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Arch 125:
Principles of Environmental Design

Winter 2011:
Course Home Page

Course Description :

An introduction to the environmental aspects of architectural design and to an analysis of the form that landscapes take and the processes and ideals leading to those forms. The relationship of the landscape to microclimates and building environments. Topics of discussion include environmental concepts and influences on design, site planning, landscape, sustainability, solar geometry, embodied energy, climatic influences and microclimates, passive heating, passive cooling and carbon neutral design basics.

The format of the course consists of lectures, design/research projects and student seminars to present and discuss work. Design projects require that the students engage the specific technological notions presented within the course in the physical discourse of architecture.

“Being green should not be a bragging point, it should be the way we all act in our everyday lives and work and play places.  If the world was shrunk to the size of a basketball, the biosphere - the zone of air, water and land where all life exists - would be thinner than a layer of varnish.  That's it.  It's finite and fixed and cannot grow.  Humanity has exploded in number, technological musclepower, consumptive appetite and a global economy and we are now altering the chemical, physical and biological features of the planet on a geological scale.  The challenge is finding ways to live in a truly sustainable way in our home, the biosphere.” - David Suzuki 

Teaching Assistant: Michael Morgan

Schedule of Classes: Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Office Hours: Mondays 1pm to 2pm, Wednesdays 1pm to 2pm

1

Jan 5

Course Introduction: Building an Environmental Ethic
Green Building Design Methodology, general principles

Climate and Human Comfort:
A discussion of various climate zones and their relationship to human comfort. Specific architectural responses to climate.

Vernacular Architecture:
Regionality in architectural design. Specific vernacular responses to climatic condition. The impact of translating climate specific responses.

READ:
Lechner: Chapters 1, 2, 4 and 5
Course notes:
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch2.pdf
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-ch1.pdf

Primitive Architecture and Climate: James Marston Fitch and Daniel P. Branch

Architecture and Global Warming: www.architectureweek.com

dvd Population Growth (7 minutes)

powerpoint: Radical Green

powerpoint: Canadian Environmental Ethic
powerpoint: Climate, Comfort and Vernacular Building Design

powerpoint: Comfort Zone and Bioclimatic Design
slide show: vernacular architecture

Environmental Footprint Reading Assignment Part 1 (1 MB)
Environmental Footprint Reading Assignment Part 2 (1 MB)

Project #1: Ecological Footprint Analysis (10%)
Handed out
Students will examine the ‘’Ecological Footprint’’ model and evaluate their own footprint using a web based calculator.
project outline

2

Jan 12

Films:

An Inconvenient Truth
Article in Globe and Mail on the film link

e-Design - 2 episodes

there will be several questions pertaining to the subject matter of the films in next week's quiz

3

Jan 19

Project #1 Hand In (Ecological Footprint)

finish Vernacular Architecture...

Solar Geometry:
Basic principles. Students learn how to use sun angle data to plot shadows, determine solar gain, understand sun penetration into buildings for various geographical regions and for differing seasons. Students will learn how to use a heliodon.

READ:
Lechner: Chapter 6

Course notes:
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch6.pdf
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch7.pdf
please refer to course notes homepage for links to the solar templates
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/crsnotes.html

August/April solar geometry chart 1.0MB link

powerpoint: solar geometry

4

Jan 26

Quiz #1 - Climate and Human Comfort and Vernacular Architecture + Films - 5%

Shading:
The design of buildings and devices to prevent or control solar penetration into buildings.

Shading (extra information not shown in class) 1.4MBpdf

READ:
Lechner: Chapter 9

powerpoint: shading
shading slideshow

shading chart for June 21 43degreesN
shading chart for March 21 43degreesN
shading chart for December 21 43degreesN
shading chart for September 21 43degreesN
shading information for all latitudes

Project #2: Sustainable Design: Case Study (20%)
Handed out

complete project description

5

Feb 2

Passive Design -- Heating:
An examination of passive strategies for heating. In depth look at case studies and application procedures. Direct gain vs. indirect gain systems.

READ:
Lechner: Chapter 7

passive heating powerpoint

understanding the Psychrometric Chart

Climate Consultant

Project #3: The Light Box or The Smoke Box (20%)
Handed out
Students will work in pairs to construct light boxes to record lighting patterns for comparative seminar presentation using the heliodon. Summer and winter light access, shading, on a residential scale room will be explored.
lightbox project outline

lightbox photos

or

Students will work in pairs to construct "smoke boxes" to validate the assumed air flow patterns through spaces. A smoke machine will be provided on the day of testing.
smokebox project outline

smokebox photos

Videos Part One

Videos Part Two

6

Feb 9

Passive Design -- Cooling and Natural Ventilation:
An examination of passive strategies for cooling, natural ventilation and dehumidification of buildings.

READ:
Lechner: Chapter 10

passive cooling powerpoint

7

Feb 16

Project #3: Lightbox and Smokebox Presentations and Seminar
Each pair of students will present their lightboxes and smokeboxes.

PLEASE BE ON TIME. WE WILL START AT 10 SHARP IN THE THEATRE WITH THE LIGHTBOXES. WE NEED TO MOVE QUICKLY THROUGH THE PRESENTATIONS OR BE PREPARED TO RUN OVER.
PLEASE WEAR BLACK TO CUT DOWN ON REFLECTIONS FOR THE SMOKEBOX PHOTOS/VIDEO!

8

Feb 23

No class - reading week

9

Mar 2

Quiz #2 - Passive Heating and Cooling - 5%

Environmental Site Design:
An examination of the residential and smaller scale site with respect to building placement, sun penetration, landscape elements/choices, wind, services
Keyword: Microclimate

environmental site design powerpoint

READ:
Lechner: Chapter 11

Trip to RWDI - please pay Emily the $5 field trip fee - 4:00 to 7:00 pm.

10

Mar 9

Accreditation Meeting During Part of this Class

Interstitial Space -- Designing Eco Friendly Urban Residental Zones:
A study of residential neighbourhoods, with emphasis on multi-family building types, and the design and sizing of the "spaces inbetween". Emphasis on access to natural light, greenspace, privacy zones.

interstitial space powerpoint


READ:
Lechner. Chapter 5 Appendices A, B, C, E, F, H
Course Notes:
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch6.pdf
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch7.pdf
the 4 key solar charts are also available for download on the course notes homepage link

More info on BedZED link

Project # 2 - Sustainable Design Case Study Essay Due @ 9:45am via email to BOTH Terri and Mike -Mike is grading these and unless you also send it to him, he will not be able to access them. to Terri and to Mike

11

Mar 16

13

Mar 23

Quiz #3 - Environmental Issues and the Media (based on the films from March 16 class) - 5%

Sustainability: The Sustainable Landscape:
video: The Sustainable Landscape (San Luis Video) 30 minutes
A discussion of ecological design principles and broad scale architectural approaches to sustainable landscapes. Water handling systems for site strategies. Case studies.


Course notes:
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch8.pdf
www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/images/course_pdf/125-Ch9.pdf

sustainable landscape powerpoint

Project #4: The Oasis (30%) 
Handed out
The design of a small building that passively responds to the local climate conditions to create an interior environement with a very high level of sensory comfort.
project outline

you are free to choose: cold OR hot-arid OR hot-humid

14

Mar 30

An Introduction to Sustainable Rating Systems ... Green is NOT a Colour
A first look at some of the systems that are used to assess "green" design. This topic will be covered in detail in Arch 226. Several building case studies will be presented.

green not a colour powerpoint

Apr 15

Project #4 due at 6pm VIA EMAIL

Reference Texts:

Required:
Lechner: Heating, Cooling, Lighting.
Course Notes are all available online @
http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/crsnotes.html

Recommended:
Brown, G.Z. Sun Wind and Light.

Rocky Mountain Institute. A Handbook for Sustainable Design.

Evaluation:

Evaluation will be based both on the formal/technical execution of the projects, as well as the seminar presentation of material and contributions to the discussions.

Late Penalties:
Projects or assignments submitted after the due date or due time will be penalized 5% per calendar day of lateness, with no maximum.

Quizzes: 15% - 3 @ 5%
Project 1: Ecological Footprint 10%
Project 2: Sustainability Case Study 20%
Project 3: LightBox 20% OR Smokebox 20%
Project 4: The Oasis 30%
Field Trip: 5%

Total: 100%

Academic Integrity: To create and promote a culture of academic integrity, the behaviour of all members of the University of Waterloo is based on honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Grievance:  A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm

Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm

Note for students with disabilities: The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term. Once registered with OPD, please meet with the professor, in confidence, during my office hours to discuss your needs.