BIOSHELL Narrative | | LBC Chicago 2014 Entry

ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE 2014 | NARRATIVE | JUSTIN BANDA

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DEMOGRAPHICS | | JUSTIN BANDA LSAT TEST RESULTS

ELI WHITNEY

73.4% 52.5%

48.0%

50.1%

47.2%

43.3%

44.9%

LSAT COMPOSITE

LSAT READING

LSAT MATH

CPS AVERAGE

LOW INCOME 98.2% 67.4%

LSAT SCIENCE

LIMITED ENGLISH 48.6%

COMMUNITY SURVEY INVOLVED FAMILIES SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

SPECIAL EDUCATION 8.2%

AMBITIOUS INSTRUCTION EFFECTIVE LEADERS

OTHER | 0.5%

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS AND CLUBS 10

GROWTH

MATH | 88th PERCENTILE

WHITE | 0.7%

READING | 36th PERCENTILE

HISPANIC | 98.8%

READING | 32nd PERCENTILE

ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHICS

MATHEMATICS | 33rd PERCENTILE

COLLABORATIVE TEACHERS

ATTAINMENT

8 6 4 2 0

CREATIVE

HEALTH

PARENTAL

SCHOLASTIC

SPORTS

PILOT PROGRAMS

CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 1105 STUDENTS ACTUAL CAPACITY: 840 STUDENTS

130% OVERCROWDED

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CLIMATE ANALYSIS | | JUSTIN BANDA

WHITNEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

UE

CHICAGO SHIP CANAL

W

COMMUNITY PARKS

VEN NA

DE

OG

W CERMAK ROAD S KEDZIE AVENUE

ELI WHITNEY

W 26th STREET

CENTRAL CHICAGO

S PULASKI AVENUE

FAR NORTH SIDE

S CICERO AVENUE

NORTH SIDE

31st STREET

SOUTH SIDE

NORTHWEST SIDE

WEST SIDE

FAR SOUTHEAST

LITTLE VILLAGE

SOUTHWEST SIDE

AY SSW

FAR SOUTHWEST SIDE

CITY OF CHICAGO

N

SO

VEN

STE

RE EXP

LITTLE VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD

SOLAR PATH DIAGRAM (FOR CITY OF CHICAGO)

WIND ROSE DIAGRAM (FOR CITY OF CHICAGO)

100

100

80

80

60

60

40

40

20

20

0

0

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

AVERAGE HIGH TEMPS

AVERAGE LOW TEMPS

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SITE PLAN | | JUSTIN BANDA

CTA 53 & 392

NORTH

W. 28th STREET S. KOMENSKY AVENUE S. PULASKI AVENUE CTA 53 & 392

W. 30th STREET ADULT PEDESTRIAN

TRAFFIC FLOW

TREES

CHILD PEDESTRIAN

CTA STOP

SIGNIFICANT NOISE

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EXISTING CONDITIONS | | JUSTIN BANDA

WE VISITED THE SITE IN LATE JANUARY. THE PHOTO ON THE TOP LEFT SHOWS THE ENTRANCE TO THE SITE, WHILE THE PHOTO ON THE TOP RIGHT SHOWS A TYPICAL CLASSROOM ON THE CONSTRUCTION SIDE. OTHER PHOTOS SHOW A TYPICAL CLASSROOM, THE VIEW FROM THE ANNEX, AND THE UNIQUE STAIRS AND EXTANT MIDFLOOR SETUP.

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LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE GOALS | | JUSTIN BANDA SITE_01

LIMITS TO GROWTH URBAN AGRICULTURE HABITAT EXCHANGE CAR-FREE LIVING

WATER_02

NET ZERO WATER ECOLOGICAL WATER FLOW

ENERGY_03

NET ZERO ENERGY

HEALTH_04

BIOPHILIA HEALTHY AIR CIVILIZED ENVIRONMENT

MATERIALS_05

RED LIST EMBODIED CARBON FOOTPRINT RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRY CONSERVATION + REUSE RESPONSIBLE SOURCING

EQUITY_06

DEMOCRACY + SOCIAL JUSTICE HUMAN SCALE + HUMANE SPACE RIGHTS TO NATURE

BEAUTY_07

BEAUTY + SPIRIT INSPIRATION + EDUCATION

ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM ANALYSIS | | JUSTIN BANDA MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Maximum Allowable Square Feet: 25,000 SQ FT Serve an additional 250 students Add at least 6 new classrooms Add 500 SQ FT of art classroom space Add 1000 SQ FT of special education space Add 1000 SQ FT of multipurpose space Add 2000 SQ FT of usable outdoor space (1500 continuous) Project can be: -Retrofit/Addition to existing annex on south side of building -Retrofit/Addition to the main building -Building to replace existing annex

COST Using averaged figures, we can estimate spending approximately $480 a square foot, with an average $12 million budget per CPS school, divided across 25,000 square feet.

GOALS +Meet current and future teaching needs of the Eli Whitney Elementary School +Benefit the Little Village Community +Fulfill the 20 Imperatives of the LBC +Create a place that will educate the students and community about the environmental philosophies that are promoted by the LBC +Maximize usable outdoor space

PROPOSED SPACES \\ MULTIPURPOSE ART STUDIO + GALLERY A combination indoor/outdoor space that will primarily serve as a naturally-lit art studio for students, that can also be quickly converted into gallery space for pin-ups and parent-teacher conferences. \\ SPECIAL EDUCATION A daylit room with an indoor garden where students with special needs can relax, away from the hustle of everyday life. Possible one-on-one space for a school or special-needs counselor. Nap spaces. \\ GENERAL CLASSROOMS x 6 Each classroom should be able to adapt quickly to any area of study. Maximum window space for a biophilic learning environment is a must. Views to exterior garden space, natural daylighting, and exterior courtyard are encouraged. Layout is single-cell along an elevated hall. \\ LABORATORY x 1 students excited for science. A sterile but well-lit environment with wall storage and occupancy for up to 45 students. Well ventilated space using eco-friendly HVAC system. \\ MULTIPURPOSE GENERAL SPACE x 1 Convertable space that can be arranged to form an indoor gym in winter months or serve hosting purposes for CPS functions at other times. High windows, solar lighting. At least two concrete walls to absorb damage.

clerestory

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ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BIOMIMICRY STUDY | | JUSTIN BANDA

Biomimicry in architecture and technology is the process of imitating the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. Today, more than at any other point in human history, we are able to adapt our own lifestyles to our problems and derive a solution of natural origin. We are able to use tools like Rhino and Revit to approach our problems on our behalf and confront intimidating mathematics that used to take years to solve, but which now take mere hours.

Plugins such as Kangaroo, Fir y, Hivekit, and Tortuga aid us in this.1 Humans have been using biomimetics for centuries, yet the name itself is a relatively recent invention. Some examples of natural devices that humans have adapted for our use in some way, shape, or form include self-healing abilities, environmental exposure tolerance and resistance, hydrophobicity, self-assembly and shape-memory, and solar, hydro, and wind powers.2 One of the most famous instances of humans using biomimicry to solve a problem appears as far back as the Italian Renaissance, during which the famous painter and inventor Leonardo da Vinci mimicked the form of a bird to create his never-built but oft-studied machine”. The Wright Br rototypes on birds, some four hundred years later.

Otto Schmitt the word “biomimetics” as “the transfer of ideas from biology to technology.”3 Sixty years later Jack Steele “bionics” as “the science of systems which have some function copied from nature.”4 The word “biomimicry” itself appeared in 1983.5 Nanobiomimicry is the imitation of nano and micro scale structures and processes. We use nanobiomimicry in fabrication, bioengineering, biomedicine, nanowires, nanotubes, quantum dots, and display technology. In fabrication, we mimic the biological, cellular, and molecular structures of the skin of particularly resilient insects, plants, and animals for adaption in human clothing, armor, and building skins. For biomedicine, we mimic the self-reparative and healing properties exhibited by certain plants and animals. In display technology, we mimic the pigmentation of vividly-colored insets by imitating the microstructure of a butt ’s wings, for instance: ridges, cross-ribs, and ridge-lamellae.

Bill Browning of Terrapin spoke at Judson approximately two years ago. In his lecture, he gave two examples of users taking advantage of biophilic properties. In the scenario, a post o ce in Reno saw its productivity rise from approximately 1950-2000 pieces of mail sorted per hour to sorting over 2150 pieces of mail sorted after retr the building to meet green standards.

Workers are expected to stamp one piece of mail a second-- this job is incredibly stressful and requires a 1.5 hour break per halfhour worked. This high-stress job is the origin of the phrase ‘going postal’, Browning humorously noted. In Browning’s second example, he used the example of a green-retr project Terrapin worked on at a Walmart in Lawrence, Kansas back in 1993.

Interestingly, only half the building could have skylights installed, due to management and funding reasons. The skylit half of the store saw increased sales, “but sales were only a placeholder for people’s wellbeing,” Browning noted.

Browning quotes an Ulrich study from 1984 that showed that o ce workers who had a view to a brick wall were more likely to leave work earlier and use painkillers than coworkers who had a view to shrubs and other forms of organic life. The reasoning behind this is that humans have an innate, biological connection to nature that surpasses our connections to things we create: that is, our relationship to nature is stronger than our relationship to things we create. The logic behind this is understandable: as organic beings, we have a biological connection to nature that surpasses reasoning, but not logic.

Our question becomes one of adaptability: how do we as designers incorporate biology into architecture? Victor Popow wrote in a December 2000 paper that “Environmental psychology may be broken into several elements: how people notice their environment; perception and cognitive mapping, or how people cognitively map what they experienced... research demonstrates that people have a preference for coherence (a sense that things in an environment connect together) and legibility (that people can feel they may explore an environment without being lost.”6

1

Reading University: What is Biomimetics? Retrieved 3 June 2012.

2

http://blog.rhino3d.com/2012/08/parametric-design-workshop-cincinnati.html

3

Vincent, Julian F. V.; Bogatyreva, Olga A., Bogatyrev, Nikolaj R., Bowyer, Adrian, Pahl, Anja-Karina (21 August 2006). "Biomimetics: its practice and theory". Journal of the Royal Society Interface 3 (9): 471–482.

4

Mary McCarty

re". Dayton Daily News, 29 January 2009

Merrill, Connie Lange (1982). Biomimicry of the Dioxygen Active Site in the Copper Proteins Hemocyanin and Cytochrome Oxidase. Rice University.

5

Popow, Victor G. “A Report on Psychology and Architecture.” December 2000. V1. Web. http://www.grandlodge.mb.ca/mrc_docs/ Psychology%20of%20Architecture.pdf 6

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CONCEPT | | JUSTIN BANDA

The concept word that I used as my jumping-off point was “Canyon”, a nod to the natural enveloping form that wraps around a plane and serves as a warming, protective force. Above is the image that inspired me; below is the watercolor sketch that I made to get started.

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PRECEDENT STUDY 01 | | JUSTIN BANDA

EDUCATIONAL PRECEDENT | BARRINGTON AREA LIBRARY In 1989 the Barrington Area Library of Barrington, IL recognized the need for expansion, and hired architects Ross Barney Architects, Inc. to design a major 30,000 sq ft addition to their existing facility. As an expansion, this site serves as precedent because of the increased focus on views and daylighting that the expansion provides. Another strength of the new design is how it employs subtle biomimicry in the tree-like arches that support the roof, creating the illusion that one is in a forest rather than a library. I would like to take this a step further and mimic the open sky, further employing the use of daylighting.

The original library is a low profile brick and tile building which nestles into the heavily wooded site. The design seeks to maintain the original ambiance while improving views from the building into the site and enhancing the library's identity from the highway.

The new plan joins the new and old building elements along an arcaded "street" leading patrons from the parking lot to a hospitality/welcome desk.

The main "street" is intersected by a secondary axis directly in front of the hospitality desk. This "street" takes patrons to the major library service nodes; circulation, adult, reference and young people's services. Meeting rooms are also on the axis. The new entry space is enclosed by a wood structure. Closely spaced columns built from dimension lumber support light, wood framed joists. Daylight from clerestory windows filter through the branch-like structure to the lobby floor. Other building materials match the original. The $6 million, 30,700 square feet addition was part of an expansion/renovation that doubled the size of the library.

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PRECEDENT STUDY 02 | | JUSTIN BANDA

CULTURAL PRECEDENT | RICARDO LEGORETTA PORTFOLIO famous Mexican architect as his own personal residence. It features striking views to the exterior, masterfully blending interior and exterior to create an icon of cultural vernacular architecture. It is a townhouse of the highest order. As a cultural precedent, I am closely studying the effect color has on a design, and how the striking use of vivid color, space, void, and light have an effect on education and learning.

Legorreta + Legorreta designs for people who use their buildings, and believes that good construction should not only meet the needs of its users, in the city, the environment, programs and budgets, but also to the spiritual and artistic needs of the people. They thus seek an architecture that makes happy people and not just one that can be admired and enjoyed by architects. The architecAs a Mexican firm Legorreta + Legorreta has been influenced and exposed to the Mexican vernacular architecture. He has learned to solve problems spontaneously and with creative solutions but always attached to calendars, work and budgets.

Currently, the world is dominated by technology and information, so Legorreta + Legorreta believes that architecture should take advantage of both to make constructions that allow us to be better human beings. The architecture, engineering, and materials used should be proud of the city, users and customers, without being presumptuous, in other words, these elements must contain the best quality of thought into the design and planning.

ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRECEDENT STUDY 03 | | JUSTIN BANDA

SUSTAINABLE PRECEDENT | CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES AT PHIPPS The Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a model for sustainable design, featuring technologies such as daylighting, geothermal heating, a green roof, rainwater harvesting, constructed wetlands, permeable paving, and other revolutionary features.

The center is located in Pittsburgh and was built in 2013.

Sustainable architecture and landscape design are taking giant steps forward at Phipps with the new Center for Sustainable Landscapes: an innovative model of sustainability for architects, scientists, planners and anyone interested in greener living. In generating all of its own energy, and treating and reusing all water captured on site, this dynamic education, research and est green standards: The Living Building Challenge™, which is currently being pursued; Four-Stars Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) certification for landscapes, which was awarded in November 2013; and LEED® Platinum, which was awarded in August 2013. Designed and built by Pennsylvanians to operate as efficiently as a flower, this addition is now part of our guest experience.

CSL is the centerpiece of the $23 million Phase III of a multi-year expansion project underway at Phipps to upgrade and expand facilities, and to emphasize more green and sustainable building practices and operations. During the planning stages of this project, Phipps accepted the LBC issued by International Living Future Institute. The LBC attempts to raise the bar and define a closer measure of true sustainability in the built environment.

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PHASE ONE: CANYON | | JUSTIN BANDA

My initial concept for the program was to create a single-loaded corridor that wraps around an outer green space. I played with several versions of this idea as shown above. Some early iterations kept the annex; the final solution discarded it. The original plans are shown below.

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PHASE TWO: FISSURE | | JUSTIN BANDA

The first draft proved too unregulated, so to counter this I made the outside east face irregular and kept the interior rigid. However, I desired a more linear form, and the library was proving to be ever more impractical.

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PHASE TWO RENDERINGS | | JUSTIN BANDA

The second version also faced the additional challenge of wide, floor-to-ceiling west and east facing windows. Although I initially devised a screen system, it proved to be too impractical for everyday use, and I went back to the drawing board.

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PHASE THREE: MIRROR | | JUSTIN BANDA

To counter the western sun, I first flipped the plan on its Y-axis horizontally, and then added a protective shell that could counter the effects of unwanted sun, wind, and snow. This was the first iteration to separate the first-floor library from the rest of the building, in favor of making it a general community center instead.

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SKIN ADDITION | | JUSTIN BANDA

To elaborate on the skin, I went back to my initial visit to the site and recalled that Whitney had achieved some of the highest scores on its LSAT sciences exams. To pride them on this, I took the idea of a double-helix DNA strand, solidified it, stretched it out, wrapped it around, and bent it over a south axis. I then chose to panel it with four types of panels: vegetation and growth panels, frosted curtain glass panels to refract the sunlight, reclaimed wood from the two existing temporary structures on-site, and lastly solar photovoltaic panels infilled with black glass in the corners (to avoid the cost of custom-fit solar panels).

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PHASE THREE: REVERSAL | | JUSTIN BANDA

The third and final draft added interior sawtooth walls, so that people going up and down the hallway could see glimpses of downtown Chicago from the third floor and roof. The shell sections are also visible. Classrooms are modular and allow for a variety of uses and configurations.

ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PHASE THREE: ORIGINAL RENDERINGS | | JUSTIN BANDA

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COURTYARD EXPLORATION | | JUSTIN BANDA

SUMMER SUN

IN CHICAGO THE ANGLE OF THE SUN IN SUMMER IS 72째.

LIGHT STACKS

WINTER SUN

SIX LIGHT STACKS DROP FROM THE ROOF TO THE FIRST FLOOR, ALLOWING AMBIENT DAYLIGHT TO FLOW INTO THE CORE OF THE SCHOOL, THUS REDUCING THE STRAIN ON TRADITIONAL LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

IN CHICAGO THE ANGLE OF THE SUN IN WINTER IS 25째.

SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS

MORE THAN 30% OF THE PANELS ON THE BIOSHELL COLLECT SUNLIGHT THROUGH ADVANCED PV TECHNOLOGY. TRADITIONAL PV PANELS ARE RETROFITTED TO FIT INTO THE UNORTHODOX FORM, AND THE CORNERS ARE INFILLED WITH GLASS. THE PANELS IN THE SUMMER, FALL, AND SPRING MONTHS.

WIND FLOW ALLOWS FOR NATURAL VENTILATION WITHOUT OVERUSE OF TRADITIONAL HVAC SYSTEMS, REDUCING THE NEED FOR COSTLY A/C IN THE SUMMER.

T

O

GROUND-SOURCE HEAT PUMP

A FIELD OF 40 DEEP-GROUND HEAT PUMPS LIES ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE SITE, PROVIDING A CONSTANT SUPPLY OF WARM WATER THAT IS MUCH EASIER TO HEAT AND COOL AS NECESSARY THAN TRADITIONAL CITY-PROVIDED WATER.

LIVING BIOSHELL

THE PROTECTIVE BIOMIMETIC SHELL ACTS AS A WIND AND SUN BARRIER, RESISTING WIND, SUN, AND SNOW LOADS WHILE PROVIDING A GREENHOUSE EFFECT WITHIN THE SHELL. THE VEGETATION PANELS ALONE PROVIDE THE REQUIRED 25% URBAN AGRICULTURE REQUIRMENT.

OPEN-AIR COURTYARD

THE ENCLOSED OPEN-AIR COURTYARD IS A SAFE OUTDOOR SPACE WHERE CHILDREN CAN PLAY AND LEARN ABOUT NATURE. THE SPACE ACTS AS AN ARTIFICIAL CANYON, AND MIMICS THE NATURAL EFFECTS OF WATER-FLOW AND NATURAL OVERGROWTH.

GREYWATER CISTERNS

SIX UNDERGROUND PRECAST CONCRETE CISTERNS SIT JUST BELOW THE FROST LINE, WHERE GREYWATER FROM THE SITE DRAINS INTO FOUR OF THEM FOR YEAR-ROUND USE FOR WATERING THE BIOSHELL, AND TWO COLLECT AND FILTER BLACKWATER LIQUID TO ACHIEVE NET-ZERO WATER.

ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LBC STRATEGY NARRATIVE | | JUSTIN BANDA

BIOSHELL Narrative When I visited the site in January, I was initially dismayed by the tering existing conditions and neighborhood. Since then, I have learned that not only was I wrong about the site, but I also learned how much the Little Village community had to o er, and how deserving they are of having a capable, modern school that within the existing context of the community, the West Side neighborhood, and Chicago at large. To that end, I have designed a solution to the Eli Whitney Elementary School’s overpopulation dilemma that easily within an estimated $12 million budget, provides nearly 50,000 square feet of completely new modular space for educational and community purposes, and itself acts as a tool to promote ecological conservationism Petals and 20 Imperatives of the Living Building Challenge.

PETAL_01 | | SITE When and where is it ecologically responsible to build a new project? Oftentimes developers will treat the site as a nonentity; that is, clearing out new space without rehabilitating old sites. (However, responsible building practices dictate that new construction must only occur on sites that have been previously developed, br or gr The Eli Whitney site the prerogative (01_Limits to Growth). The entire block currently has developed property on it; most notably the 107 yearold existing school, its 1991 annex, built with only a 20-year lifespan in mind (which it has now outlived by 3 years), and two temporary structur In the proposed BIOSHELL expansion, the 107 year-old school will be remain as a primarily administrative structure, while the two temporary structures (roughly the size of a large trailer-bed each) and the annex will be removed to make way for a modern, of students, but also takes into account growth 50,000 sq ft concrete and brick o ering that can not only house the trends for the next twenty years, with enough leftover space that can be easily adapted into classrooms or open space as necessary with little e ort on the part of hard-working sta and faculty. Additionally, the expansion sits within the of the existing predeveloped block, while reclaiming and adding more than 30% new urban agriculture and green space required for a Transect 4 project (02_Urban Agriculture).

In order to the third imperative, a site only 17 blocks directly east along W 28th St has been marked as a potential Habitat Exchange site (03_Habitat Exchange). Currently the site is an empty parking lot sitting right beside a branch of the Cook County Jail, and is owned by the City of Chicago. The site can be reclaimed as a nature habitat with permission from the City, and is tential for “sister-site” activities.

The site already largely incorporate the fourth imperative, as the Whitney school district does not currently run school buses to and from the site on Komensky. Additionally, the site encourages the use of public transit, since the CTA has two stops within walking distance, each on the other side of the block on Pulaski (CTA 53 & 392 line) (04_Car-Free Living)

PETAL_02 | | WATER To achieve the imperative of net-zero water, the BIOSHELL collects rainwater and greywater in 10 precast cisterns which run underground along the southeast corner of the site. A rainwater capture system runs along the edge of the roof and collects excess water from the vegetation panels on the shell, the 18 roof gardens, and the natural habitat in the courtyard (06_Ecological Water Flow). Filters in the system purify the water and render it usable for drinking (clearwater uses).

Composting toilets from SEALAND evaporate liquid waste and collect it into an additional three cisterns for and eventual greywater use. The toilets also convert solid waste into non-odious fertilizer (05_Net Zero Water).

PETAL_03 | | ENERGY Although the Energy Petal only has one imperative, it remains a di cult achievement for most buildings. However, the BIOSHELL design captures enough solar power year-round to produce energy to feed the expansion building. It achieves this through three methods: a) solar photovoltaics, b) wind turbines, and c) a ground-source heat pump in the courtyard. Massive solar photovoltaics dot the outside of the shell, coating it in a power-generating armor of sorts. On average, the Logasol panels by Buderus that I have o er 85% maximum e ciency at approximately 250 watts per 7’x4’ panel (28 sq ft), covering an approximate area of 34,000 sq ft span around the shell, meaning that I have calculated the shell alone to provide 2.125 MW. Assuming an 85% capture rate from Logasol, I am estimating on capturing 1.8 MW from the solar photovoltaics. Additionally, a NEST thermostat system will learn temperature and use patterns and automate the HVAC process, saving up to $5000 annually on Whitney’s heating and cooling costs (07_Net Zero Energy).

PETAL_04 | | HEALTH Because of Whitney’s otherwise-inconvenient north-south axis placement, I discovered a hidden from its orientation: the existence of a powerful east-west wind current. To capitalize on it, I placed operable windows on the east and west exterior faces, as well as in the courtyard, for a powerful and natural ventilation system (08_Civilized Environment). Smoking is prohibited, and service spaces vent directly outside (09_Healthy Air). Additionally, the presence of a green courtyard and play area, balconies for each classroom on the second and third as well as the presence of a classroom-maintained garden for each classroom directly below it, promotes biophilic cohabitation (10_Biophilia; see research on page 8).

PETAL_05 | | MATERIALS The BIOSHELL design excludes all materials on the Red List and promotes local cultivation of resources (11_Red List).

Additionally, timber used in the shell itself is reclaimed from the two currently-extant temporary structures on-site; in the design, these have been sanded down and cut to within the shell frame (13_Responsible Industry) (15_Conservation + Reuse).

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ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY | | JUSTIN BANDA

Additionally, the agriculture on-site will contribute to eventually o set the embodied CO2 emissions from constructing the space; that is, it will eventually pay back the environment for its existence (12_Emodied Carbon Footprint). Terrazzo, among other materials, comes from Creative Industries Terrazzo, which is mere blocks from the site. As mentioned previously, wood is reclaimed from the temporary structures and annex framing, while other components are supplied from within the appropriate distances (14_Appropriate Sourcing).

PETAL_06 | | EQUITY The BIOSHELL design o ers a school designed not for vehicular drop-and-go arrival and transit, but rather encourages interaction and wonder. The inner courtyard provides an enclosed ar ke space, which acts as a community center in the summer months and provides access to the arts for the general community (16_Human Scale + Humane Spaces). The new expansion is entirely ADA-accessible and provides resting and sitting areas for all members of the community (17_Democracy + Social Justice). Neither the expansion or the shell block access to sunlight for the community, but rather (because of the north-south axis and east-west solar path) hits garages and trees, not windows and lines of sight. Additionally, the interior and roof o er beaut ul north-facing views toward downtown Chicago, a visual reminder of what success in education can provide (18_Rights to Nature).

PETAL_07 | | BEAUTY Above all, the BIOSHELL expansion o ers a playful, almost childlike design to a vibrant and active community with its own twist on the Latino heritage of the majority of its students. The BIOSHELL urges passersby to interact with it, play with it, and learn about how it is helping to save the environment (19_Beauty + Spirit). The BIOSHELL is a spirited object and integral part of the school, one that protects and educates. Within its walls, the community can come together and learn about the environment, the arts, sciences, and each other, in a safe, modern, healthy building. It does so by capitalizing on what is already in existence: in the summer, parents already come together to teach classes on sewing, home economics, mechanics, and ESL classes for the general public; the BIOSHELL only facilitates these processes and o ers the space in which to work and learn (20_Inspiration + Education).

The BIOSHELL is a building; yet it is so much more. As a school, it nurtures and educates. As a building, it resists, absorbs, tes, encourages, inspires, and enlightens.

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY To achieve economic feasibility, a given project must recoup its losses at some point in its lifecycle, preferably sooner rather than later. With the BIOSHELL expansion, I estimated for a $12,000,000 budget, based on competing projects that CPS is also exploring, and based on average cost per square foot for school projects within the city of Chicago.

To come in at under $12 million while maintaining a dynamic design, the BIOSHELL project recycles much of what it replaces; to wit, nearly all of the timber boarding from the two temporary structures will be reused for the wood panels on the shell, and the leftovers will be used to create palettes on which green walls can be constructed for school projects. Undamaged masonry from the existing annex can be reused on the wing elements of the classrooms (the windowed extrusion on the north wall of each room), which also use a dark clinker brick.

For the remainder, I cheap products or products which will pay for themselves within years. For instance, SEALAND’s composting toilets are about $100 more per than an average toilet; however, the composting toilets also keep the expansion o the grid, and thus end up saving on water costs in the long run. The concrete is cheaper than usual because of the use of ÖKO Skin, which features thin panels of concrete rather than an expensive and weighty pouring process.

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HPD REQUEST FROM MANUFACTURER | | JUSTIN BANDA

Living Building Challenge and NEST, Attn. Kate Brinks 1 minute ago 4:44 PM From Justin Banda To press@nestlabs.com Mar 27, 2014 RE: Product Content Transparency Dear Ms. Brinks: NEST is dedicated to making informed decisions regarding the building materials used on our projects. I represent Judson University as a participant in the 2014 Living Building Challenge (LBC) Collaborative: Chicago Design Competition. Through our work on this project, we understand that product selection is a complex process. We must consider factors of performance, cost, life cycle impact, product composition, and emissions. To understand how our decisions affect human health and the environment, we are asking for you to share information about product contents and their associated health impacts.

The Health Product Declaration Open Standard (HPD) is an easy-to-reference standard format that systematizes reporting language to enable the consistent disclosure of building product content and associated health information. It is freely available for your use from the HPD Collaborative at www.hpdcollaborative.org. A complete HPD includes accurate product content and related health hazard information in a consistent way that allows us to make better choices. The HPD is already recognized in the marketplace: it can be used to fulfill the reporting requirements of the LEED v4 Material Disclosure and Optimization credit and demonstrate compliance with The Living Building Challenge Red List.

Our project team is currently considering the use of the NEST Thermostat to be included in the design of our competition entry. As a requirement of the competition entry rules, we ask you to complete, and make publicly available, an HPD for this product.

We look forward to working with NEST to promote transparency in product content and health information so that we can make informed choices in what we specify. As the need for product transparency continues to grow, Judson University and the LBC Collaborative: Chicago will give preference to manufacturers that provide this information.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely, Justin Banda justin.banda@me.com 219.776.9267 Judson University 1151 N State St. Elgin, IL 60123 CPO 43

I contacted NEST systems about product content transparency with the above letter; however, I never heard back from them. I later found out that there is an exemption for small electronic devices concerning the HPD.

ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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MATERIALS LIST | | JUSTIN BANDA SPECIALIZED COMPONENTS LIST ÖKO Skin

http://www.ravago.si/en/documents/Instalation_instruction_oko_skin.pdf Öko Skin concrete slats are installed as wall panels based on the principle of curtain-type, rear-ventilated facades. Öko Skin were chosen as the cladding for the exterior of the wall system in the new substructure (under the Bioshell skin) for its recyclable properties and modern aesthetic.

NEST Thermostat

https://nest.com/ NEST Thermostat was chosen to reduce the energy costs in the new expansion. Programmed thermostats have been proven to reduce energy costs in residential applications by nearly $180 a year; scaled up to the size of the Bioshell expansion, Eli Whitney could save over $5500 a year on energy costs simply by implementing an HVAC controller system.

NanaWall

http://www.nanawall.com/ NanaWall doors were chosen and are used in two places on-site because of the large amount of ambient daylighting it allows in, and the flexibility and sturdiness NanaWall glass offers over traditional glass door systems. The NanaWall breaks down the barrier between indoor and outdoor environments, and brings students closer to the natural world.

Evolution Door

http://twistedsifter.com/2014/02/klemens-torggler-reimagines-the-door/ The Torggler Evolution Door is a revolutionary new approach to the way we divide spaces, and is used on the second floor to gently separate the quiet library space from the busy transit, elevator and stairwell space, while creating an illusionary approach to the way we move through spaces and then close them off behind us.

SEALAND Composting Toilet

http://www.sun-mar.com/

rates liquid wage and odorlessly decomposes solid waste into fertilizer soil.

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Montana Lockers, Module 4164

http://www.iconsofdenmark.dk The line of Montana lockers by Icons of Denmark were chosen for their recycled materials and the svelte, clean way the lockers blend into my particular Bioshell design, leaving the hallways clean and spacious.

BUDERUS LOGASOL SKS 4

http://www.buderus.us/products/solar_energy/solarcollector/logasol-sks-4.html The Logasol SKS 4.0 solar photovoltaic panel was specifically chosen to fill in the triangular Bioshell Panel for its high energy yield and its versatility in powering either central heating or solar water heating, and for its weather-resistant fiberglass design, which makes it extremely lightweight, ideally-suited for non-conventional placement on the Bioshell.

PPG Coil and Extrusion Coatings

http://products.construction.com/Manufacturer/PPG-Metal-Coil---Extrusion-Coatings-NST21334/overview PPG coatings were chosen for their durable application to metal surfaces, specifically on fiberglass and aluminum components. PPG coatings are applied to the exterior handrails, canopy, roof, and doors.

SEMCO DKDD Door http://www.semcohvac.com The SEMCO DKDD door is used in the service room applications in the Bioshell expansion, specifically in the entry to the cafeteria kitchen and in the entry to the composting and HVAC rooms. It was chosen for its refrigeration and soundproofing properties.

SpaceOasis Modular Hexagonal Seats http://www.spaceoasis.com/products/cau003-hexagonal-modular-seating/ The CAU003 Modular Hexagonal seats were chosen for their modular nature and recycled materials. They are ideally suited to a classroom or library setting and feature colorful, exciting forms.

LiveWall (Exterior) /Sage Wall (Interior)

http://livewall.com/ The LiveWall was chosen for its effective, durable, and low-maintenance features, and for the vast array of adaptable component sizes. The LiveWall can be adopted by a classroom or a floor, and can be easily installed and irrigated using greywater collected on-site.

Liberty PX3 Detection System

http://www.checkpointsystems.com/~/media/Product_Brochures/Liberty.ASX The Liberty family of detectors by Checkpoint were chosen for their eco-friendly construction process and effectiveness in loss-prevention. The Liberty family feature a durable design that is well-suited to a school environment.

Creative Industries Terrazzo

http://www.creative-terrazzo.com/

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE 2014 JUSTIN BANDA