Ethan Alspaugh
The Team
Originally from Indiana, the book guy, and occasionally nocturnal. I just want to create cool stuff.
Katie Dyson
“The only predictable thing about life is its unpredictability.” Baltimore native, aspiring urban designer, human-equivalent of the Lorax. Usually seen with a Diet Coke.
Jana Höernle
“The world without ‘art’ is just ‘eh’” Future interior architect from Germany. King’s daughter. Avid photographer and volleyball fan.
Seth Mears Perpetually tired and always up for an adventure. Fighting Quaker, definitely a marching band kid, and always involved in way too many things. Oh, and I think want to be an architect? Well kinda of... wait... I’m not sure.
Jonas Stevens
„Die Idee it gut, doch die Welt noch nicht bereit.“ German-Canadian Hufflepuff and interior architect in the making. I would rather listen to podcasts than my internal monologue.
Contents
Living Building Challenge Site Symbiotic Techtonics Program + Priorities Site Plan Residential Recreation Education Construction Energy Water Agriculture Carbon
What is the Living Building Challenge? The Living Building Challenge is a philosophy, certification, and advocacy tool for projects to reach a necessary measure of sustainability which we’ll aim to meet within our studio. The Living Building Challenge consists of seven performance categories, or “Petals”: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Each Petal is subdivided into Imperatives, for a total of twenty Imperatives in the Challenge. The Imperatives can be applied to almost every conceivable building project, of any scale and any location—be it a new building or an existing structure.
Typologies A LBC project is classified under one of six typologies, those include renovation, building, neighborhood, landscape & infrastructure. L4
General Urban Zone
L5
Urban Centre Zone
L4
Light to medium-density mixed-use development found in small to midsized cities or in the “first ring”of a larger city.
Mount Auburn
L4 = General Urban Zone (light to medium density)
Medium to high-density mixed-use development found in small to midsized cities or in the “first ring” of a larger city.
L5 = Urban Centre Zone (medium to high density)
Place
01 Imperative - Limits Of Growth To curb sprawl, restore natural ecosystems and protect productive agricultural lands and ecologically sensitive areas from the negative impacts of development. Projects may only be built on greyfields or brownfields, previously developed sites.
Greyfield
Developed site, not as contaminated. Greyfields are not contaminated and usually do not require remediation in order to be reused.
Brownfield
Previously developed site, contaminated, such as real property, expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Must be remediated.
Mount Auburn
Brownfield / Greyfield
Place 02 Imperative - Urban Agriculture To re-establish a tie between humans and their nourishment, and reconnect communities to the land, since no truly sustainable community can rely on globally sourced food production.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Utilizing the Floor Area Ratio, projects must dedicate an appropriate percentage of the land to agriculture based on the project’s scale and density. In conjunction with FAR, single family homes must be able to store at least a two weeks supply of food.
Project FAR Minimum Percentage Required < 0.05 0.05 - 0.09 0.10 - 0.24 0.25 - 0.49 0.50 - 0.74 0.75 - 0.99 1.00 - 1.49 1.5 - 1.99 2.0 - 2.99 > 3.00
80% 50% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 1%
FAR = Gross Area of Development (sq. m)
Total Area of Plot
Sum of Floor Areas
FAR <.05 80%
FAR .05 -.09 50%
FAR .10 -.24 35%
FAR .75 -.99
20%
FAR .25 -.49 30%
FAR 1.00 -1.49 15%
FAR .50 -.74 25%
FAR 1.5 -1.99 10%
FAR 2.0 -2.99 5%
FAR > 3.0 1%
Energy Petal Intent
Performan
Renewable Energy
Net Positiv
Signal a new age of design, wherein the built environment relies solely on renewable forms of energy and operates year-round in a safe, pollution-free manner. The living building challenge envisions a safe, reliable and decentralized power grid, powered entirely by renewable energy, supplied to incredibly efficient buildings and infrastructure without the negative externalities associated with combustion or fission.
Defined as passive solar, photovoltaics, solar thermal, wind turbines, waterpowered micro-turbines, direct geothermal, or fuel cells powered by hydrogren generated from renewably powered electolysis.
A minimum of 85% o area must be occ begin the 12 m period. For unoccup must document tha proportionate energy occupied areas. If 85 area is occupied duri period, then that e show that the projec of the energy produc
One hundred and fi projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy need by on-site renewabl annual basis, withou combustion. Projects site energy. Storage f
nce
of the gross building cupied in order to month performance pied areas the team at they are using y and water for the 5% of the gross floor ing the performance energy data should ct is only used 85% ced.
ve Energy
five percent of the ds must be supplied le energy on a net ut the use of on-site s must provide onfor resiliency.
Scale Jumping
Going outside the limits of the community boundary for better solutions. Scale jumping will be considered beyond the community, based on project scale, occupancy, and energy demand on a case-by-case basis. Intent is to reduce the scale of the conventional utilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network. Purchasing renewable power from an existing utility is not allowed.
Documentation
All projects require all basic documentation, unless noted otherwise. Documentation incudes: schematic drawings, photographs, energy bills, energy usage and productive tables, resilient energy storage, metering, finanical or contract documents.
Petal Intent
The Living Building Challenge Water Petal has a primary focus of meeting the demands of the Net Zero Water Imperative. It emphasizes efficient measures to reduce demand in a closed-loop cycle such as, small scaled management systems, fit for purpose water use, and diverse, commonly decentralized infrastructure. All of this is to redefine â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wasteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the built environment.
Water Sources
Harvested Rainwater On-Site Groundwater Condensate from the Air Surface Water (ponds, reused grey water, etc) DO NOT use reclaimed water from municipal water facilities.
Natural Water Flows
The project must mirror natural site conditions and flow.
Carrying Capacity
Lack of carrying capacity is not an exception. All water that lands on site must be resolved on site. Usage of rainwater must not interfere with evapotranspiration. If using an aquifer it must be allowed to recharge.
Water Systems
Piping, roofing, and UV disinfection must be made of approved materials. While polyvinyl chloride(PVC) is not allowed, there are various alternatives. These alternatives include HDPE, polypropylene, vitrified clay, concrete, and steel, among others.
Treatment Of Water Supply
Must be treated without the use of harmful chemicals like chlorine, calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite. Calcite, soda ash and caustic soda are allowed. Ultraviolet disinfection is also allowed, but the lamps must not have Mercury in them.
Storm Water
Must emulate natural conditions. Stormwater that is not used must be absorbed by the site, unless the natural pattern means that it flows off. Ex: having a stream run through the site. To size the filtration systems LBC requires using 10-year storm events. In this studio, 20-year storm events were used. 20-Year 24 Hour Event In Cincinnati Maximum - 5.02 in Average/Month - 3.04 in Monthly Rainfall In Cincinnati Average - 3.52 in Minimum - 1.42 in
Grey And Black Water
Must be treated and managed on site. Options include: Composting Toilets Trickling Bio-filters Constructed Wetlands/Bioswales Conventional Septic System Cannot be disposed into sewers
H
H 50 sy co se
N N P P C M
Ty Th Th C D
A
Fo pr
Ro
Water
Hydroponics
Hydroponics growing systems grow 300% faster than traditional soil growing ystems. They have a greater yield due to ontrolled conditions and greater nutrients ent directly to roots.
Nutrients needed: Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Calcium Magnesium
ypes of hydroponics systems: he Wick System he Ebb and Flow System Continuous Drip Dutch Bucket System
Agriculture Needs
or this studio we looked at one common crop to calculate the general growing cycle and needs of our rojectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agriculture.
omaine Lettuce Days in Incubation Days until Harvest Water Light/Day Area Yield Harvest/Year 11 40 3.74 GAL 16DLI 1 SF 1 LB 9
Beauty
Beauty and Spirit
Ensure that beautiful buildings contribute to their communities sense of place, delighting and inspiring their occupants by creating architecture that contributes to the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of place through a connection to the regional vernacular. Requirements two- to four-page narrative written by the designer or owner describing how the design meets the intent of the imperative an outline illustrating the major ideas with photographs, drawings and diagrams Survey representing at least ten percent of occupants/users confirming that the project designers have succeeded in creating something beautiful
Healthy Interior Environment
To improve occupant health by reducing or eliminating indoor pollutants. Requirements compliance with the current version of ASHRAE 62
Civilized Environment
means to provide a direct connection to the outdoor environment Requirements Every regularly occupied space must have operable windows that provide access to fresh air and daylight Must incorporate as much daylight as programmatically appropriate into the project in order to balance energy use and support visual acuity.
Smoking is prohibited within the project boundary Results from indoor air quality tests before and nine months after occupancy compliance with the California Department of Public Health Standard Method v1.1-2010 for all interior building products that have the potential to emit Volatile Organic compounds Dedicated exhaust for kitchens, bathrooms and janitorial areas an entry approach that reduces particulates tracked in through shoes
Provide a visual connection to the environment.
an outline of a cleaning protocol that uses cleaning products that comply with EPA Design for Environment label.
Inspiration and Education
Biophilic Environment
Requirements An annual open day for the public An educational website A brochure copy of Operations and Maintenance Manual Interpretive signage Living Building case study
Requirements incorporate nature through Environmental Features, Light and Space, and Natural Shapes and Forms
To teach and encourage the community about the project.
Promote designs that bridge the divide between natural and built environments by including elements that nurture the innate human/nature connection.
Mount Auburn
We chose this site as it has incredible potential and is basically a vacant lot ready to be tr developments in Uptown as of now, our prompt was to focus on sustainability and lowerin feature AstroTurf courtyards or concrete and stone plazas, We saw this sight as an opport way to a more sustainable future.
ransformed in an area of town with lots of new investment. Unlike many of the ng our ecological footprint. As a comparison many of the new apartment buildings tunity to give the Uptown community an example of biophilic design that could lead the
Symbiotic Techtonics
Symbiotic Techtonics The underlying goal of this project is sustainability in its purest form. To manage all resources and needs on site, whether this is the water, energy, or nutrition needs of the community. This idea of the most extreme form of sustainability can be represented in the Living Building Challenge, an initiative to lower our environmental footprint in the construction and architecture industry to zero. This connection back to the earth can be implemented into design. We began by pixelating the terrain which we then zoned with housing on the hillside, recreation and retail on the main road, and a daycare and secondary recreation facility on the hillside, This focuses the views is towards the valley in the center of the site where we have an abundance of native greenery from around the Midwest. By connecting people with nature every day, we allow them to understand the importance of preserving the environment around them as it is incredibly beneficial to their well-being. The units are imbedded into the hillside in a terrace-like formation, making the dwellings more energy efficient, as well as giving them a structured yet organic form. They seem to flow along the hillside with interruptions for circulation stairs that provide access to light deeper in the units as well as ventilation and potential community spaces. These circulation paths lead to the wider valley in the center with winding promenades that offer leisure walks between units and a host of biodiversity in the gardens themselves. Our overall outlook on this site is to create a remarkable structure that also gives a nod to the importance of the earth its foundations are laid in, and its faรงade is based on.
Priorities Facilitate social interaction + strengthen the community bond Public recreation + education center Potential storefront space Units need multiple points of daylight Work with the landscape rather than against it
Residential
1-Bedroom 2-Bedroom 3-Bedroom 4-Bedroom Co-living Spaces Private Terraces
Recreation Center Entry Exterior Tennis Court Squash Courts Locker Rooms Dance Studios Exterior Basketball Court Weights and Cardio Rock Climbing Interior Basketball Court
Education
Classrooms Infants PreK K-2nd Grade 3-5th Grade Playroom Administration Office Prep Kitchen Child Restrooms
Program
Site
SITE PLAN
Residential The housing units are adapted to the site, and step up the hillsides to get as much sunlight as possible. They are arranged in blocks and are accessible in between via external stairs. Under the ground there is also a corridor that connects the units additionally. In total there are 100 residential units. To address different target groups such as families, couples, students and singles, there are apartments with 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms.
pine wood cladding exterior
metal
plaster
oak parquet
fabric
leather
plaster
Number of bedrooms
1
2
3
4
Number of blocks per apartment
3-4
5
7
8
Square feet
675-900
1,125
1,575
1,800
Total number
30
40
20
10
Vectorworks Educational Version
Vectorworks Educational Version
Vectorworks Educational Version
Level -3
Vectorworks Educational Version
1 bedroom 2 bedroom 3 bedroom 4 bedroom walkways & community areas technical room - 1 per block
Level -4
Vectorworks Educational Version
Vectorworks Educational Version
1 bedroom units 2 bedroom units 3 bedroom units 4 bedroom units walkways & community areas technical room - 1 per block
Unit Plans
Vectorworks Educational Version Vectorworks Educational Version
30'-0"
15'-0"
30'-0"
15'-0"
30'-0"
Vectorworks Educational Version Vectorworks Educational Version
small 1 bedroom unit
bigger 1 bedroom unit
Vectorworks Educational Version
Vectorworks Educational Version
30'-0"
15'-0"
15'-0"
45'-0"
30'-0"
30'-0"
Vectorworks Educational Version
Vectorworks Educational Version
2 bedroom unit
3 bedroom unit
Recreation
Entry Exterior Tennis Court Squash Courts Locker Rooms Dance Studios Exterior Basketball Court Weights and Cardio Rock Climbing Interior Basketball Court
DN
DN
DN DN
DN
N
0
5 10
20
50
100
Rec Center Street Level
DN
DN
N
0
5 10
20
50
100
DN
DN
UP
DN UP
N
0
5 10
20
50
Rec Center Level B3
100
DN DN
DN
UP DN
N
0
5 10
20
50
100
Rec Center Level B2
UP
DN
DN
UP
DN DN
DN
UP DN
N
0
5 10
20
50
100
UP DN
DN
UP UP
DN
N
0
5 10
20
50
Rec Center Level B1
100
Pool Ground Floor
N
0
5 10
20
50
100
Education Center
VECTORWORKS EDUCATIONAL VERSION
VECTORWORKS EDUCATIONAL VERSION
Retail
Administration/Maintenance
Convenience Store
Cafe
Restaurant
Entrance to Admin
Bicycle Store
Administration & Maintenance
Convenience Store
Hardware Store
Hair Salon
Pet Store
South Side
Sections
Construction Details
Interior Walls 5/8" Gypsum Board 2x4" Timber Construction 5/8" Gypsum Board
Interior Floors
Hillside Walls & Floors 12" Reinforced Concrete 3/4" Flooring
3/4" 2x 5/8" 2x10" 10" 2" 1/3" 5/8"
Flooring Plywood Timber Constructio Insulation Ceiling Suspension Gypsum Board Fitt Gypsum Board
on
n ting
Exterior Walls
Ceilings
5/8" 2x8" 8" 2x 5/8" 1/5" 4/5" 1"
1" 1/5" 1 5/8" 2x 5/8" 2x10" 10" 1/3" 5/8"
Gypsum Board Timber Construction Insulation Plywood Weather Barrier Ventilation Cavity Wooden Exterior Siding
Decking Weather Barrier Sloped Insulation Plywood Timber Construction Insulation Gypsum Board Fitting Gypsum Board
Energy EUI
Base | 18 Base + Geothermal Energy | 16 Energy + Geothermal Energy + Solar Panels | 0 Energy analysis was conducted primaraly with Sefaira and Microsoft Excel. The original energy model was 12,150 square feet. Three scenarios were run to compare the effectiveness of each strategy. Our original base value, thanks to our already-efficient simple design, was only 18. The model was run again but with geothermal heat pumps, in accordance with the Living Building Challenge’s ‘no on-site combustion’ rules. The addition of solar panels was able to allow the site to confidently generate the 105% energy requirement.
Base Values
Facade glazing: 0.25 r-value concrete walls: 49
stud walls: 41
floors: 48 roof: 60 lighting density: 0.75
Square Footage Building: 95,500 Residential: 25,000 Recreation: 32,500 Education: 18,000 Retail: 15,000 Community: 20,000
Solar panel calcs 95,550sqft # panels
∙
12,150sqft 42 panels
System Size 250m² 2,658.7sqft² 330 total panels 2,671 area ft² 249 area m²
Annual Energy Use, kWh/mo
Daylighting Analysis
Living Building Challenge
How does geothermal energy work?
Sun Shading
Living Building Challenge
Energy
Water
This Block: 6,075 sqft Catchment from Roof 1,575 sqft Catchment from Cut-through 11,728 Gal Sand Filter Underground Walkway 46,000 Gal Whitewater Storage Water Storage
Rainfall
Sand Filtration
Living Building Challenge
Plants
All of the plants used are native to either Ohio or the Midwest they eall have a veirety of needs and soil conditions and are placed on site to maximize efficience of water use. Water loving plants are concentrated on edged of resevoirs and in the bioswales while drier plants are places away from these bodies of water and on hillsides.
American Hazelnut
American Sm
Height - 18’ Width - 12’ Soil Type - acidic, alkaline, loamy,moist, richy, sandy, well-drained,and clay. Drought-Tolerant Full Sun - Partial Sun
Height - 30’ Width - 30’ Soil Type - Clay tolerant Full Sun
Black Cherry Tree
Black Chokeberry
Cockspur Hawthorn
Eastern Prick
Northern White Cyprus
Pin Oak
Pitch Pine
Red Buckeye
Silky Dogwood
Smooth Hydrangea
Swamp Azalea
Swamp Rose
Height - 80’ Width - 50’ Soil Type - prefers Wet Soil, well draining, acidic-alkaline Drought and Salt tolerant Full Sun-Partial Shade
Height: 50’ Width: 25’ Soil: Tolerant of most conditions Cold and Heat Toldeant
Height: 8’ Width: 8’ Soil: Drought Resistant, Wet, Alkaline, Clay Sun: Full Sun
Height - 6’ Width - 6’ Soil Type - Wet and Dry. Prefers Acidic Full Sun - Partial Sun Pest Resistent
Height: 70’ Width: 45’ Soil: Poor Draining Floorplains, acidic soils Full-Partiaal Sun
Height: 5’ Width: 5’ Soil Type: Acidic, Rich, Well Draining Partial Sun Pest Resistant
Height - 30’’ Width - 35’ Soil Type - moist, welldrained Acidic/Alkaline tolerant Drought Tolerant Full Sun Thorns
Height: 100’ Width 40’ Soil: Tolerates Extremes from dry acidic to sandy uplands and swampy lowlands Full Sun - Partial Shade
Height: 6’ Width 6’ Soil: Wet, Well Draining, acidic, rich, clay. Full Sun - Partial Shade
Height: 19” Width: 6.5” Soil Type: Dry Thin Soil Full Sun
Height: 20’ Width: 20’ Soil: Acidic, Lo rich sandy, silty, loa drain Full Sun - Partia
Height: 6’ Width: 5’ Soil: Wet, swam Bald Cypress kn Partial Sun
moketree
y and Drought
kly Pear well draining,
e
oamy, moist,
am and well
al Shade
mpy, located on nees
Blue Flag Iris
Bur Oak
Bald Cypress
Eastern Redbud
Eastern Red Cedar
Horizontal Juniper
Red Sunset Maple
Rose Mallow
Shining Willow
Sweetbay Magnolia
Sweetgum
Switchgrass
Height - 3’ Width - 2’ Soil Type - wet to semi-aquatic, highly organic soil, Full Sun - Partial Sun
Height: 30’ Width: 35” Soil: Acidic or Alkaline and heavy clay Full Sun - Partial Shade
Height: 50’ Width: 40’ Soil: Acidic, loamy, sandy, silty loam, well--drained, wet and clay Full Sun - Paartial Shade
Height: 20’ Width: 20’ Soil: Acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, welldrained. Full Sun - Partial Shade
Height - 80’ Width - 80’ Soil Type - acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, richy, sandy, well-drained, and clay. Drought-Tolerant Full Sun Tollerates heat and pollution
Height: 30: Width: 15” Soil: Tolerant except for swamp Full Sun - Partial Shade Pollution and heat Resistent
Height: 6’ Width: 4’ Soil: Moist, Acidic, rich Sun: Full Sun
Height: 75’ Width: 50’ Soil: Acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained, wet, and clay Full Sun
Height - 120’ Width - 45’ Soil Type - Wet,Dry, or Swampy Full Sun - Partial Sun
Hdight: 6’ Width: 8’ Soil:Well Draining and space to grow Full Sun
Height: 13’ Width: 10’ Soil: Swampy, Moist Sun: Full Sun - Partial Shade
Height: 10’ Width: 6’ Soil: Tolerates many soil types Drought Resistent, Heat and Pollution Resistent. Full Sun
Carbon
Growing forests obsorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen
O2 Natural regeneration and planting begin the cycle
CO2 Carbon storage plateaus in older forests and can slowly be released as trees decay or burn
Wood buildngs store carbon and it remains stored over the lifetime of the building
Harvesting for wood products ensures that carbon continues to be stored
Living Building Challenge
Carbon
%
Percentage of carbon stored and soil by forest types:
86
Boreal
58 24 0 12 31 61
%
Temperate Tropical
Type of soils: spodosols ultisols + oxysols
Embodied energy requirements of concrete, steel and wood 10x 5x
d in biomasse
8x concrete 4x steel 1x wood
boreal forest temperal forest tropical forest
Living Building Challenge