Syllabus for Arch 8567 Building and Site Integration in Sustainable Design – Fall 2008

ARCH 8567

Fall Semester 2008ARCH 8567

College of Design

University of Minnesota

Instructors:

PeterMacdonagh, ASLA, Kestrel Design Group

and

Richard B. Strong, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at the Center for Sustainable Building Research

Phone: 612/ 624-7327 (Voice mail)

E-mail:

Class hours: 2:30-5:00 Thursday Office hours: TBD

Location: Rapson Hall 125 Course credits: 3 credits

Required Text:

1)Urban Water Cycle Processes and Interactions
Author: Jiri Marsalek, Blance Jimenez-Cisneros, Mohammad Karamouz, Per-Arne Malmquist, Joel Goldenfum, and Bernard Chocat ;Edition: ; ISBN: 978-0-415-45347-9 Publisher: UNESCO 2004

Supplementary Text:

1)Stein, Benjamin, Reynolds, John S, Grondzik, Walter and Kwok, Alison, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buidings Wiley, NY, 2006 Tenth Edition

Free Software: Aquacycle, Watergy Software, Green Roof Calculator, Texas Cistern Calculator

Contributor:

  • John Carmody, Director of Center for Sustainable DesignResearch
  • Lawrence Baker PhD., Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota Water Resource Center
  • Barbara Liukkonen PhD., Water Resources Education Coordinator at the University of Minnesota Water Resource Center
  • Dwayne Stenlund, CPESC, Mn/DOT, Office of Environmental Services
  • William Arnold PhD.,Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
  • David Austin, Ecologist ESA, Principal TechnologistNatural Treatment Systems at CH2M HILL

Course In order to move toward truly sustainable design, it is necessary to

Descriptionhave a deeper understanding of site and water issues in terms of the natural environment. It is essential to think about designing site and building’s water systems in terms of balance and cycles. However, today, water is thought of as separate entities that are not interconnected such as: Ground Water, Surface Water, Drinking Water, Storm Water, and Waste Water. When in fact all these waters are exactly the same but appear to us as separate entities because waters are just in different places and carrying different products. One function of water is a conveyance vehicle that moves in a cyclic fashion to bring minerals to support us and the natural environment. Disruption of the water cycle disturbs ecological and nutrient processes in the environment. Besides solar energy which drives the water cycle, water is critical to all life on earth both human and non-human. Before urban development, the water was in balance in its watershed. Current urban development has disrupted the water cycle, separated the unified aspect of water and degraded the health and robustness of the natural urban environment. This course will discussion this disruption and how one might design within the water cycle and restore urban environments to their healthy state.

Land use planning, creating a green infrastructure, stormwater drainage, water supply and wastewater treatment are fundamental resource issues at the heart of creating a more sustainable world. These issues must be addressed by the true integration of planning, landscape architecture and architecture. Sustainable design strategies such as green roofs and on-site stormwater and wastewater treatment systems require an interdisciplinary approach.

The course provides students with knowledge of site design and water conservation strategies, methods and tools. Based on understanding ecological principles, students will research new approaches to integrated site and building design. Exercises, case studies, and application of tools will provide students hands-on opportunities to investigate design issues and determine outcomes. 4-Field trips to exemplary projects will be part of the class.

Philosophy forThe four foundation courses in the M.S. in the Sustainable Design

Ecological Track embodies and promotes a pedagogy based on ecological

Educationliteracy and ecological principles. Ecological literacy is the knowledge and understanding of the basic patterns, processes and structures of natural systems. This natural system is the model of sustainability existing and thriving on current energy and nutrient flows. Nature is the first teacher, the primary guide. The program and courses employ an ecological model as pedagogy; curriculum and course structure; and as a template for student, faculty, and community relationships. This course will examine in an indirect and direct manner the massive flows of materials and energy

required to support the building industry.

The four foundation courses are based on the idea of a wholebuilding

integrated design process. The three courses that focus onspecific topic

areas (site/water and climate, energy and IEQ, are materials and resources) organized so that integration occurs through several means:

  • Common overview of sustainable design and the integrated design process
  • Study of different aspects of a common pool of case studies
  • Use of common tools and analysis methods to evaluate outcomes
  • Using nature as a model for developing design innovation in each area.

Introduction/ Building construction transforms land that provides valuable ecological

Backgroundservices. Society has only recently begun to understand that these services have a quantifiable economic value. For example, the City of Minneapolis has recently developed a stormwater management fee that better reflects the true costs of stormwater runoff and that provides more economic incentive for improved stormwater performance. Site selection and design affect transportation and energy use which leads to ground-level ozone, acid rain, smog, and global climate change. Current development practices on the land can lead to uncontrolled stormwater runoff, degraded water and soil quality, depletion of water, soil, and valuable vegetated areas, and destruction of habitat.

Goals of sustainable water and site design:

  • To design and maintain sites which have soil and water quality capable of supporting healthy, bio-diverse plant, animal, and human communities, which reduce water and energy consumption, improve the rate, quantity and quality of stormwater runoff, and which minimize pollutant contributions related to transportation requirements.
  • Maintain and improve the ability of the soil to maintain its structure against adverse impacts.
  • Restore/improve the hydrologic cycle of water on the site to avoid adverse impacts on the site and downstream of the site.
  • Reduce consumption of potable water.
  • Improve the biodiversity of the site by introducing flora/fauna which will help contribute to the sustainability of the site over time.
  • Reduce energy consumption and pollution contributions to air and water related to site location and associated transportation requirements.
  • Restore/improve the outdoor environmental quality (OEQ) of the site to enhance occupant productivity, building performance, and community benefits.*

* From the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (MSBG) – CSBR:

Course GoalsThe following outcomes of the class are to illustrate a student’s capability to achieve a leadership role in private firms and public institutions concerning sustainable site and water issues

  • Students will understand site and water issues at the global, national,

state, community and project scale.

  • Student will come to understand the local water cycles and water balance on a site scale and be able to start design more sustainable sites and building with this knowledge
  • Students will be able to identify, apply and evaluate site and water design strategies.
  • Students will be able to work with the site, water and building related requirements of LEED, B3 and other common tools and standards.
  • Students will be able to determine actual environmental, economic, human and community outcomes related to site, water and building design decisions.

Course WorkProjects, Grading, and Expectations

Three projects/exercises will be used to investigate the major course topics (1) Site Waters and the water cycle, 2) Balancing Site and Building water and 3) Integrated Design Charrette balancing energy and water within the site and building. The three exercises will build incrementally and reinforce class material the over the semester.

1) Exercise #1: Water Cycles of the Site Water –Rapson Hall (40%)

2) Exercise #2: Site and Building Water Balance – Rapson Hall (20%)

3) Exercise #3:Understanding and Balancing Water and Energy Cycles– Rapson Hall(20%)

4) Class Participation (20%)

Students will model an integrated design approach to building’s site and water issues that will perform as a resource and cost-efficient system that enhances building performance, occupants’ productivity and health.

Students will learn decision processes and criteria for selecting environmentally sound procedures for incorporating site and water issues into the design process.

Students will realizes the indirect and direct manner the massive flows of water and energy required to support the building industry the subsequent impact on the environments around us.

Grading StandardsUniversity of Minnesota Grading Standards:

AAchievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements

BAchievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements

CAchievement that meets the course requirements in every respect

DAchievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements

SAchievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better

F(or N) Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either: 1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or 2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an incomplete.

I(Incomplete) Assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstance, e.g., hospitalization, a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time. Requires a written agreement between instructor and student.

A / 10
B+ / 9
B / 8
B- / 7
C+ / 6
C / 5
C- / 4
D+ / 3
D / 2
D- / 1
F / 0

Academic Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course

Dishonestyshall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course.

Credit/Workload One credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of

Expectationslearning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course. For example, a student taking a three-credit course that meets for three hours a week should expect to spend an additional six hours a week on coursework outside the classroom (over a semester) to receive an average grade.

Attendance Attendance is required. It is critical that you fully participate and attend all class periods (lectures, fieldwork, and reviews).

ToolsDIGITAL TOOLS – LCA - Life cycle cost calculation tools and methods

  • Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines - (B3)
  • Green Globes/BGI
  • Athena™ Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to Roofing Investments: A Guide to Using Green Roofs for Healthy Cities GreenSave Calculator
  • Seattle’sGreen Factor

ON LINE RESOURCES

  • National Institute of Building Sciences
  • Whole Building Design Guide
  • Building Envelope Design Guide
  • Environmental Building News Database

On Line ResourcesThe instructor will maintain a WebCT Vista site for the course. Course materials (e.g. syllabus, assignments), links to relevant information, and a course calendar will be maintained on the site. In order to access the site, follow the instructions below:

1. Launch Netscape or Internet Explorer

2. Go to

3. Click the Log in link

4. Log in with your UMN Internet ID and password

5. You will see the link to the new section in your My WebCT home area

Some student may have to reconfigure their browser in order to access the Vista site. Instructions are available at:

Additional information about using WebCT Vista, including an online tutorial, is available at: .

Fall 2008—Course Schedule for Thursdays @ 2:30-5:00 pm 125 Rapson Hall

Week 1

Thursday9/4Peter and Rich’s Water Shorts: Water Trivia

Discussion of the Assigned Reading: “Do No Harm”

Guest Lecturer-Lawrence Baker PhD. Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota Water Resource Center,

His research combines the perspective of an engineer and a bio-geochemist to the of practical environmental problems ranging from wetland treatment systems to the biogeochemistry of urban ecosystems.

The main focus of his current work is nutrient and material flows in human ecosystems – cities, farms and exurban recreational development. The overarching goal of this research is to develop approaches for reducing pollution that are “more effective, cheaper and fairer” than current “end of pipe” approaches.

RequiredReadings:

1) ''Do No Harm'': A New Philosophy for Reconciling Engineering and Ecology

2) “The Urban Stream Syndrome: current knowledge and search for a cure” or

3) The Water Environment of Cities Adapting to Change

Supplementary Reading:

1)2.3 Water pp 30-32Stein, Benjamin, Reynolds, John S, Grondzik, Walter and Kwok, Alison, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buidings Wiley, NY, 2006

Assigned Exercise #1: Water Balance of the Site Water-Rapson Hall

Week 2Peter and Rich’s Water Shorts: Why is Atlanta out of Water?

Thursday 9/11Discussion of the Assigned Reading: “The Three Principles”

Guest Lecturer-Barbara Liukkonen PhD. Water Resources Education Coordinator at the University of Minnesota Water Resource Center on Water and other cycles in the natural environment

Barb Liukkonen works primarily on shoreland education, volunteer monitoring, and safe drinking water. She also provides outreach education on wastewater, source water protection, and land-use decision making. Barb has a joint position with the WRC and Minnesota Sea Grant.

In addition to 20 years of experience with the Extension Service and Sea Grant, Barb has also worked as the program director for the Rivers Council of Minnesota and as a hydrogeologist with the EPA. She has a M. S. from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in Hydrogeology, and B. A. in Geology from Carleton College.

Required Reading:

1)The Three Principles

2)What is the Water Cycle

3)The Hydrological Cycle and its Components

Supplementary Reading:

Chapter 3: Emerging Water Shortages, from Lester R. Brown, Plan B 2.0 Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble (NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 2006). © 2006 Earth Policy Institute.

Saturday9/13Tour 1 – Green & Blue Infrastructure, Low Impact Development (Peter MacDonagh) starting at 8:30 am atcorner of

Supplementary Reading:

1)Chapter 20: “Water Basic Design” pp 885-892, Stein, Benjamin, Reynolds, John S, Grondzik, Walter and Kwok, Alison, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings Wiley, NY, 2006

2)Chapter 3 “Riding the Water Cycle” pp 19-25, Pearce, Fred, When the Rivers Run Dry, Water – the Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century, Beacon Press, 2006

Week 3

Thursday9/18Peter and Rich’s Water Shorts: What happened to the Aral Sea?

Discussion of the Assigned Reading: “Aqueous Solutions”

Lecture:Existing Tools for Water Management (Richard Strong/Peter MacDonagh)

Required Reading:

1)Aqueous Solutions

2)Components of the Total Water Balance of an Urban Catchment

3)Integrated Urban Water Cycle Management: moving towards System Understanding

4)Change 4 Water Balance

Supplementary Reading:

Chapter 9 - Finding the Balance between Water for Humans and for Nature”

Week 4

Thursday9/25Peter and Rich’s Water Shorts: Where is LA’s water?

Discussion of the Assigned Reading: “Chapter 9 Finding the Balance between Water for Humans and for Nature”

Class Interim Review ofExercise #1: Water Balance of the Site Water-Rapson Hall

Lecture: Pollutants and Impacts to Watersheds (Peter MacDonagh)

Required Reading:

1)Man and the Water cycle: challenges for the 21st century

2)Society’s interaction with the water cycle: a conceptual framework for a more holistic approach

3)The Relationship between Land Use Decision and the Impacts on Our Water and Natural Resource

4)Chapter 9 Finding the Balance between Water for Humans and for Nature

Supplementary Reading:

1) “Preventing Stormwater Runoff Problems Through Watershed Land Design” by Mary Vogel, Lance M. Neckar, ASLA, Robert D. Sykes, ASLA, Aaron A. Mikonowicz, Kathryn J. McFadden, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Minnesota.

Saturday9/27Tour 2 – Green & Blue Infrastructure, Low Impact Development (Peter MacDonagh)starting at 9:00 am at the Minneapolis Library or the Green Institute

Supplementary Reading: Abramovitz, Janet N., Imperiled Waters, Impoverished Future: The Decline of Freshwater Ecosystems, Worldwatch Paper 128, Worldwatch Institute, 1996

Week 5

Thursday10/2Peter and Rich’s Water Shorts: The death of the Owens Valley

Discussion of the Assigned Reading: “Integrated Urban Water Cycle”

Guest Lecturer - Dwayne Stenlund, CPESC, Mn/DOT, Office of Environmental Serviceson MnDot’s integration of stormwater management with the natural ecology of the site.

Lecture:Life cycle cost analysis and accounting for environmental impacts (Richard Strong) if time is available

Required Reading:

1)Delivering Planning and Performance Assessment Tools for Integrated Urban Water Management

2)Modeling Sustainable Urban Water Management Options

3)Integrated Urban Water Cycle

4)Sustainable Urban Water Management

Supplementary Reading:

1)Chapter 21: “Water Supply” pp 893-980, Stein, Benjamin, Reynolds, John S, Grondzik, Walter and Kwok, Alison, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings Wiley, NY, 2006

Week 6

Thursday10/9Student Final Presentation ofExercise #1: Water Balance of the Site Water-Rapson Hall

Lecture:Green Roof and Landscape Geneology (Peter MacDonagh) if time permits

Assigned: Exercise #2: Site and Building Water Balance – Rapson Hall

Week 7

Thursday 10/16Tour 3 - St. Paul Water Treatment Tour: Meet at the St. Paul Water Treatment Plant beginning at 3:00 pm. Tour will conclude around 4:45 pm. The address for the treatment plant is St. Paul Regional Water Services 1900 Rice St Saint Paul, MN 55113

Week 8

Thursday10/23Peter and Rich’s Water Shorts: What are PFOS and PFOAdoing in our drinking water?

Discussion of the Assigned Reading: “Ground Water rights, Spatial Variation and Transboundary Conflicts?”

Guest Lecturer – William Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering on water quality and how to reuse water

Required Readings

1)Its That My Groundwater or Your Surface Water?