AE 444 (building envelope systems) students presented the first deliverable of their class project: a building envelope redesign. Using their junior design or an existing building as starting point, they propose strategies to improve the envelope performance. The first deliverable guides them through a few analyses to culminate in their redesign goals to be carried on in the final presentation. They did:
– A systems thinking exercise creating causal loop diagrams to evaluate how the envelope systems interact with other building systems and other design factors;
– A climate change analysis to identify and propose solutions for main climate risks in their building site;
– A site analysis using Autodesk Forma to understand daylight, wind, and solar exposure;
– An embodied carbon analysis to reduce embodied impacts of the building envelope;
– A multi-benefit analysis to understand how the envelope contributes to other ecosystem services like stormwater management, habitat provision, and air quality regulation, among others.
Then, the students are going to combine the results from these analyses with the knowledge they gained from passive heating and cooling and high-performance envelope systems, propose redesign solutions, and show evidence on how they improve their design. Looking forward to the final presentations!
This activity was inspired by the Engineering for One Planet framework, as part of a project funded by ASEE and the Lemelson Foundation.
