Final Review

http://www.ehow.com/how_4967327_determine-placement-exit-signs-buildings.html

The final review was a very happy day for all of us. Now that we were glad to be done with our studio project we had a chance to go through our floor plans and find out that in case of fire some of our occupants did not have many chances for survival. The main issue was the fire escape.

The escape has to be contained! The exit corridor, if one exists, must be separated from the rest of the building with fire-rated walls and doors. No occupied space may be located in or open into the fire escape path.

It is important to keep fire path free of smoke in case of a fire within the building. All of us had minimum two staircases in the building but did not keep both of them contained. A staircase that is not contained cannot be considered as a proper fire exit.

Here are SOME of the points from that very hard to read and understand Canadian Building Codes book that we should go over again:

3.4.1.2.

• If there is more than one exit from a floor area, each exit must be separate from every other exit leading from that floor.

3.4.2.4.

• Travel distance means the distance from any point in the floor area to the nearest exit measured along the path of travel to the exit.
• The travel distance to an exit must be not more than 50 m from any point in a service space.

3.4.2.5.

• The exits must be located so that the travel distance to at least one exit shall be not more than 45 m in a floor area provided that it is sprinkled throughout
• Every exit must be considered as contributing not more than one half of the required exit width.
• Exits must be located and arranged so that they could be clearly visible or their location would be clearly indicated and they could be accessible at all times.

3.4.4.1.

• Every exit must be separated from the remainder of the building by a fire separation having a fire-resistant rating not less than 45 min for the floor assembly above the storey or the floor assembly below the storey if there is no floor assembly above.

3.4.7.2.

• Fire escape must be constructed of metal or concrete and extend to ground level constructed throughout in a strong substantial manner and securely fixed into the building.

Some of the conclusions to make after the indoor systems crit this week on our final review were:

- read the building codes book few times before finalising the preliminary floor plan design

- spend more time asking yourself questions “what if there was a fire here”

- not be so caught up in the beauty of your design concept which might make your floor plan look beautiful but life-threatening in some real life circumstances (for example, fire)

- think of human behaviour in relation to the designed environment in case of panic or confusion

- think of the nature of sound, fire, and smoke in relation to the designed structure

Some of our floor plans needed a simple fix to be fire safe, such as moving the fire escape door closer to the staircase. Others had more serious issues – having exposed general use staircases for fire exits. Either way the guilt for trapping our occupants in the burning creative center building will never leave our hearts.

It was interesting to note that not many of us had exterior fire escape staircases incorporated into our design (possibly because they “would not look nice”). We might do more research on the exterior fire escapes for our next studio project since they might be quite beautiful and creative – at the same time very important:

http://ic2.pbase.com/u26/dellybean/large/43561572.FireEscape.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-9I2dkkej2tLFg2HA-xBIp_48DzLuOb522GoffLrWprNShXPzVLHm1BYJlE8__MqGLpZVdv-xpClL8RYtF2YA8C8Xbi-RuaBPRtinAmb4_S6VDS-lLvFmPIjSBSLJ-IOqVXXUs2lb0V3/s400/fire+escape+garden+SoHo.jpg

Manitoba Hydro

During his lecture, the guy at E.H. Price mentioned that the new Manitoba Hydro building downtown in Winnipeg utilizes a displacement HVAC system. I couldn't find any articles on this in particular, but I did find this other article, which mentions the building's use of passive heating/ cooling. The structure uses three giant atria to condition outside air before distributing it throughout the building. 100% fresh air is maintained throughout the building. A double envelope system also allows workers to open and close operable windows on the facade of the building.[

Check it out: http://canada.archiseek.com/news/2005/000213.html

SC3

Check out this article on Smith Carter's office. As we learned about the under-floor HVAC system at E.H. Price, I remembered that Smith Carter's SC3 building uses such a system. The article describes this, as well as other sustainable systems incorporated in the building. It just makes so much sense, and I find it funny that good design is often so obvious(although I realize hindsight is 20/20).

http://www.building.ca/outsidethebox/project7.asp

I heart free food

Last Monday we took a trip down to the E.H. Price factory. E.H. Price designs and produces ventilation systems, and it was cool to see all the steps that go into making something as seemingly simple as a floor register.
After a FREE lunch (resulting in the blog entry title), we learned about the history of E.H. Price as well as the three major types of ventilation systems:

1) Overhead - this is the typical North American system - it forces air from the ceiling downward, mixing the air in the room and bringing the entire room to a constant desired temperature.

2) Displacement - I found this system to be SUPER cool. Previously, this system was used in Europe, and only lately has it made its way to North America. Displaced air systems make SO much sense that it is hard to understand why overhead systems are ever used. Displacement systems deliver cool air at the bottom of the room. As the air warms up, it rises and displaces the air above it. The used air is exhausted out through a vent in the ceiling. The great part about this system is that it only conditions the lower two-thirds of a room, which is all that humans occupy anyway. It also requires much less air speed (40-50 ft./min.) for distribution than other systems (which require 400-800 ft./min). A downfall of this system is that it can only be used for cooling.

3) Under-floor - like displacement, this system delivers air at a lower level. With this system, a raised floor is constructed to produce a plenum space under the room. This space acts as a giant duct, and air is forced from this plenum upwards into the space. Although they have a higher initial cost than overhead ventilation, under-floor systems are more efficient, and offer adjustability, as floor panels can be removed and shuffled as desired to move vents. This system can also be used for heating AND cooling, which offers an advantage over displacement systems.

Once we had learned (or attempted to learn) the major types of ventilation systems, we went on a tour of the production facility. We were guided first to the testing area. This space was comprised primarily of a testing room, which was equipped with heated mannequins(to simulate people), a variety of ventilation systems, and other testing equipment. By blowing drama smoke through the different HVAC systems, differences between the systems could be observed in the room.

















In the testing area we learned about "thermal plume". This is the heat given off by humans and things like computers or other running equipment. This heat attracts the cooler air distributed from HVAC systems. Notice the plume given off by the mannequin in the picture below...

After this, we were given a tour of the factory floor. It was cool to see just how many different steps go into making the parts for a ventilation system. Having worked in a small heating/ cooling warehouse before, it was nice to see the production level at a larger scale.

The factory tour concluded our trip to E.H. Price. As much as we didn't want to leave, we were forced to settle with conversation about HVAC with each other on the drive home, followed by dreams about HVAC as we slept that night.
Maybe not. Even still, I found the trip to be quite interesting, and it was good to build on my knowledge of HVAC.

November 2 - Water & Waste/ Fire Safety

Water & waste

Virtually all of Manitoba's electricity is supplied by water power. Hydro power is economical and plentiful. According to Manitoba’s Power for Business, the advantages of this system are:

• the lowest published electricity rates in North America
• one of the most reliable power delivery systems in North America
• abundant existing generating capacity
• certainty of future power supplies

However, there are disadvantages to this system including:

• Suitable site characteristics required
In order to take full advantage of the electrical potential of small streams, a suitable site is needed. Factors to consider are: distance from the power source to the location where energy is required, stream size (including flow rate, output and drop), and a balance of system components — inverter, batteries, controller, transmission line and pipelines.
• Energy expansion not possible
The size and flow of small streams may restrict future site expansion as the power demand increases.
• Low-power in the summer months
In many locations stream size will fluctuate seasonally. During the summer months there will likely be less flow and therefore less power output. Advanced planning and research will be needed to ensure adequate energy requirements are met.
• Environmental impact
The ecological impact of small-scale hydro is minimal; however the low-level environmental effects must be taken into consideration before construction begins. Stream water will be diverted away from a portion of the stream, and proper caution must be exercised to ensure there will be no damaging impact on the local ecology or civil infrastructure. (source)

Water consumption has increased six times during the last century which is twice the rate of population growth. A great percentage of water consumption is used in industrial processes.

“The textile industry employs large quantities of water in fiber production and processing and in fabric finishing, especially dyeing. Interior designers have the power to avoid products whose manufacturing includes highly toxic technologies and to seek out ones with low environmental impact.” (Binggeli, p 90)

Since the total amount of water on earth and in the atmosphere is finite, the best strategy is to use the sources we have efficiently.

LEED’s approaches for using water efficiently include:

• Reduce the quantity of portable water used for landscape irrigation and building operations
• Reduce municipal water supply and treatment burden (control run-off)
• Reduce generation of wastewater and portable water demand

Green Buildings Store provides a range of water saving products to be used in buildings.

The AQUS Greywater Recycling System is a small scale greywater recycling system that uses treated water that is captured from the bathroom sink to flush the toilet – and accomplish greywater recycling in the process.
The system consists of two parts; 1) the Fill Control Unit and 2) the Vanity Tank. The Fill Control Unit effectively clips onto the back of the customer’s toilet and holds the fill valve up, in the off position, which allows the Vanity Tank located under the bathroom sink to fill the tank with treated and recycled sink water. The system does not shut off the fresh water supply or cross connect to it. It simply holds the fresh water “OFF” until it is needed to supplement the toilet fill.



Water systems in buildings:

1. water supply system: consisting of water main, service pipe, water meter, control and shut off valve



2. drain, waste & vent (DWV) system: a system that removes sewage and greywater from a building and vents the gases produced by said waste.




Fire safety design

Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the damage caused by a fire. Fire safety measures include those that are planned during the construction of a building or implemented in structures that are already standing, and those that are taught to occupants of the building.

Key strategies:

• Detection: fire alarm systems including detectors, alarms and audible & visual signals.
• Suppression: sprinkler systems including wet pipe, dry pipe, deluge and other
• Compartmentalization/exiting: fire walls, fire separation, areas of refuge, fire stops and dampers, escape routes, means of egress
It’s up to us as interior designers to maintain a clear way to exits in terms of furnishing.

Thermal Comfort

“Good temperature is the one you don’t notice at all”

Our thermal comfort defines not only our well-being but our physical and intellectual performance.

There are many factors that effect human thermal comfort, such as air temperature, temperature of surfaces, humidity, and air movement. All of the above may be grouped under "environmental variables". "Personal" variables such as clothing insulation value ["clo" value] and the metabolism rate ["met" value] are also important components when calculation individual thermal comfort.

http://www.design.asu.edu/radiant/01_thermalComfort/comfortC_01variables.htm

Each of the above influences how we feel in a given volume of air. To reach a

desirable level of comfort some or all of the factors may be manipulated. Sometimes one of them may be changed instead of the other. For example, instead of raising the temperature to make the space feel warmer for people with a low physical activity, humidity may be raised. In order to understand what thermal comfort is and how it effects us we had to review some of the terminology:

Relative humidity - is the percentage of water in air compared to the maximum the air can hold. For ideal comfort relative humidity has to be kept low in hot temperatures/climates.

High humidity (60% or above) might become a serious issue in extreme climates as it could cause condensation, destroy/decompose materials that can hold water, and even promote growth of microbes. Low humidity (20% or less) can cause health problems such as dry nose and throat nosebleeds, or may cause problems with not very stable materials, such as shrinking, etc.

Air movement accelerates evaporation process when touching a surface. When touching human skin through evaporation it cools the body influencing our thermal comfort. Air movement may be increased when instant cooling is needed. To maintain a comfortable space without drafts the air movement should be kept between 10-15 cubic feet per minute.

In last class we also discussed such terminology as:

Thermal capacity – the ability of a material to sore heat proportional to materials mass and weight.

Thermal resistance – how fast heat transfers through a material. For example, materials with low resistance cool or hear rapidly, and material with high thermal resistance may be used to absorb the heat during the day and releasing it into the space during the night to heat it up (methods used in deserts)

Heat lag – explains gap in temperature, it is the time it takes for heat to travel through a material.

Core body temperature – 37C (98.6F).

· People perform best id the room temperature stays the same most of the time

· ¾ of the body heat is released by human body just to keep it warm. The rest is used to move it. At the same time, the more body moves – the more heat it generates. That means that the more body moves the warmer it stays and more the space is warmed up by the body, which must be considered when designing spaces for active physical activities by calculating space volume, nunber of people, and an average metabolic rate

Metabolic rate – rate at which energy is used based on activity

Thermal equilibrium – a material is at thermal equilibrium when there is no energy/heat transfer between the material and its surroundings

Heat transfer – a travel of heat from higher temperature surfaces to lower temperature surfaces. For example, in winter the cold surface of a window “sucks in” the heat from the material and bodies in the interior of the room

Thermal dynamics – heat movement

· Convection – movement of active warm air molecules to cooler areas. For example, when air moves pass our body it observes its energy/heat

· Conduction – heat transfer through direct contact with cool surfaces. For example, as we stem on cold stone floor our body heat quickly starts moving from out body to the stone material

· Radiation – heat radiates to cooler surfaces without any physical contact

· Evaporation – transformation of a material from liquid to gas during which gas absorbs heat energy

Reflectance/Absorbance – ability of heat to be reflected off light surfaces and absorbed by dark surfaces

Keeping in mind the discussed above building envelope and joining elements of a new building constructed bust be determined individually based on climate and site conditions. Thermal breaks must be correctly done between the building envelope and materials. Thermal bridge, using the qualities of heat discussed above might let the cold (or hot) air transfer from the outside of the building in its inside (which is not desirable) through such elements as metal joints. To make correct decisions designer must know the conditions he/she is building in, the qualities of the materials used, and the general physics of air and moisture movement

Thermal comfort is hard to visualize but it may be illustrated with mathematical formulas or charts. This is an awesome illustrated website with "simple" mathematical formulas that explains what is thermal comfort, its values, conditions, and how to calculate it. The website highlights what to measure and pay attention to when calculating thermal comfort and explains all the factors that have to be taken into account such as physical activity factors, clothing factors, temperature and humidity factors, etc: http://www.blowtex-educair.it/DOWNLOADS/Thermal%20Comfort.htm :

I personally like Willis Carrier's Psychrometric Chart that he developed over one hundred years ago trying to help people visualize the relationship between the air temperature and relative humidity that always exist in space. this chart is the basis of the air conditioning industry.

The chart outlines conditions at which most people are comfortable at. Winter and summer comfort zones are shown separately. It should be taken into account that different amount/kind of clothing is worn during this two different seasons.

It may be concluded from the chart above that the temperature where most people would be comfortable at year round would be around 74F which is about 23C.

Green Building Approaches

October 9th field trip 303 Portage Avenue - Mountain Equipment Co-op and 586 Ellice Avenue - West End Cultural Centre. On this field trip we have visited these two sustainable building structures.
The MEC building was constructed out of two deserted buildings that were converted to one environmental sustainable building. This building incorporates features such as, locally sourced materials, rooftop garden, and rainwater collection system. For the MCE construction all structural materials in this building were reclaimed from the other two buildings, including the brick and wood floor, joists, exterior masonry, cast iron columns and steel beams. These materials were inventoried, sorted and cleaned and the design of the new building was based on these materials. MEC minimized use of interior finishing for example they used limited painted surfaces, exposed brick walls, floor, wood and avoided using unnecessary materials. The new building is 97% reused and recycled material. Use of salvaged and refurbished materials in new building extends the life of materials and adds character to the building.
The MEC includes: energy efficiency, embodied energy, landfill diversion and CO2 emissions. CO2 detectors located in each zone and there are 19 zones in the building that ensure an optimal balance of fresh incoming air, so energy isn't wasted in heating or cooling. To reduce heat loss and energy consumption, exterior building walls are insulated. A green roof provides evaporative cooling and helps insulate the building to reduce energy required for heating or cooling. Storm water from the green roof is collected in two 5700 L storage tanks. Collected, stored water is used to irrigate the roof, via a solar photo-voltaic powered pump, with the flow being proportional the solar heat gain on the roof. Composting toilets provide fertilizer that is used in rooftop garden.
The MEC building is build in such way that it can be easily taken apart or disconnected.



The West End Cultural Center is 101 years old former church that recently went through redevelopment of designing a building that would be environmentally sustainable. It is based on 3 principles reduce, reuse and recycle. The WECC accommodates many environmentally-friendly features, that include a geothermal heating system that will reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling, low flow toilets, high efficiency windows and upgraded insulation to help reduce heat loss. More than 85% of the materials from the old building were reused. Also, a great deal of the construction materials used on site were made with recycled material. The bathroom countertops were created out of toilets, sinks, as well as wine and beer bottles all recycled locally. A lot of materials like doors, partitions, floor boards, joist, and bricks were used from the old building and some materials were given to WECC from other buildings. The theatre seats from the former Epic Theatre, solid oak doors, windows and bathroom partitions came from a Calgary courthouse. High efficiency T8 fluorescent lighting incorporated throughout the building for better energy saving.
Before the redevelopment the WECC building had a lot of major problems: it was not wheelchair accessible, washrooms were not up to code, and it had not designated community programming space. As building got redeveloped it had to meet three goals:
• Be structurally sound and environmentally sustainable: meet building code standards for accessibility and amenities such as washrooms.
• Have increased physical capacity: Increase concert seating from 300 to 400, add community hall seating, and expand the lobby area.
• Offer improve programming and patron facilities: a large stage, new sound and lighting technology, better facilities for artists, patrons and community programming participants.
Now the West End Cultural Centre’s new home became a better place for patrons, artists, for the community and the environment.