High Performing Buildings - Fall 2008 - (Page 38)

preserved for shading. New plantings are also used to increase shade and usability of courtyard spaces. Large canopies minimize solar heat gain and glare. This canopy shades students sitting outside the dining room. Responding to Climate Calculations to determine allowable air temperature considered hourly weather data for a typical year in New Orleans using parameters in addition to activity level that include incident solar radiation, diffuse radiation, ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and cloud cover. Solar analysis was used to determine shading — suggesting systems that varied in density and orientation as you move around the building. The very southern location creates very high sun angles in the summer, producing high roof cooling loads and suggested shading by overhangs and roof insulation as well as a lightreflecting ballast. The building proposes a different approach to adaptation to the New Orleans microclimate than has been normally adopted in the last 25 years. Departing from the hermetically sealed envelope that relies completely on mechanical air conditioning, the building will operate as a hybrid or mixed-mode system that tempers spaces with natural ventilation supplemented with fans. Mechanical conditioning is used as required to adjust to more extreme weather conditions. The project uses a mixture of passive and active systems to temper the microclimate and maintain a comfortable environment for varying activity levels throughout the year. Interior areas with the highest activity levels specifically have increased radiant cooling and air turbulence to mediate comfort levels. 38 HigH Performing Buildings fa l l 2 0 0 8

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Fall 2008

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2008
Contents
Lessons Learned
Green on a Budget
ASHRAE Sets Example: ASHRAE Headquarters
The Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life
Spectral Services Consultants Corporate Office
Advertising Index

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2008