studio 06: studio final building services, prelim

Studio final: building services ... posted for review and feedback.

arch tech: 02

Environmental Program

Unlike many of my classmates thinking green design is relatively new for me, some of this may seem too simplistic... any feedback would be great!

High priority

• Reduce light pollution - limiting the amount of light being generated by our buildings during the night time hours.
• Increase usage of natural lighting - better learning environment and reduced energy usage - utilize indirect lighting almost exclusively when artificial light is required.
• Improve indoor air quality - health of occupants, reduced medical problems of building occupants.

Lower priority

• More efficient use of water and reduce waste production - reduce need for fresh water from outside resources, natural waterways.
• Reduce heat signature of building - decrease contribution to high urban temperatures.
• Reduce energy usage and emissions from building - conservation of natural resources and decreased effects upon the atmosphere. Healthier outdoor urban air quality.

*note - program updated as of 8.20.07

arch tech: 02

Ecological footprint

























My initial thought regarding the eco quiz is to question its validity. How accurate is something like this? What resources/formulas determine the scores? It seems to me that broad gestures of this type could be useful to introduce the concepts of our individual impact upon the planet. Which is a good start.

I am one of those people who have never seriously considered their personal footprint. I have a tendancy to take everything I see or read in the mass media with a grain of salt (or two) and not buy into hype or overstated editorial opinions which twist or bend data to support their own hypothesis. Not that I necessarily think they are wrong or do not believe them, I need to understand it for myself and draw my own conclussions. As such, it takes time for me form an informed opinion - which I have not yet done on this subject.

All of that said, I do practice some very basic things as far as being "green". Although I drive an SUV, my daily round trip commute is less than 10 miles a day. Because I need to take my two children (soon to be three!) to preschool, bicycling or motorcycle is not an option. A larger vehicle is a necessity for our growing family. I am very interested in the flex fuel vehicles and ethanol. Those require quite a financial investment when purchasing a new vehicle, so we will see. Public transportation is not an option in this little bedroom community unless I worked in downtown Toledo or in another suburb. We use a programmable thermostat to limit the amount of energy need to heat and cool our home when no one is here. We also utilize curb side recycling of plastic bottles, newspaper, and yard waste.

Well... that's my eco footprint in a nutshell.

Flex fuel and E85

arch tech: 01