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INFORMATION CENTER! LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA!
DELP, FYE, MYSER!
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ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS! 2 II 3 II 4 II 5 II 6 II 7 II 8 II 9 II 10 II
INTRODUCTION……………………………..…! PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES…………..…! BUILDING SKIN…………………………………! HVAC SYSTEM………………………………….! LIGHTING DESIGN……………………………..! ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS……………………….! WATER SUPPLY AND WASTE SYSTEMS…..! SYSTEMS INTEGRATION……………………..! CONCLUSIONS…………………………………!
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2 || INTRODUCTION! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! THE ARCHITECTURE 2030 CHALLENGE!
! 2.1. The Governing Principles! !
Slowing the growth rate of green-house gas emissions and then reversing the cycle is the key! to addressing climate change and ensuring that the global average temperature is no more ! than 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.!
! 2.2. Overarching Objectives! !
The global architecture and building community has been asked to adopt the following targets:! -All new buildings will be designed to meet the performance standard of 60% of the regional! average for that business type! -The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings and major renovations shall be ! increased to:! ! 70% by 2015! ! 80% by 2020! ! 90% by 2025! ! 100% by 2030 (carbon neutral)!
! 2.3 Challenges to the Building Industry! !
Redevelopment:! ! In 2012, 74.9% of electricity produced at power plants in the United States was used! to operate buildings. Because of this, a transformation of the entire building sector is ! necessary. Buildings must now be designed to adapt to the projected future climate changes,! and the energy constraints which go along with them!
BUILDING AND SITE DESCRIPTION!
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The Los Angeles Information Center is a mixed-use structure made up primarily of public and commercial space with the exception of an administrative zone. The program incorporates three levels. The first contains retail, administration, a cafe, and a parking garage. The second level creates a raised outdoor piazza, from which a museum, tourist center, and auditorium stem. The third level is made up of a gallery, exhibition space, and a bookstore. Admission into the core of the building is free to the public, with the exception of certain events at the auditorium and the purchases at the cafe and retail locations. Because of this, income will be generated primarily through tenet spaces and parking fees.!
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Los Angeles, California is a temperate climate with fairly hot summers and mild winters. The area with its proximity to the ocean receives plenty of natural ventilation. The main concern is combating heat gain in the summer, but allowing it to protrude deep into the structure during winter months.!
! ISSUES! !
The climate is conducive to meeting the energy standards set by ASHRAE 90.1, however, the challenge of construction in such a temperate climate is performing a percentage better, as specified by ASHRAE 189.1. The building also has many different programatic elements, each containing unique requirements for lighting, cooling, ventilation and plumbing. Meeting each of these requirements while maintaining an integrated and efficient system was also a challenge.! BEFORE!
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ADJUSTMENTS!
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Economy:! ! A pressing economic crisis being faced today is the meltdown of the commercial! real estate market. Commercial vacancy rates are at an unprecedented high, and by 2014,! $1.4 trillion in commercial real estate loans will begin being due. In order to support a new ! building in this type of economy, it will have to maintain low operating costs, maximizing the ! income generated from tenant spaces!
! 2.4 Implementation by the Building Design Community! !
As of July 2012, 70% of the 30 largest U.S. architecture/engineering firms had adopted the! 2030 challenge. In total, approximately half of all U.S. architecture firms are on board with! the 2030 challenge. !
! 2.5 How We Will Meet the Goals! !
Appropriate planning and passive design strategies, as well as sustainable material selection,! improved envelope design, and efficient equipment and building systems including plumbing,! lighting, and HVAC.
AFTER!
The new Information Center incorporates increased glazes in areas which benefit from more daylight, a readjustment of building materials as to provide insulation to mechanically cooled spaces, operable windows to promote natural ventilation, and solar shading devices to restrict solar gain in the summer, but allow for heat gain in the under heated months of the year.!
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Interior adjustments were also made to promote efficiency, allow room for mechanical equipment, and create appropriate stacks and shafts.
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3 || PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! CLIMATE ANALYSIS!
! 3.1. Comfort! !
Overall, Los Angeles, California is a mild climate which does not experience extremes in either temperature direction, with the average temperature leveling out at around 70 degrees. On average, the city only reaches temperatures upwards of 100 degrees one day of the year, and rarely reaches a low below 40 degrees. !
! 3.2. Overheated and Underheated Periods! !
Los Angeles falls into climate zone 3B. Over a 158 month period, it has 1640 Heating Degree Days as opposed to only 575 Cooling Degree Days. More times than not, the weather outside meets human comfort. What this means is that should the building be able to breath and regulate itself with the outside temperature, the amount of time at which the Information Center will have to be mechanically heated or cooled will be dramatically decreased. This results in an energy and money savings.!
! 3.3 Wind and Natural Ventilation! !
The wind blows off of the ocean, arriving west/southwest at an average of 10-15 MPH year round. This provides an excellent opportunity for cooling and natural ventilation. We made sure our building was sited such that the east/west axis had openings on either end, allowing the air through spaces. To best utilize this natural cooling, air is maximized in spaces which also suffer from the highest amount of solar gain. !
! ! PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES! !
The passive design strategies used from the very beginning in a project can make a huge difference as the complexity of the building increases. Some passive approaches appropriate to our region are the use of thermal mass to preserve internal temperature and limit infiltration from the exterior, natural ventilation cooling, and internal heat gain. The building is situated such that wind is forced under the gallery overhang and into the piazza. There it can be used to cool the high heating load of the auditorium, and the south-facing lobby which incurs plenty of daylight, but an amount of solar heat gain as well. The siting of the Information Center is such that during the winter solstice, the glazed walls capture plenty of light and heat. On the contrary, summer solstice radiation is incident on the piazza floor and building roof, but kept out of the glazed walls. As a result, there was plenty of control in terms of heating and ventilation before a mechanical system was ever considered. The opposing buildings on the site, however, were not calculated into the software later on, meaning better results could likely have been generated with less mechanical energy necessary.!
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WIND ANALYSIS (S/SW)! Wind collides with the western side of the building, which has an overhead bridge, creating space beneath to force air into the piazza and lobby spaces.!
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WINTER SOLSTICE INCIDENT SURFACE RADIATION!
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! SUMMER SOLSTICE INCIDENT SURFACE RADIATION!
4 || BUILDING SKIN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! ROLE OF BUILDING SKIN IN PERFORMANCE!
! 4.1. Overview! !
The building skin is incredibly important for the overall performance of the structure. The mechanical system can be perfect, but if the conditioned space leaks from the inside out, or allows heat from the outside in, the mechanical system is forced to work harder and the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the building suffers. It was very apparent how much martial selection matters when running initial tests in IES VE. For example, the MBTU for our baseline model was equal to 3132. Our new design with carefully selected materials, however, performed with only 1572 MBTU, nearly 50% better than the baseline.!
! THERMAL QUALITIES OF THE ENVELOPE! ! 4.2. Materiality! !
The climate of Los Angeles benefits from both the use of thermal mass and highly insulated walls, as well as openings to allow for natural ventilation. To obtain both, double pane low-e windows were installed to seal up the envelope, but made operable to allow for ventilation when it was desired. !
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The opaque walls of the Information Center are made up of an insulated metal panel double skin which provides an adequate amount of insulation while at the same time maintaining the desired modern aesthetic. !
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The piazza floor is a steel joist structure with batt insulation totaling R30. Because it serves as both an exposed exterior floor, as well as the roof of a high heat gain parking garage, it is important that it be well insulated. Because the structural load of the floor is so high, the thickness of the floor is around 2 feet, allowing for plenty of room for batt insulation to integrate around mechanical systems.!
! SOLAR CONTROLS! !
In order to maximize the effectiveness of the solar shading devices, shading louvers may raised and lowered mechanically based on the time of day as well as the season. For hot summer months, louvers would allow for a heat-gain block, while during the winter, retracted louvers would let in all of the appreciated heat.!
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Low-E Triple Glazed Glass (SC: 0.5)!
Insulated Metal Panel (8� Insulation)
U-Value: 0.256! !
U-Value: .0322
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! ENVELOPE CHOSEN MATERIAL LEGEND!
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[1] Insulated Metal Panel (U-Value = .0322)! Creates an 8� insulated barrier which wraps the entirety of the building, providing a thermal break, keeping the interior space warm during the winter and cool during the summer.! [2] Flat Dark Roof (U-Value = .044)! We chose a dark roof, though many times a light roof will be used out west. Dark roofs will absorb the sun and in this particular city, solar gain is welcome from the roof.! [3] Low-E Triple Glazed Glass (U-Value = 0.256)! Low-E triple windows all for the thermal properties of the wall to not be broken much by the introduction of glazing, but also allow for natural ventilation when opened.! [4] Steel Joist Floor with Batt (U-Value = .038)! The piazza serves as both an exterior floor, as well as the roof of the parking garage, making it necessary to keep well insulated. The structural thickness required allows for plenty of room for insulation.! [5] Metal Door (U-Value = .652)!
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4 [2] || BUILDING SKIN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! NATURAL VENTILATION STRATEGIES! 
 The most important thing to remember with natural ventilation is that creating opposite pressures channels air a certain direction, and decreasing the area it has to travel through increases it’s volume. Our largest point of natural ventilation is the main lobby which to the north side reaches 3 stories tall. The goal of the lobby space was to bring air in on the first and second levels and push it both through the space as well as up and out. By opening up the highest windows at night and forcing air up through the atrium, night flush ventilation occurs. Under the clear skies of Los Angeles, heat gained throughout the day with be exhausted, cooling the building for the start of the next day.!
! AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS FOR NATURAL VENTILATION! !
The control for natural ventilation is the ability to operate windows on either side of the building to promote air flow as desired. For out of reach windows, and to take advantage of the night flush possibilities, the upper atrium windows will be automated to keep shut while the building is warming up, and then to open in an effort to cool it off again at night. !
! IMPACT OF ENVELOPE ON BUILDING PERFORMANCE! !
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LOBBY NATURAL VENTILATION STRATEGIES
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The chosen envelope had a great impact on the performance of the building. The use of appropriate materials for both the climate of Los Angeles as well as the programatic needs of the building greatly decreased both MBTU as well as CO2 emissions. We did find, however, that once Night Flush Ventilation Natural Ventilation Movement we obtained a high level of performance, it was difficult to surpass it. In other words, there is only ! so much that can be done in terms of materiality to positively impact the overall performance of the building. We had little success with experimenting with different amounts of glass coverage ENVELOPE MATERIAL PERFORMANCE AND EMISSIONS DATA or placement and in many cases we obtained results which were much worse off than the original. In order to push the building towards an even greater level of performance, it is possible that the entire shape and siting would need to be changed.!
! EMISSIONS! !
Greenhouse gas emissions cause an incredible amount of stress on our atmosphere. Because buildings are the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, it is important that CO2 emissions be kept to a minimum. In order to achieve this, a high performance facade is designed and implemented to limit the amount of mechanical and energy-intensive climate control systems that are required at any one time. The baseline ASHRAE 189.1 standard states that a building cannot exceed 693,162 lb. CO2 per year. Through several rounds of material adjustments for the region, the chosen envelope cut the emissions standard in half, calculating to just 390,000 MBTU per year. !
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5 || HVAC DESIGN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER!
! SELECTION OF SYSTEM I! ! 5.1 Overview! !
Our original selection for system I was a constant volume duel duct system. The reasoning ! behind this was decision was that the majority of the buildings program require constant! air. The internal parking garage as well as the kitchen and large cafe make up the majority ! of this air requirement. The size of the system is generally a drawback, however, we knew ! that we had plenty of interstitial space due to the structural requirements of the building.!
! 5.2 Components! !
A dual duct constant air system is made up of several components, generating at a supply! air fan and terminating at a return air fan. Supplied air goes through either a heating or! cooling coil, each housed in their own duct, where the temperature can be mixed to meet! the individual spaces requirements. Each room has a supply and return grill, as well as! the large ducts themselves.!
! 5.3 Location of Components! !
A large mechanical room in the basement will house a lower air handling unit, while! a rooftop unit will service the lower floors system. Each room will contain a thermostat! for controlling temperature, as well as terminal grills. For spaces with large cooling ! needs, this may result in 5 to 6 grills. !
! 5.4 Impact of Components! !
The size of the ducts required by the all air system takes up a substantial amount of! the above ceiling space in the rooms. At this point in our design, it was ok to take this! type of room, but as the building became more complex and more systems were ! added to the integration, it became apparent that the HVAC must shrink in size,! but not in performance.!
! 5.5 Impact on Design! !
The design impact of a constant air dual duct system is such that all of the other! building systems would have to be worked around it. The implications of having! an interior air handling unit also come with the burden of ventilation, the aesthetic ! from the exterior, and the noise associated with the system itself. For many of ! these reasons, as well as the energy consumption, we decided to rethink our! HVAC choice.!
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5 [2] || HVAC DESIGN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER!
! SELECTION OF HIGH PERFORMANCE SYSTEM! ! 5.6 Overview! !
GENERATION!
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Our second selection for a higher performance system was a multiple-zone VAV. As a variable air volume! system, spaces can be terminally controlled and the volume of air can be adjusted as needed. This gives! an added amount of flexibility to the system. While some spaces would have benefitted from a constant! volume system, it would have been unnecessary in others such as the book store or retail shops. With a ! multiple- zone VAV, we are given a greater range of flexibility, which helps to increase efficiency and save ! energy.!
! 5.7 Components! !
A VAV system, unlike a constant volume which distributes air directly to the terminal grills, delivers air to ! individual VAV units placed in each space. These VAV units then distribute the conditioning desired by ! their own space. Each VAV box has a terminal dampening system which controls the amount of air ! that will be let into the space. By controlling air flow, the VAV box is able to control the temperature of ! the rooms environment.!
! 5.8 Location of Components! !
GROUND FLOOR HVAC PLAN!
Like the constant volume system, several terminal grills will be placed in each room. In addition these ! grills. a VAV box is located above the ceiling in each space or group of similar spaces. The ground floor! boxes are fed by an air handling unit in the ground level mechanical room while the upper levels are fed! by a rooftop air handling unit and distribute vertically through a mechanical shaft.!
! 5.9 Impact of Components! !
While the VAV boxes pose an obstacle in the integration of the electric, plumbing and lighting systems,! the duct sizes could be decreased dramatically. Because air is not constantly being forced from the air ! handling unit to all terminal spaces, and instead being distributed to the VAV box as a middle man, the! radius of the ducts can shrink and less surface area is necessary in the cross section.!
! 5.10 Impact on Design! !
The high performance VAV system has much less of an impact on design as it is more efficiently laid! out, and requires smaller components. This allowed us to much more easily integrate the other building! systems without having any conflict. As a system, multi-zone VAV allowed us to make less changes! in the building layout and size of spaces, as it is more flexible as a system. Each VAV box is able to ! communicate with the others and will share energy to create a balanced system. If one zone all of a! sudden requires a spike in cooling needs, other zones which have lesser needs can aid the needs! of the first. As a result, the system simply integrated better with our original building design and ! program.!
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! PLATFORM HVAC PLAN!
5 [3] || HVAC DESIGN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! ! SYSTEM PERFORMANCE! The overarching goal of our HVAC system was to maintain at least 80% occupant comfort within all spaces, while at the same time using as least energy as possible. ! In calculating the performance of the constant volume system, we found that comfort levels were much below 80%, especially at the hottest point of the day (left). After determining our high performance system, we calculated the results again to find that air temperature was substantially increased in all rooms, and comfort level was above 80%.
Constant Volume Dual Duct Energy Consumption!
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Multi-zone VAV Energy Consumption!
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VERTICAL SHAFT!
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UPPER FLOOR HVAC PLAN!
Each VAV box is terminally controlled by a ! thermostat in each space. Users of appropriate! spaces have access to the control systems, ! and conditioning can be set to the desired ! level.!
! PROGRAMMING/SYSTEM PROFILE! !
Automated controls regulate the system the majority! of the time. A system profile was determined based! upon the occupancy and use of the Information! Center. The HVAC system will operate 7 days a week,! from 9 AM to 8 PM. At which time it will shut off. The ! building will open at the top, and nigh flush ventilation will! occur. At 6 AM, the system will turn back on to provide! initial conditioning for the day ahead.!
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AXON HVAC WITH AIR HANDLING UNITS, SUPPLY AND RETURN!
6 [1] || LIGHTING DESIGN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER 6 || LIGHTING DESIGN!
Figure 6.1.1! Initial Daylighting Conditions of the Los Angeles Information Center
6.1 Daylighting Conditions!
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The initial daylighting for this building was vastly underwhelming. While some of the major interior spaces, such as the platform level lobby, received an adequate amount of ambient light, many of the spaces did not reach lighting levels nearly high enough in comparison to the target illumination values for daylighting to be the only source of light in the spaces. Reference figure 6.1.1 for the initial daylighting conditions of the floors. !
! 6.2 Optimizing Daylighting and Thermal Performance! !
In Los Angeles, California, it is advisable to allow for thermal gain as the temperature is slightly below the comfort zone for the majority of the year. Relatively open floor plans are also advisable so that when the temperature does reach above the comfort zone, To meet this criteria, the majority of the glazing was oriented to the south in order to allow for the maximum solar heat gain year around. Natural ventilation was, unfortunately, not a large consideration of ours considering the relatively tightly packed floor plan layout, but operable apertures should be used to attempt to optimize that aspect of the design. !
! 6.3 Improving the Daylighting Design! !
Notes: The initial daylighting of the spaces was poor from an overall standpoint. As can be seen, the best lighted spaces are the first floor cafeteria dining area, the platform level lobby and the second floor gallery space.
Consequently, additional windows and apertures were also added to give more daylight to those spaces which could accept it. Some of these included the ground level retail spaces, the ground level offices, and the ground level cafeteria. Some spaces on the second floor, which typically would have been ideal to accept natural daylighting, could not function well given those conditions due to the program of the space. This includes the various museum spaces located there. Reference figure 6.3.1 for the improved daylighting conditions of the building.!
! 6.4 Complimentary Electric Lighting Design! !
In order to design the electric lighting for the building, each space was individually analyzed using the elum tools Revit plug-in. Using this tool we were able to iterate on the various potential lighting layouts and choose the best and adequate complementary design. In order to see this analysis further please see the included diagrams and notes which refer to each space individually. These are referenced in figures 6.5.1 - 6.5.7.!
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Figure 6.5.0! Ground Floor Daylighting Diagram
Notes: ! [at left] The lighting analysis of the first floor shows how the daylighting levels affect the interior spaces shown. This diagram also shows which rooms were called out to be further analyzed on an individual basis.!
Figure 6.3.1! Improved Daylighting Qualities of the Los Angeles Information Center Notes: The improved design of the building was far superior from a daylighting standpoint. The improved spaces! include the ground floor retail spaces, the offices,! the cafeteria dining spaces, the lobby spaces, ! and the auditorium.
6 [2] || LIGHTING DESIGN!
Figure 6.5.1! Dining Space: Cafeteria! The dining area does not require a vast amount of additional lighting due to the low requirement of the target illumination and the presence of some apertures in the space. The lights placed in this space allow it to function at night and hep to counteract the glare caused at the aperture openings.
LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! 6.5 Meeting IESNA Illuminance Requirements!
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The IESNA Illuminance Requirements were our primary design guideline for meeting adequate lighting levels in each of the spaces. The requirements of the spaces are listed below:!
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Ref. No.! Fig. 6.5.1! Fig. 6.5.2! Fig. 6.5.3! Fig. 6.5.4! Fig. 6.5.5! Fig. 6.5.6! Fig. 6.5.7!
Space Type! Dining!! Kitchen! Retail! ! Offices! Lobbies! Auditorium! Museums!
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Category Class! Category B! ! Category D! ! Category C! ! Category D! ! Category C! ! Category C! ! Category C! !
FC Requirement! 05-10 FC! ! 20-50 FC! ! 10-20 FC! ! 20-50 FC! ! 10-20 FC! ! 10-20 FC! ! 10-20 FC! !
FC Achieved! 20 FC avg.! ! 20 FC avg.! 36 FC avg.! 34 FC avg.! ! 40 FC avg. ! 10 FC avg.! 20 FC avg. !
As can be observed in the chart above, many of the illuminance levels we reached were above that of the required illuminance levels. This was done strategically, though, not as overkill. Many of the spaces have one or two walls constructed mostly of glazing. This results in a vast amount of natural daylight reaching the spaces. While this is desirable, artificial lighting must then be utilized in order to balance out the space to attempt to control the glare from the exterior and an over lit appearance. This was also done in order to provide adequate lighting after dusk when the building is still operating and natural daylighting is no longer an option for illuminating the spaces. Further detailed information on this can be found in the notes accompanying the included diagrams. !
Figure 6.5.2! Kitchen Space! The kitchen area does not have any exterior apertures at all, so the entirety of the required illuminance had to be accounted for with artificial lighting. The added luminaires do an adequate job of meeting the lighting requirement
! 6.6 Meeting ASHRAE 90.1 Lighting Power Density Requirements! !
The ASHRAE 90.1 Lighting Power Density Requirements served as a check to ensure that our electrical lighting was meeting the requirements after meeting the illuminance requirements. As a result of the building operating past dusk, it is necessary to ensure that the electrical lighting alone is adequate to support the needs of each space when daylighting will not be an available complimentary option. !
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Ref. No.! Fig. 6.6.1! Fig. 6.6.2! Fig. 6.6.3! Fig. 6.6.3! Fig. 6.6.5! Fig. 6.6.6! Fig. 6.6.7!
Space Type! Dining!! Kitchen! Retail! ! Office ! Lobbies! Auditorium! Museums!
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Size (sf)! 3530 sf! 1362 sf! 1800 sf! 1843 sf! 6200 sf! 4765 sf! 2127 sf!
LPD Maxim.! ! 0.90 W/sf! ! 1.20 W/sf! ! 1.40 W/sf! ! 0.90 W/sf! ! 1.08 W/sf! ! 1.39 W/sf! ! 1.06 W/sf! !
LPD Achieved! 0.64 W/sf! ! 0.88 W/sf! 0.65 W/sf! 0.78 W/sf! 0.52 W/sf! —- W/sf! —- W/sf!
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As can be observed in the chart above, none of the Light Power Densities reached levels above the maximum levels by ASHRAE 90.1. The auditorium and museum spaces were not calculated due to the desire for those spaces to be used under light dimmers or focal lights which would skew the results. This shows that light power density proved to be an adequate check in the lighting system design for our building and that the system fitted for the spaces functions accurately and efficiently. !
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Figure 6.5.3! Retail Space! The retail spaces have singular large apertures along one of the surfaces of the rooms. This creates a situation where that portion of the room is well lit, while the remainder of the room has a relatively low diffused light. Adding luminaires in the less lit portion of the room allows for this to be made up for.
6 [3] || LIGHTING DESIGN! 6.7 Emergency Lighting Design!
Figure 6.5.4! Office Space! The office spaces have a similar composition as the retail spaces, but have a much higher target illumination due to the tasks needing to be completed in those spaces. The office area also receives northern light, while the retail spaces receive southern light. The same luminaire requirements were needed on a grander scale.
According to the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code, the following conditions must be met:! 1 Exit routes, including stairs, aisles, corridors and ramps must have emergency lighting! 2 When servicing the system, there must be a means for keeping the illumination uninterrupted! 3 Emergency lighting must last for at least 1.5 hours after the power failure! 4 Emergency lighting must emit 1 FC at any point in the building! 5 Emergency lighting must emit 0.1 FC along the emergency exit path at floor level! 6 Maximum to minimum illumination uniformity cannot exceed a ration of 40 to 1! 7 Emergency lighting must be provided automatically in the event of a power failure! 8 Exits must be marked with approved illuminated signs that are visible at all points on the ! evacuation path! 9 The word EXIT must have letters that are at least 6 inches high and 3/4 inches wide! 10 Exit signs must be illuminated by a reliable light source - even when electricity fails! In order to comply with these conditions adequate emergency lights were placed in each space on a case by case basis and the egress paths were lit with emergency exit signage. A backup generator was also included in order for this to allow to occur when the power ceases to exist.!
Figure 6.5.5! Lobby Spaces! The lobby area receives a great deal of natural illumination, and only really needs artificial illumination to light the portion of the room nearest the auditorium space. The remaining luminaires which were placed in the room help to counteract the mass amour of gore which would be present from the light pouring in the front apertures.
LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER
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! 6.8 Lighting System Controls! !
Lighting control systems are systems which allow building operators to control the lighting of various spaces based on the requirements of the spaces including variables such as time, occupancy, daylight availability, and alarm conditions. These systems are typically used to maximize the energy savings of a lighting system and comply with green building and energy conservation programs. In our building, time, occupancy, and especially daylight availability are controls which would be helpful to maximize the performance of the lighting. In terms of time, the lights could easily be dimmed during the day due to the mass amount of natural daylight received to many of the spaces. The lights could then be turned on to full power at night to meed the illumination requirements of the spaces. In terms of occupancy, these controls could be effective in dimming or turning out the lights when certain spaces are not occupied. This could be particularly useful in spaces such as the auditorium where it is not always used, or in the offices where workers may leave earlier than the time the building closes. In terms of daylight availability, a control system could be extraordinarily useful. If a CIE overcast sky condition is present, the building may not receive the daylighting illuminance expected and may require a greater contribution from the artificial lighting system in those instances. Consequently, if a great deal of natural daylighting is present in a clear sky condition, the lights could be dimmed greatly, or even off in some instances. !
! 6.9 Building Performance Comparison! !
The architecture 2030 challenge states that in order to meet the energy reduction targets, the following must be achieved:! 1 Appropriate planning and passive design strategies! 2 improved material selection, building envelope design, more efficient lighting, and appliances! 3 on site and community scale renewable energy technologies! In this building, the appropriate steps were taken to make passive design a priority, and then allow the artificial lighting system to act as a complement. These steps and the implementation of a building lighting system control will allow for an efficient lighting system which meets these standards set forth by the architecture 2030 challenge
Figure 6.5.6 [below left]! Figure 6.5.7 [below right]! Auditorium and Museum Spaces [respectively] ! The auditorium space receives a fair amount of natural light from both the front and rear of the space, which diffuses into the near center of the space. The museum spaces, meanwhile, receive very little light from the exterior which is diffused as possible, and rely mostly on architectural and focal lighting to emphasize the needed art pieces. Too much light placed in the wrong places can significanly harm the appearance and effectiveness of spaces such as these.
6 [4] || LIGHTING DESIGN! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER !
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6.10 Building Floor Plans Ground Floor Plan!
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6.11 Building Space Light Renderings
Figure 6.6.1! Notes:! Light is evenly distributed throughout the room via 7 luminares placed in the space.
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Figure 6.6.2! Notes:! Light is evenly distributed throughout the room via 8 luminares placed in the space.
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Figure 6.6.3! Notes:! Light is evenly distributed throughout the room via 8 luminares placed in the space.
Figure 6.6.4! Notes:! Light is evenly distributed throughout the room via 6 luminares placed in the space.
Figure 6.6.4! Notes:! Light is evenly distributed throughout the room via 8 luminares placed in the space.
7 [1] || ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER
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7.1 Electrical System Design!
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The main design of our electrical system consisted of logically organizing each run of lights or receptacles per proximity groupings and then routing them back to one of three electrical panels, two for lighting and one for receptacles. We had to cut back our lighting design to make sure that each light did not exceed 120v so that the electrical runs could properly connect to each respective panel. Areas such as the offices and auditorium required a greater number of receptacles so as to handle the increased use loads for various electronics. Also considered in our design, GFCI receptacles were placed in both the kitchen and bathroom per the code requirements. Overall, we gained valuable insight into the inter-workings of electrical systems and a better understanding of how to properly and seamlessly integrate such systems into coherent, sustainable architectural designs able to efficiently support and sustain one another.!
! 7.2 Lighting Fixture Schedule! !See Figure 7.2.1 & Figure 7.2.2 and corresponding notes! ! 7.3 Electrical Load! !Cafe: 15 x 150W! ! =! 2250W! Kitchen: 15 x 80W! ! Conference: 6 x 80W! ! Bathrooms: 10 x 150W! Retail: 4 x 96W! ! Offices: 6 x 80W! ! Retail: 10 x 80W! ! Lobby: 5 x 160W! ! Total: ! ! ! ! Emergency Load:! !
=! =! =! =! =! =! =! =! =!
1200W! 480W! 1500W! 384W! 480W! 800W! 800W! 7894W! 658W!
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! approx. 1 / every 12 luminaires will be an emergency back up light! 7.4 Electrical Wiring System! !See Figure 7.4.1 and corresponding notes! ! 7.5 Electrical Panel Boards! !See Figure 7.5.1 , 7.5.2 , & 7.5.3 and corresponding notes! ! 7.6 Power Receptacles and Motors! !See Figure 7.6.1 and corresponding notes! ! 7.7 Emergency Power Generator! !
This building has an emergency power generator, but only to power the emergency lights and exit signs to meet code as discussed in section 6.7 of chapter 6: Lighting Design. As this building requires around 700W to power all of the emergency equipment, a generator of 700W capacity and 3/4 horsepower will be placed within the electrical room to allow for this to occur if the power were to go out and occupants needed to evacuate the building. ! 7894W total load x 1/12 = 658W emergency load [assume 723.8W (10% increase adjustment)] ! 723.8W / 932 horsepower conversion = 0.776hp [assume 0.8hp]
Figure 7.2.1! Fixture Schedule 1! This fixture schedule is for all of the lighting fixtures which were placed in connection with the Lighting 1 panel in the mechanical room. This includes the lighting fixtures housed within the cafe, kitchen, conference rooms, bathrooms, retail spaces, and offices.
7 [2] || ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER
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Figure 7.2.1! Fixture Schedule 1 continued!
Figure 7.4.1! Electrical Wiring System
Figure 7.2.2! Fixture Schedule 2! This fixture schedule is for all of the lighting fixtures which were placed in connection with the Lighting 2 panel in the mechanical room. This includes the lighting fixtures housed within the offices, retail spaces, and lobbies.
Notes:! The layout of the electrical wiring system for the ground floor of the Los Angeles Information Center is shown above. As can be seen, the luminaires are laid out in a way such that each room is nearly on its own run. The exceptions to this is cases such as the enclosed parking garage, where there were so many lights that multiple runs were necessary, and in the offices, where there were instances that multiple rooms were able to be wired together due to a lesser number of lights required in each of those spaces. Each run has a home run which can be seen on the plan above as well, and extends towards the mechanical / electrical room located in the northwest most corner shown.
7 [3] || ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER ! Figure 7.5.1! Electrical Panel Board: Lighting 1
Figure 7.5.2! Electrical Panel Board: Lighting 2
Notes:! This panel schedule corresponds to lighting fixture schedule 1 and is for all of the lighting fixtures which were placed in connection with the Lighting 1 panel in the mechanical room. This includes the lighting fixtures housed within the cafe, kitchen, conference rooms, bathrooms, retail spaces, and offices. As can be seen, the panel schedule is balanced based on the total load [in volt-amps, or watts]. This allows for each of the poles of electricity to be equally loaded down, while ensuring none of the poles are overloaded causing breakers to blow in the system and the electricity to be cut off until the breaker is flipped. This panel reached its capacity with the lighting fixtures connected to it, and a second panel for lighting was needed to be added.
Notes:! This panel schedule corresponds to lighting fixture schedule 2 and is for all of the lighting fixtures which were placed in connection with the Lighting 2 panel in the mechanical room. This includes the lighting fixtures housed within the offices, retail spaces, and lobbies. As can be seen, the panel schedule is balanced based on the total load [in volt-amps, or watts]. This allows for each of the poles of electricity to be equally loaded down, while ensuring none of the poles are overloaded causing breakers to blow in the system and the electricity to be cut off until the breaker is flipped. This panel was a secondary panel to the lighting 1 panel, and housed those fixtures which would have caused panel 1 to overload.
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! 7 [4] || ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! Figure 7.5.3! Electrical Panel Board: Receptacle 1
Figure 7.6.1! Power Receptacles Layout
Notes:! This panel schedule connects with all of the receptacles present on the ground floor of the Los Angeles Information Center. The load requirements for the receptacles are actually higher than those in the lighting panel schedules due to the anticipated possible loads of the appliances which could be plugged into those receptacles. This panel schedule was then balanced in the same way as the lighting panel schedule with each pole of electricity being given an equal load so as to not overload any one electrical pole.
Notes:! The layout of the electrical receptacle system was done using the same logic as was used to lay out the lighting runs. The ground floor was subdivided into rooms and receptacle runs were generated. This was done because receptacles within the same rooms are likely to be exposed to the same types of loads. For example, those receptacles placed in the offices are likely to be running office appliances such as computers, paper shredders, and telephones, while those receptacles located in the bathrooms must be GFCI rated and are likely to be operating appliances such as hand dryers.
7 [5] || ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER
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7.8 Main Electrical Room Diagram!
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Figure 7.8.1! Electrical Room Detail Diagram!
! ! 7.9 Effect of Electrical and Lighting Performance Improvement on Design! !
The improvement of electrical and lighting performance had a somewhat limited role in the design of our electrical and lighting layouts. While less lights were required at a lower voltage than used to be the case, the same logic was used to lay out the runs as would have been used in the past to do the same thing. Vast improvements have been made in the industry, such as the ability to adequately illuminate the entirety of our Information Center using only 120V lights, saving greatly by not needing to run a 277V line into the building and allowing for a step-down to occur exterior of the building. This helps by requiring less step down transformers within the building and at the panels, keeping costs down and electricity metering at a minimum. !
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The panels and runs were sized in a manner consistent with the idea that future additional loads will be required, so space must be left on them so as to not overload them in the future when those needs come to fruition. This will also help in the future by not needing to go back and retrofitting a system to work which is not designed to do so.
Figure 7.8.2! Building Key Plan w/ Electrical Room Callout
Notes:! The electrical room was located nearest the mechanical room where it could feed the major mechanical HVAC components and also where it could efficiently be stacked vertically with the floors above through the electrical and mechanical closets located adjacent to the elevator shaft.
8 [1] || WATER SUPPLY AND WASTE SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER
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Figure 8.1.1! Ground Floor Plumbing Plan
8.1 Water Supply Design!
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The water supply system was designed in such a way so as to efficiently supply the public restrooms on the ground and platform level floors with the necessary water to run all of the fixtures housed within. In order to accomplish this water was brought in from the city public line at the street and led to the bathrooms on the first floor where it fed all of the fixtures present in the bathroom there. The pipe was then fed upward to the second floor, run horizontally until meeting the interstitial space between the mens and women's bathrooms, and then fed those fixtures as well. Figures 8.1.1 and 8.1.2 show the layout of the plans in order to allow this occur and figures 8.9.1 - 8.9.3 show the stack riser diagrams and the individualized bathroom layout. Where the feeding of water to fixtures occurs, water is supplied from above the fixture and gravity fed. This helps to maintain the required pressure to operate the fixtures.!
City Water In
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This design was also completed in conjunction with the International Plumbing Code, Table 403.1 as follows:! ! Ground Floor! - Use Group 1! ! ! Assembly A2, 1 per 75 male and female! ! Platform Floor - Use Group 2! ! ! Assembly A3 - 1 per 125 male and 65 female!
! 8.2 Supply Fixtures! !
As required by Table 403.1 of the International Plumbing Code and explained above, the following fixtures were placed:! ! Ground floor fixtures:! ! ! 4 Toilets [f], 2 Toilets [m], 2 Urinals [m]! ! Platform level fixtures:! ! ! 4 Toilets [f], 2 Toilets [m], 2 Urinals [m]! ! Other Restroom fixtures [both floors]! ! ! 3 Sinks [f], 3 sinks [m], 2 Drinking Fountains [per ADAAG]!
! 8.3 Supply Fixture Units! ! Fixture! Toilets!! Sinks! ! Fountains! Urinals!
No. / Fl.! 6! ! 6! ! 2! ! 2! !
Floors!! 2! ! 2! ! 2! ! 2! !
Total No.! 12! ! 12! ! 4! ! 4! !
Flow Rate/ Fixture! 5 gpm!! ! 1 gpm!! ! 0.5 gpm! ! 2 gpm!! !
Total Flow Rate! 60 gpm! 12 gpm! 2 gpm! 4 gpm!
! Based on the above tabulated calculation, the total water flow rate for the building is 82 gpm. ! ! 8.4 Pipe Sizes and Location! !
A 4� diameter pipe with a 1/8� slope was used. These pipes are located in the interstitial space between the innermost walls of the mens and women's bathrooms. Additional adequate space was provided there in order for this to occur between the walls both horizontally and vertically. See figure 8.1.1 and figure 8.1.2 for additional information on the pipe locations. !
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Figure 8.1.2! Platform Level Plumbing Plan
See Figure 8.9.3 for! Bathroom Layout Detail
Waste Water Out
8 [2] || WATER SUPPLY AND WASTE SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER
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8.5 Booster Pump Specifications!
Figure 8.9.1! Building Plumbing Riser Diagram
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Pressure requirement for farthest fixture: 5 gpm —> 20 psi to maintain! Developed length: 214’ - 0”! Equivalent length: 107’ - 0”! Total equivalent length: 321’ - 0”! Pressure loss due to friction: 321’-0” x .15 = 48.15 psi! Pressure loss due to elevation: 10’-0” x .433 = 4.33 psi! Required fixture pressure: 20 psi! Pressure at street main: 50 psi! Total pressure loss: 72.48 psi [-22.48 psi]! Pressure drop / 100 ft: 22.58 psi / 100 ft! Size of pump: 10 pound pump to make up 22.48 psi pressure difference @ 5 fpm!
! 8.6 Water Waste System Design! !
Figure 8.9.2! Single Bathroom Riser Diagram
The waste water system was designed in conjunction with the water supply system. Each of the fixtures required for water supply must, consequently, be accounted for in the waste water aspect of the design. Waste water piping is placed below the fixtures in elevation to allow for gravity to help pressurize the lines and assure constant movement within the lines when flushing or operating the fixtures. !
! 8.7 Drainage Fixture Units! ! ! ! ! ! !
Fixture! Toilets!! Sinks! ! Fountains! Urinals!
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DFU / Fixture!! 4! ! ! 2! ! ! 0.5! ! ! 2! ! !
Minimum Trap! 1 1/2”! ! ! 1 1/2”! ! ! 1 1/2”! ! ! 1 1/2”! ! !
No./ Fl!! 6! ! 6! ! 2! ! 2! !
Total DFU! 48! 24! 1! 4!
! Based on the above tabulated calculation, the total DFU for the building is 81 DFU.! ! 8.8 Size and Slope of Pipes! ! Maximum DFU connected to stack: 81 DFU! A 4” pipe with an 1/8” slope can handle up to 180 DFU! Use a 4” diameter pipe with an 1/8” slope. !
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Figure 8.9.3! Bathroom Layout Detail!
! 8.9 Plumbing System Illustration! !
Notes:! The bathrooms were organized in such a way to optimize the efficiency of the plumbing. The fixtures present in each of the bathrooms were placed along the same wall and the interstitial space between them was utilized to house the piping to allow the fixtures to function. Similar fixtures were also placed across from one and other so that the same loads would be present on either side of the supply and waste pipes, hopefully streamlining the pressure requirements at each portion of pipe along the stack and maintaining continuity.
Due to the large amount of horizontal travel distance between the restrooms, the smallest amount of slope possible is desires as to not increase the interstitial space. !
See Figure 8.9.1 and 8.9.2 for the riser diagrams of the plumbing system, and Figure 8.9.3 for the plan of the bathroom layout placed on each floor.
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8 [3] || WATER SUPPLY AND WASTE SYSTEMS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER! 8.10 Drainage System Design!
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Stack size constraints! Building Height: 40’-0”! Total vented fixture units: 81 DFU! A 3” waste/ vent stack can handle up to 102 DFU with a maximum developed length of 86’-0”! Use a 4” diameter waste/vent stack for a 46’-0” developed vertical height. ! Although a 3” diameter waste pipe size would have been sufficient, the pipe was increased to a 4” diameter pipe because waste pipes should not decrease in size at any point in its journey through the building, as this can affect the pressure within the pipe and the system on a greater level. !
Figure 8.11.1! Storm Water Remediation - Roof Plan
! 8.11 Storm Water System Design! !
The storm water system was designed based on the existing climatic conditions of Los Angeles and the roof drain requirements. This building required 2 roof drains be placed to shed water from the roof structure. This was achieved by placing the roof drains along wet column locations both on the north most and south most sides of the building. Each portion of the roof is then designed to slope gently toward those drains. Overflow drains are also provided near the location of the actual drains in the event one of the drains clogs and is unable to rid the roof surface of water. This water is carried vertically out of the building beneath the foundation and then hooks in with the public sewer system to carry away the storm water. The conditions of the area and the sizing of the storm water system is as follows:! Conditions:! ! Rainfall rate: 2.1” / hour [assume 3” / hour]! ! Area of roof: 8500 sq. ft. ! Size of leaders:! ! 5” drain leader is required [per table 20.8 of Grondzik et. al]! Horizontal rainwater piping:! ! 6” pipe at 1/4” per foot slope [per table 20.9 of Grondzik et. al]! Please refer to figure 8.11.1 for additional information regarding the layout of roof drains. !
Overflow Drain Location Roof Drain @ Wet Column Roof Valley Roof Ridge
! 8.12 Water Conservation! !
Overview:! The Los Angeles Welcome Center uses a lot of water for spaces other than the restrooms, notably for for the kitchen/market and food preparation program. The use of this water is mainly for cleaning purposes, resulting in a high amount of grey water waste. Potable water will be necessary for drinking fountains, cooking, and some cleaning. The climate of Los Angeles receives a fair amount of rain during winter months but in general is dry, meaning that some rainwater may be collected, but not used as a reliable source.! Grey Water Collection:! California already has a system of grey water distribution known as “purple pipe” which buildings can tap into for supply. Water from this pipe along with rain water which may be collected in a cistern from the storm water system could be used to service building cleaning (notably the large raised piazza), toilets, janitors sinks, etc.! Black Water Treatment:! Another option for handling black water and creating more grey water is to use a passive sanitary system such as a living machine to break down waste and filter out solids. The resulting grey water could then be reintroduced back into the system. The living machine could also double as a storm water runoff system, helping to slow the drainage of heavy rains, which could potentially overflow the sewer in such a dry climate.!
Notes: ! On the roof, water slopes away from the highest point, the roof ridge, and towards the drains along the roof valleys. The roof drains are placed at wet column location so as to allow for the ridding of water from the interior of the building after it is drained vertically to the below grade public sewer system.
9 || SYSTEM INTEGRATION! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER OVERVIEW! 
 The HVAC, Plumbing, Electric, and Lighting systems all integrate both horizontally across floors through interstitial space, but also vertically through a mechanical shaft and plumbing stack. Systems are concentrated around the major ground floor mechanical room and air handling units above, and them stem out to cover the outlying spaces. With the integration of a structural frame, however, it is possible that systems may need rerouted and adjusted. Were all systems taken into account at the inception of the design, we likely would have determined the structural grid first, and then integrated our systems from there. Were systems such as plumbing taken into account at the beginning of the design process, we also would have made the design more conducive to an efficient plumbing stack, as well as a place to hide the air handling units from view. The exercise as a whole provided a lesson that while these systems are only a small part of the puzzle and should not drive design, the design of a high performance building should be conscious of the building systems with every decision made in order to create a seamless addition and to conserve the most amount of energy. !
! CONFLICT AVOIDANCE! !
In order to avoid conflict of systems as the weeks went by, we used our ceiling to create! a sort of grid. By running everything within this grid instead of haphazardly above the ceiling,! we were able to add new systems without the need to make many adjustments at all. One of! the challenges we faced was making sure that everything fit within the depth! of the interstitial space in the event that one system had to go above or! below another. In the case of the plumbing system, the waste pipe is! required to slope in order to promote run-off. Because of the! locations of our bathrooms, the waste pipe needed to! make a long horizontal run, creating a substantial ! amount of depth. In general, however, the ! rectilinear design of the buildings and! rooms allowed us to operate on! a grid, making system! integration simple.! !
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GROUND FLOOR INTEGRATED CEILING PLAN!
HVAC!
LIGHTING!
PLUMBING! ELECTRICAL!
10 || CONCLUSIONS! LOS ANGELES INFORMATION CENTER 10.1 Net-Zero Energy and Carbon Neutrality!
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In the opinion of our group, the idea of constructing a net-zero energy building is far more desirable than meeting carbon neutrality. While carbon is an effective measuring tool of the effect of a building on the overall environment, it is only one iteration of many various measurements which could be taken and could become less relevant depending on a case by case basis. For instance, our group, and many others, found that when doing calculations on the building skin and glazing early on in this process, the returns of installing better and better skins may have continued to produce better results in terms of thermal qualities and energy savings, but carbon off gassing eventually met diminishing returns. In general, buildings are the biggest offenders of CO2 emissions on the planet, off gassing around 40% of all carbon. This carbon cannot all be attributed to the building though, as some is given off at the building and some is given off at the source. The idea of net-zero requires a much more holistic approach to environmental design and has a better set of priorities. Net-Zero Energy is based on a balanced 1 year production versus consumption on site of the building and is the best environmental design typology to strive for. This type of design allows for a multi-step approach to reach net-zero. These steps are as follows:! ! 1 Passive Design! ! 2 Utilizing Adjacencies! ! 3 High Efficiency Mechanical Systems! ! 4 Fuel Types and Locations! ! 5 Utilizing Landscape! ! 6 Using Renewables! Only after all other possibilities have been exhausted does Net-Zero Energy Design rely on the use of items such as photovoltaic panels to recoup some of the losses that are still present. !
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Based on the experiences had while completing this building design process, designing a net-zero energy building is not as difficult as it once seemed. If careful care is taken to ensure the building is properly oriented, skinned, and planned to meet the desirable conditions of the location it is to be placed in, an energy reduction of up to 60% can be met just in the passive design step alone. By then utilizing any possible adjacencies present, and designing the systems to be building integrated and efficient across multiple system disciplines, building energy reduction can be reached of upwards of 90%, leaving only 10% to be made up for by renewable means. This type of design can be achieved, and as such should be strived for in the future designs of our projects to prepare ourselves for compliance with the Architecture 2030 challenge and the overall improvement of the built and non built environments of the world. !
! 10.2 General Lessons, Successes, Difficulties! !
The greatest lesson learnt from the process of designing this building to be environmentally sound is how to create a building that operates on an integrated system. Integrating building systems with one an other, as opposed to making them work against each other, can greatly increase the efficiency of buildings and make them more successful ventures overall. This will be particularly important when completing the integrated design competition next semester in studio, and we look forward to utilizing and building on the knowledge basis we have learned here about how to start to accomplish this.
Some of our greatest successes came in the processes of the lighting design when we were using the Elum tools plugin for revit to generate renderings and analysis diagrams to meet illumination requirements. We were able to utilize daylighting to its potential and then offset the disadvantageous glare by supplementing the room with artificial lighting. This artificial lighting was also designed to meet the requirements for illumination after dusk. We also found great success in the construction of the reflected ceiling plans: managing the systems well to make sure they did not interfere with one and other. !
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Some of our greatest difficulties arose in the generation of data early on in the process, such as in the selection of materials through the apache simulations in VE. !
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Overall, this was a useful learning experience which we found a relative amount of success with in our attempts and these simulations will continue to benefit us in the future.