flow of the high
velocity wind through the turbines. Designing winglets at the duct will promote a
more laminar flow through these ducts, which result in a better turbine output.
Other factors that might influence the flow of wind around the horizontal profile is
the roughness factor of the profile. The introduction of opening or balconies will
increase the roughness of the profile. The increase in roughness will change the 6.04 Corner turbine laminar flow to a turbulent flow. The opening of the balconies has to be shaped
considering the wind flow. Beyond a certain wind velocity these openings can be
automatically controlled to close itself for a smoother profile.
6.05 Balcony
100 Vertical Profile
The stagnation point gives the upwind point on the building façade. Studies show
that the stagnation height is 0.85 x H the height of the regular rectangular building
for general boundary layer condition.
By tapering the side we can lower the stagnation height, which means we can reduce
the downward draft and the volume of air passing through the turbine section can be
manipulated by adjusting the slope of the building façade. The opening in the
vertical section also has a minimal effect on the stagnation point.
6.06 Wind flow on sloped surface
6.07 Wind flow analysis for vertical section 101 Design Conclusion
The result of the wind study has been used to derive the final form of the building.
The lower portion of the vertical section has a higher slope so that all the streamline is
passed through the open in the lower portion. The upper section has a small slope so
that the streamline is split in half.
6.08 Section
6.09 Final Form
102 Nano Technology - Piezoelectric and Spherical Solar
The Sphelar diode consists of an n+- diffusion layer on the surface of the p-
core sphere, with a diameter of ~1-1.5 mm. Kyosemi Corp have a wide
variety of prototypes using the diode arrays, including a see-through solar cell
made of an array with hundreds of ball diodes and a solar dome made of
dozens of the balls.
A single PV cell shows a relatively high efficiency of 17% when positioned on
a piece of reflective white paper, comparable with that of conventional silicon
crystal solar cells. The ball diode easily absorbs light globally and reaches the
17% rate because light reflected to the backside can be processed. Efficiency is
higher than amorphous silicon PV cells, according to the company.(51)
6.10 Spherical Solar cells 103 51 Kyosemi,http://www.kyosemi.co.jp/pdf/save_on_silicon.pdf Nano Technology - Piezoelectric PVDF
Piezoelectric technology can be used to generate electricity produced from the
ocilation and vibration of PVDF biomorphs. A biomorph is laminated PVDF
fabric attached to a non-piezoelectrc. The biomorph is anchored to the
buidling and the insulated copper wire is attached to the PVDF electrodes in
order to transfer electricity where it is converted through a AC-DC converter
into stored energy. Biomorphs produce energy by flapping in the wind like a
flag. The bending stresses caused by the flapping generate charges, therefore
generating voltages.(52)
6.11 Piezo electric generator - Biomorph
52 Priya, Shashank. "Advances in energy harvesting using low profile piezoelectric transducers." (Journal of Electroceramics 19.1 2007), 165 - 182 104 Piezoelectric + Solar Scales
The combination of piezo and solar cell was used to develop a scale like pattern that wrap the lower portion of the building were the is high turbulent wind.
6.12 Piezo Solar Scales
105 7. Final Design
7.01 Site Plan and Perspective
106 7.02 Section and Plan
107 Pent house Lower Level Garden
7.03 Perspectives Sky Lobby 108 6.13 Atrium Space 6.13 Curtain Wall Section
109 6.13 Curtain Wall
6.14 Energy Diagram
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