{"id":52,"date":"2021-11-30T23:26:31","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T04:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/environmentaldesignguide\/?post_type=chapter&p=52"},"modified":"2021-12-15T15:15:15","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T20:15:15","slug":"chapter-7-design-and-construction-strategies","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/environmentaldesignguide\/chapter\/chapter-7-design-and-construction-strategies\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 6: Design and Construction Strategies","rendered":"Chapter 6: Design and Construction Strategies"},"content":{"raw":"Introduction<\/strong>\r\n\r\nConventional construction practice is focused on efficiency: the typical process begins with clearing the site \u2013 ie with the removal of \u201corganics\u201d \u2013 trees and any vegetation present within the footprint and environs of the building, and scraping off of any topsoil if present. These and similar practices may be acceptable in the urban context where coverage of large percentages of buildable area\u00a0 - often up to 100% - are permitted but care must be taken to ensure that these practices are controlled on large or rural sites.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThis practice also obliterates any indigenous species that inhabited the site and has resulted in much environmental degradation.\r\n\r\nConventionally designed buildings assume that any needed services are available \u2013 usually at the property line - and can be brought to and taken away from the site as needed. In the urban environment this generally includes electricity, domestic water, and wastewater drainage, and can also include natural gas and district heat. Rural sites may have few if any of these services readily available and the scope of design may include a wide range of areas: minimizing energy consumption, achieving water independence, management of all wastes on site and renewable energy generation\r\n\r\nThis chapter explores the range of tools and techniques components and systems available to the architectural designer to respond and engage effectively to the existing as well as future site conditions.\r\n\r\nUnderstanding the site and its sensitivities and opportunities is key in the development of building & site development designs aimed at reducing the overall environmental footprint of the project. which includes both available to the architectural designer to develop designs that respond effectively to and integrate or align with the existing site and conditions.\r\n\r\nPrior to the introduction of the electrical and mechanical systems we have taken for granted in buildings in the last century, it was necessary to design buildings in a manner to take passive advantage of a site\u2019s ambient conditions in order to access the daylight and air needed to make interior spaces inhabitable and useable.\r\n\r\nThe advent of modern active building systems revolutionized the way buildings could be inhabited - electrical and mechanical systems and their ability to provide a well-lit temperature controlled heated ventilated indoor environment has enabled the design of much larger buildings and functions not possible without the services that these systems can provide. and have. Artificial lighting, fan powered distribution of fresh air and heating \/air conditioning systems have enabled the\u00a0 de-coupling of the design of buildings from the necessity of meeting the climatic constraints of the site and enabled the design of much larger buildings than had been possible without these systems.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAligning the design of building systems where possible with the site\u2019s ecosystem services<\/em> is an important strategy to pursue to reduce a building\u2019s environmental footprint.\r\n\r\nThe combination of these mechanical and electrical systems with the easy availability and affordability of energy \u2013 has resulted in the loss of much of the passive design knowledge and strategies that had been the norm for many centuries and across many cultures before these engineered systems became widely available. The abundance of cheap energy has also meant that there has been little financial incentive to design more energy efficient buildings. For many building operators, it still remains less costly to waste energy than to conserve it.\r\n\r\nAs the impacts from climate change have become more evident, the performance of buildings has come under intense scrutiny with buildings identified as one of society\u2019s major Green House Gas (GHG) emitters and that that GHG emissions have been a major contributor to climate change. This has led to the realization of the importance of accessing site based resources to help reduce a building\u2019s environmental\u00a0 footprint, through offsetting the need to import these services from off-site.\r\n\r\nUnderstanding the Site: \u00a0<\/strong>Predesign Site Analysis:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\nPredesign Site Analysis:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nUnderstanding the essence of a place is one of the key activities of the architect, as a frame of reference for the future project and a source of inspiration. Simply put - Site analysis \u2013 for the designer \u2013 is the investigation and research needed to familiarize one with the site for the design project in question.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe site analysis and information gathering stage is a crucially important project specific activity.\u00a0 It is at this stage that many important decisions are taken. If the information at hand is incorrect or incomplete, decisions may be taken at this time which can impact the design response of the project.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFor rural sites, the understanding of natural systems and specific site conditions can help one develop an appropriate design response. As an organisational tool - the site may be seen in through 2 distinct lenses\u00a0 \u2013 1 the natural world and 2 Buildings \u2013 and the rules, regulations, expertise and processes that will together contribute to achieving the design objectives\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe information and data collected and compiled must also be subjected to a process of critical analysis in order to determine which aspects hold particular relevance for individual projects.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe need to better understand climate projections and their impacts has become painfully clear The degree to which new buildings are designed to be adaptable to meet these challenges is not yet mandated but as recent climatic events in British Columbia have demonstrated, many areas are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTypes of\u00a0 Knowledge and Understanding: <\/strong>\r\n\r\nThese two approaches - Scientific Ecological Knowledge SEK and Traditional Ecological<\/strong> Knowledge (TEK) <\/strong>\r\n\r\nrepresent 2 very distinct world views.\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\nScientific Ecological Knowledge (SEK)<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe process by which land has been regulated, divided, and studied and developed follow long-established processes of our civil society in Canada. These processes, which include our education and governance systems guide the design and construction of buildings and infrastructure. Our view of the natural world and the way we understand it is shaped by our education system of which the Scientific Method is an integral part. Our education system encourages and values specialization within each discipline. Ecological systems rarely \u201cfit\u201d within such specialized disciplines, leading to fragmentation and siloization of knowledge .\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nRecent technological innovations in measuring and recording the existing condition in the Natural World include the use of drones and sophisticated digital data acquisition \/ interpretation. Use of these technologies is revolutionary and makes available a much finer\u00a0 level of granularity of bio-geo-physical data than is possible at much lower cost and effort than with traditional on-the-ground survey and site assessment techniques.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTraditional Ecological<\/strong> Knowledge (TEK)<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe United States Fish & Wildlife Service defines the term Traditional Ecological Knowledge, or TEK, as \u00a0\u00a0\u201cused to describe the knowledge held by indigenous cultures about their immediate environment and the cultural practices that build on that knowledge.\u201d\r\n\r\nSee https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/nativeamerican\/guides.html<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe value local intimate knowledge of place gained over centuries is now starting to be recognized and valued.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nComponents of a Predesign Investigation:<\/strong>\r\n\r\nA detailed investigation could include the following:\r\n\r\nThe Natural World<\/strong>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Natural Systems: Research and document the Bio Geo Physical Attributes of the site\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Geology<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. Hydrology<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Site Ecology<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. Natural Resources (Ecosystem Services) available at the site -What are they and how can \/ should the design respond \/incorporate these resources?\r\n
        \r\n \t
      1. Climate: Temperature, weather patterns, wind,<\/li>\r\n \t
      2. Solar potential<\/li>\r\n \t
      3. Water Resources<\/li>\r\n \t
      4. Environmental<\/li>\r\n \t
      5. Climate change: temperature, climate threats, adaptation<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nWhat are Ecosystem Services?\r\n\r\nWikipedia defines\u00a0Ecosystem services<\/em><\/b>\u00a0as \"the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and from healthy ecosystems<\/a>. Such ecosystems include, for example, agroecosystems<\/a>, forest ecosystems<\/a>, grassland ecosystems<\/a> and aquatic ecosystems<\/a>. These ecosystems, functioning in healthy relationship, offer such things like natural pollination of crops, clean air, extreme weather mitigation, and human mental and physical well-being. Collectively..... known as 'ecosystem services', and are often integral to the provisioning of clean drinking water<\/a>, the decomposition<\/a> of wastes, and resilience and productivity of food ecosystems.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_267\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"603\"]\"\" from p. viii, SITES v2 Rating System, Copyright \u00a92014 Green Business Certification Inc.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nBuildings and Design:\r\n
          \r\n \t
        1. \r\n
            \r\n \t
          1. Bio-cultural Use of the site and vicinity:\r\n
              \r\n \t
            1. history of how the site has been inhabited and used, including current uses<\/li>\r\n \t
            2. site organization<\/li>\r\n \t
            3. movement systems: vehicular, paths, trails<\/li>\r\n \t
            4. use and disposition of existing buildings and infrastructure systems,<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
            5. \u00a0Design\r\n
                \r\n \t
              1. applicable codes \/ regulatory regime<\/li>\r\n \t
              2. Define environmental performance objectives appropriate for the project and the site<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nEcosystem Services and Design strategies:<\/strong> Utilizing the Natural Resources available at the site<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSolar Energy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe sun is the primary source of energy available. As explained in Chapter 2, the amount of energy that reaches our planet\u2019s surface is vast- the amount of\u00a0 raw solar energy that the earth\u00a0 receives each day exceeds the total energy use wordwide!1\r\n\r\nWith costs of components of solar photovoltaic systems dropping rapidly in recent years, it has become much more affordable to include renewable solar systems. Achieving net zero\r\n\r\nAccessing Solar Energy<\/strong>\r\n\r\nPhotovoltaic systems convert sunlight directly to electricity. Although the technology has existed for decades, the cost of these systems has remained high enough to discourage use. Recently these costs have dropped significantly with increasing supply and demand making the use of this technology possible on many projects.\r\n\r\nPanel Types:<\/strong>\r\n\r\nTwo main types of solar PV Panels available are crystalline and thin film. Crystalline Panels are available in Mono & Poly crystalline modules which are formed from silicon. Mono crystalline panels are rated highest in efficiency but are more costly than the slightly less efficient poly crystalline panels. Thin film PV are found in various building & other products such as roofing and cladding\u00a0 but are less efficient but operate with different characteristics than the crystalline products.\u00a0 https:\/\/www.buildinggreen.com\/product-guide\/solar-photovoltaic<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n2 https:\/\/www.buildinggreen.com\/feature\/five-reasons-be-optimistic-about-solar-energy<\/em>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOvershadowing part of an array of panels can affect overall performance\u00a0 dramatically depending on how panels are configured due to differences in how string of panels can be connected. In older systems, the entire string of panels connected in series could dissipate any electricity being generated by to the panels in shade. New string inverters and power optimisers \u2013which limit lost energy to just those parts of the panel in shade are now available. Refer to https:\/\/www.solarchoice.net.au\/blog\/partial-shading-is-bad-for-solar-panels-power-systems\/<\/a> for an explanation of these performance issues.\r\n\r\nOther system considerations:<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe solar panels are just one component in a complete system which includes an inverter and possibly\u00a0 a battery storage system. PV panels produce DC electricity which inverters convert to AC power to be compatible with the grid and the building\u2019s AC electrical system. If the building is to be grid tied, incorporating batteries to the system can play an important role by enabling the storage of some of the electricity being generated for later use.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nBatteries for Buildings<\/strong>\r\n\r\nWith the development and greater production of large battery systems for Electric Vehicles, batteries for designed for buildings by several manufacturers have become widely available. See https:\/\/www.buildwithrise.com\/stories\/2019-guide-to-the-best-home-battery-storage-options<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nSolar Thermal <\/strong>\r\n\r\nSolar Thermal systems are a proven technology that has been commercially available and in usage for over 20 years in North America.\r\n\r\nUtilizing solar energy to heat water is far more efficient than converting it to electricity, with PV panel efficiency remaining close to 20%. A direct cost comparison indicated that for an equivalent panel area, the equivalent energy output of solar thermal outperforms solar PV by a factor of almost 6:1. https:\/\/www.buildinggreen.com\/feature\/solar-thermal-hot-water-heating-and-cooling<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nSolar thermal systems come in different configurations and typically include:\r\n