9 | REFLECTION

Taking the role of climate designer was going to give us some challenges, knowing we were going to deal with subjects neither of us had covered before. Both of us liked the diversity of the different topics put into our hands, not only working intensively as a duo together, but also with the rest of the group was an intense process. The situation regarding off campus education due to the corona virus brought along some extra challenges. We faced sometimes difficulty to share and discuss ideas because using online platforms like Zoom is a good alternative, but not a full replacement of sitting next to each other in a meeting.

Starting from scratch and thinking on a large scale was definitely something both of us needed to get used to, but as the weeks were progressing we felt the development in both the project as well as in our way of thinking.

During the project we developed strategies to both produce energy and also reduce the energy demand. Not all might be as effective as the other due to its nature.

There have been certain drawbacks with the work flow sometimes which posed delays in the work. This had to do with the lack of a manager to ensure smooth functioning of the project. Nonetheless, it must be said that in general we manages to fulfill many of our goals, with a good evacuation strategy, a good lift plan and well thought of heating, cooling and ventilation strategies. The discussion with different disciplines helped in a good exchange of knowledge. Climatic goals play a huge role in deriving the facade concept and taking certain decision influencing the architecture of the project. The process has been very enriching and informative. The use of the Design Builder and Phoenics was challenging in the beginning. With the support of the tutor, the difficulties were resolved and we could manage to perform all the calculations in the time period given. However, it would be advisable to incorporate the Design Builder studies before the Mid-term phase to help the architect better in taking the design decisions.

For both of us, MEGA has opened a new world with all building services and aspects not before designed and thought of. This we will take with us into the next phase of our study and careers.