A. Waldron Environmental Portfolio

ENVIRONMENTAL PORTFOLIO

SPRING 2022 ALEXIS WALDRON

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 01- INTRODUCTION 1 SECTION 02- COTE BUILDING 3 SECTION 03- ANALYSIS 22 SECTION 04- PRECEDENCE 27 SECTION 05- CLIMATE 34 SECTION 06- BIBLIOGRAPHY 53

BIO

ALEXIS WALDRON

LOCATION Central Square, New York

EDUCATION

Onondaga Community College Syracuse, NY

Alfred State College Alfred, NY

EXPERIENCE

Architectural Designer (3 Years)

INTERESTS

> Equestrian Sports (Hunter

Jumping and show Jumping)

> Social Media Marketing

My name is Alexis Waldron, I graduated with an Associates in Architecture from Onondaga Community college in 2020. Following Graduation I transfered for one semester at Alfred state during fall 2020. I found myself Leaning more towards the BAC as i was studying at Alfred, and decided that it would be a better fit

I am currently in the pursuit of finding an internship or a job at and architectural firm to fulfill my degree program at the BAC.

Boston Architectural College Boston, MA

CARBON & ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

For my ecological footprint the majority of my consumption came from shelter and food. My ecological footprint is 8.2% and my carbon footprint is 15.7 tons.

SOLUTION

Back when I commuted to college it may have been a bit higher given that car was the only way i could get to my classes. Now that i am an Online student i have more efficiency since i do not have to drive

As much. My house is also a 1980 build so the efficiency is a bit dated, we are slowly renovating to make it more efficient by updating windows, soon we will be updating the attic insulation to prevent heat loss, and using natural ventilation when possible. Unfortunately the area that i live in does not have a great walk or bike score, so to improve transportation admissions i have a car with good gas mileage.

IMAGE: Ecological Footprint

IMAGE: Carbon Footprint Calculator

IMAGE: Carbon Footprint Calculator

COTE SUPER SPREADSHEET

INTEGRATION

The big idea for integration of design and sustainability of my project mainly focuses on the ecology due to the site location on Nahant, MA being a hot spot for Bird and marine life migration. Some ideas of ecology that I would incorporate into my design are a connection to nature, bio-climatic and passive design, climate appropriate design, attention to water level rise due to climate change, and biodiversity.

Being that Nahant is a small break of land it came to me as a surprise that most of the peninsula is Dependant on cars

Following a bit of research i discovered that most who live on Nahant commute inland for work.

While Nahant is decently bike able and walkable for those seeking to travel within the peninsula.

This location on the site plays an important roll on migratory birds so that the biodiversity maintains native plants and vegetation. this is an important factor in the proposed design

The Site which is locate on Nahant, MA is a rather hilly and tree filled site, there is an existing walking path between the two slopes and a walking path in the trees up to the edge of the peninsula at the rocky cliff.

By looking at the key, you can see that a majority of the sections spend a decent amount of time in the middle with a few that are above average and below average.

Over all i am decently impressed with the results of the COTE super spreadsheet, while there are things that need improvement i have a valuable skill to take with me into future projects in practice in regards to designing ahead of time for sustainability

In conclusion to the COTE super spreadsheet in regards to the results, there are some things that could use improvement and there are other things that average out in a nice percentage.

IMAGE: Baileys Point View

EAST POINT

NAHANT, MA

The proposed design of an Oceanographic Research Center in which the COTE spreadsheet is base off of is located on East point, Nahant, MA. Nahant (once an Island) is a peninsula connected to Massachusetts by a man -made causeway.

The specific site where the design will take place is on a hilly walking path that brings its residents to the ocean view point. The edges of the site are rigid and rocky, while the land is sandy. Some concerns for this location revolves around sea level rise and the lands impact on its native bird species.

IMAGE: Map of Nahant

ENVIRONMENTAL

NAHANT, MA

CLIMATE

AND CLIMATE

ANALYSIS

Being that Boston is a temperate climate temperature range is moderate

Winds come from the south west in the winter and east wind in the summer.

Precipitation by month has small fluctuations throughout the year

IMAGE: Weather and Climate.com

SITE AXONOMETRIC NAHANT, MA

TERRAIN

The site in which this design takes place has a very hilly topography making the design process a bit more challenging when it comes to grading

Both of the hills located on the site have a generous dip in elevation.

The existing topography makes for great viewing of the ocean

HYDROLOGY

Nahant is a peninsula that used to be an island, so flooding and sea level rise has always been a concern for those who reside here.

a solution to help prevent or reduce flooding is utilizing the existing vegetation and reducing residential overgrowth.

VEGETATION

The existing vegetation on this site is dense on top of the hills and it clears out in the valley between them and also clears out by the shore line

the trees play an important role in the control of flooding and soil stability.

SOLAR ACCESS

During the summer solstice on June 21st the sun reaches an altitude of 71 degrees at noon

During the winter solstice on Dec. 21st the sun reaches an altitude of 24 degrees at noon

REGIONAL AND HISTORIC PRECEDENCE

NAHANT, MA

The site in which this project takes place is located on east point, Nahant, MA. The histories of this location dates back to the early 1800’s, starting from land usage for cattle sheep and goats, and also wildlife such as birds including water fowl.

More land was cleared later in the 1800’s and more residencies and hotels were built, transportation from Boston and Salem by steam boat was made more regular, and people who occupied the island at the time strictly enjoyed fishing and boating.

Nahant is a mostly rocky island that was turned into a peninsula by a man made cause way down the line in its history.

One thing that has been consistent throughout Nahant’s history is the value of land preservation as it is a stopping point for many migratory birds and ocean dwelling animals. A large part of the shorelines in Nahant are also used by native birds as laying grounds for new offspring. Most of Nahant during this time in history was occupied by Bostons elite.

IMAGE: East Point Ridge

IMAGE: Historic Interpretation of Nahant

REGIONAL AND HISTORIC PRECEDENCE

ARCHITECTURE, ARTS, AND CRAFTS

Over the course of Nahant’s history many valuable artifacts that display the richness of its community were left behind.

Among the many paintings that have been collected there is also the modeled ship by Winthrop Taylor Hodges. Whom spent ten years crafting this ship to represent fond memories of sailing in the area.

On top of the many Communal pieces that have been collected over the years there are also a collection of gifts that have been graced to Nahant.

Above is an example of the many oil and water color paintings and etches that are on display at the Nahant historical society

These paintings catch an essence of the moment over Nahant’s history

Winthrop was the first of the many light house keepers lcated and Egrock which was a lighthouse funded in the mid 1800’s after an accident had occurred.

Above is a anonymous restored statue of the lowland Buddha, a Jizo Bostatsu, that reached nahant through the estate of George Abbott James and his wife lily on East Point, Nahant.

IMAGE: Painting of Beach House IMAGE: Ship Scale Model IMAGE: Buddha Statue

REGIONAL MATERIALS

NAHANT, MA

As mentioned before, Nahant was an island transformed into a peninsula through a man made causeway. Since nahant is a peninsula the majority of regional materials sourced within 100 miles are rock, sand, trees and grasslands.

Withe the outer edges of Nahant being rocky cliffs and other parts of the shoreline being sandy beaches, the rest of nahant is grassy land and wooded land.

Being that the causeway is connected to Massachusetts, transportation of materials off land is not an issue, also Nahant is closely located north to Boston Via boat, as well as Maine, and New York City being within a close vicinity.

Nahant is currently under and attempt to limit land residential overuse

Since Nahant Is mostly rock and sand building may be deemed as a challenge but not impossible, also including the fact that parts of nahant are under risk of flooding due to sea level rise.

IMAGE:

Baileys Point Ridge

IMAGE: East Point pavilion

ECONOMIC HISTORY

INITIATIVES, POPULATION, AND INCOME

Nahant in its historic years was a summer retreat for Bostons elite. Now Nahant is a prime location for those seeking to escape the busy city environment without being from far reach.

The people who reside here mainly enjoy surfing, fishing, boating and many other water involved activities and they cherish the native wildlife.

The median age of those who live in Nahant are 52, along with this the median household income is $97,778.

98.1% of Nahant are from the United states.

The average commute time for people living in Nahant is 39.5 minutes, and the average car ownership is 2 cars per household.

The majority of people who live on Nahant have some form of ownership of a home or property, not many people rent.

Given that Nahant is a small island, many people commute further distances to their jobs, and out of those people a majority of those people drive alone while a select amount of people commute via public transportation.

IMAGE: East Point Light House

ECONOMIC HISTORY

INITIATIVES, POPULATION, AND INCOME

IMAGE: Average Salary

IMAGE: Native to Nahant

ECONOMIC HISTORY

INITIATIVES, POPULATION, AND INCOME

IMAGE: Median Household Income IMAGE: Age

WALK SCORE

IMAGE: Baileys Point path

IMAGE: Walk Score

The design that I am proposing to do for this semester is going to connect culturally, materialistically, and physically to the communities around it by taking in account the wildlife that the local community cherishes on Nahant.

Through this design I want to test the abilities of building without destroying the ecosystem around it and make it a building of use for humans and also the wildlife surrounding it. My design will promote alternative human-powered transportation by providing more bike storage and bike routes surrounding it.

CLIMATE CONSULTANT : SUN SHADING CHART BOSTON, MA

EAST SUN SHADING STRATEGY

Maintaining a 35 degree angle to shade in the summer months and allowing about 5 hours of sun exposure

WEST SUN SHADING STRATEGY

The same as east facade strategy by maintaining a 35 degree angle while allowing 5 hours of sun exposure.

CLIMATE CONSULTANT : SUN SHADING CHART

BOSTON, MA

NORTH SUN SHADING STRATEGY

Since the north facade receives the least amount of light, but still receives 2 hours of sunlight by having a higher angle at 50 degrees

SOUTH SUN SHADING STRATEGY

The south facade receives the longest amount of sun exposure in the summer so shading by using a lower angle at 20 degrees is important for a comfortable environment.

CLIMATE CONSULTANT : PSYCHOMETRIC CHART BOSTON, MA

DESIGN STRATEGIES

SUN SHADING AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE

DIRECT GAIN: HEAT STORAGE

Direct heat gain is a strong strategy to use in temperate climates like Boston where the majority of the year is spent in temperatures under 65 degrees. Direct heat gain stores energy (heat) in masses such as slate or concrete during the day and slowly releases at night.

INDIRECT GAIN: SUN SPACE

Indirect heat gain through a sun space is another strong and common design strategy that is used in temperate climates. a sun space acts as a green house by trapping energy (heat) in a glazed space, this energy is then transferred to other spaces through wall openings, windows and doors

DESIGN

CALCULATIONS

Considering that this projects is still in the design process it is hard to say with exact data, but i will do my best.

Another part of this design consists of regraded marsh land in which the buildings will be posted on to of.

Part of my design is split into to three separate buildings for an oceanographic research center, an the living areas are all separate to each other like apartments. All in all i would have to say at this moment roughly about 15% of this design is hallways, so not much to begin with, but that may change as it progresses

This means that the majority of traffic flow happens outside and the interior space can be consolidated as much as possible.

LABORATORY 750SF CONFRENCE/PRESENTATION 300SF

LABORATORY 750SF

DESIGN FOR ECONOMY

HEAT MAP

DAY

During the day time on the site where the project is taking place the shade is provided where the trees are more dense.

NIGHT

During the night as the heat that has been stored is released it is insulated by the dense areas of trees, and areas along the beach line cool down.

HOT

WARM COOL

SQUARE FOOT CALCULATIONS

BOX PLOT DIAGRAM CONCRETE MANUFACTURER COMPARISON CONCRETE

BOX PLOT

MANUFACTURER COMPARISON

In this diagram for the EC3 box plot for concrete comparison we can see that the kgCO2e embodied per 1 yd3 is at a conservative level roughly around 228, it is below the 2021 CLF Baseline.

In this diagram for the EC3 manufacturer comparison for concrete we can see that the consistency through out the different types of concrete are pretty stable, ranging between 314 and 405, meeting the CLF baseline

PLANT OR PLANT GROUP COMPARISON CONCRETE

PRODUCT COMPARISON

CONCRETE

PLANT OR PLANT GROUP

In this diagram for the EC3 plant or plant group comparison for concrete we can see that minus one type of concrete the range of embodied carbon is much lower that the CLF baseline

PLANT OR PLANT GROUP

In this diagram for the EC3 product comparison for concrete we can see that again the levels of the embodied carbon throughout the different types of concrete all meeting the baseline.

BOX PLOT DIAGRAM WOOD MANUFACTURER COMPARISON WOOD BOX PLOT

In this diagram for the EC3 box plot for wood we can see that the kgCO2e embodied per 1 yd3 it is also at a conservative level with the max being just short of it. It is at the threshold of the CLF baseline as well

The achievable number of embodied carbon is at 110.7 kgCO2e.

MANUFACTURER COMPARISON

In this diagram for the EC3 manufacturer comparison for wood we can see that throughout the comparison of different types of wood the range of embodied carbon fluctuates drastically

The CLF baseline is at 308kgCO2e

PLANT OR PLANT GROUP COMPARISON WOOD

PRODUCT COMPARISON

WOOD

PLANT OR PLANT GROUP

In this diagram for the EC3 plan or plant group comparison for wood we can see that again just like in the manufacturer comparison that throughout the comparison of different types of wood the range of embodied carbon fluctuates drastically and the baseline is at 308kgCO2e.

PRODUCT COMPARISON

In this diagram for the EC3 product comparison for wood we can see that the embodied CO2 throughout the different types of wood that it mostly has lower levels of embodied carbon minus the first two products.

With the first product being at 288kgCO2e just about reaching that baseline, and the following product being at 276kgCO2e.

SUMMARY

In the GWP Sankey chart for my building the foundation and the substructures in comparison to the wood and concrete are just about equal in regards to the materials chosen.

SUMMARY

The building total reduction, concrete reduction, and wood reduction in the LEED bar chart for my building are significantly lower for the achievable aspect in comparison to realized and CLF baseline.

SUMMARY

In the results per life cycle stage, itemized by division chart, we can see that the data shows that for the wood report its about 50% in maintenance and replacement stage, about 30% in the product stage, and ranging at 50-10% in the end of life cycle stage.

Post analysis of this report i can see that wood would spend most of its time in product and maintenance phase because wood is a generally reliable material and has been used as a building staple for centuries through countless countries.

SUMMARY

In the report for the wood study in tally the graphs and charts show information regarding the whole floor ensemble. The calculation methodology in the report for this study it shows that in the results per life cycle stage by itemized division that this material spends most of its time at around 50% in the Use category of maintenance and replacement while the other half is spent in the product stage in regards to the extraction, transportation and manufacturing of the material. In the second chart of results per life cycle stage we can see that its global warming potential pays a lot of attention, 58% in the end of life stage, such as demo, transportation, waste processing, and disposal.

SUMMARY

In the concrete study report in tally the charts uncover information about its lifecycle and which percentages it spends in each cycle, including the global warming potential for the material based on the flooring ensemble of the building. For this study in the first chart, we can see that concrete spends about 95% of its time across the graph in the end of life cycle phase in its life cycle report.

Concrete as we know has a tendency to crack and weather particularly unwell in fluctuating climates such as our own.

On the flip side it also spends about 2% in the product phase of extraction, transportation and manufacturing.

TALLY

SUMMARY

Concrete is not as able to be used as a recycled material as the opposing assembly in the wood study above since it has to be produced in a specific manner and installed under careful conditions.

“Nahant, Massachusetts.” Flood Factor. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://floodfactor.com/city/nahant-massachusetts/2543615_fsid.

“Climate and Average Monthly Weather in Boston (Massachusetts), United States of America.” World Weather & Climate Information. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://weatherand-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,Boston,United-States-of-America.

“Climate and Average Monthly Weather in Boston (Massachusetts), United States of America.” World Weather & Climate Information. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://weatherand-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,Boston,United-States-of-America.

“Carbon Footprint Calculator | Climate Change | US EPA.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, June 1, 2015. https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/.

“How Many Planets Does It Take to Sustain Your Lifestyle?” Ecological Footprint Calculator. Accessed May 15, 2022. https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en.

“Car-Dependent.” Walk Score. Accessed May 15, 2022. https://www.walkscore.com/score/baileys-point-nahant-ma.

“Nahant, MA.” Data USA. Accessed May 15, 2022. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/nahant-ma/.