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Participant Report

Please fill in this form and include it with your submission.

General Information

Competition Entry Id: / 128
Project Name (your description): / Design Builder Optimized Office Building
Country: / United States

Further Details

Was DesignBuilder Optimization used? / Yes
Was any other optimization tool used (e.g. JEPlus)? / No
Estimated time spent on competition (optional)

Floor Areas

Fill in the table below with values reported in the CSV report
Total floor area [m2] / 2989 m2
Office floor area [m2] / 2375 m2
Of which cellular office area [m2] / 320 m2
Utility area [m2] / 240 m2
Circulation area [m2] / 150 m2

Results

Fill in the table below with values reported by DesignBuilder as explained in the document DOC_Brief.pdf
CO2 Production [kg] / 155,910 kg
Building Total Cost [GBP] / 3,257,527
Discomfort (all clothing) [hrs] / 238.63 hr
Daylight Floor Area above Threshold [%] / Unkown: Internal Design Builder errors detected in daylight calculator.

Architectural Choices

What is the form of your architecture, and why did you choose it? You may use images and diagrams to explain the concept.

The form of the building allows for maximum daylight access (thin and long rectangular shape i.e. wings of light) while maintaining a strong energy performance. I also allows for both a practical functional use as well as a welcoming experience for the occupants.

Describe the key points of the project:

Use this section to describe the key design decisions you have made, and why. Please highlight the most important points in a succinct way.

Construction

How did you choose the constructions and materials of the building fabric in your design?
The materials are all chosen by their insulation effectiveness per cost and the total R values / U values are based on an optimum performance for the cost. ASHRAE standards were the basis for our definition of high performance.

Systems

How did you choose the HVAC system, lighting, ventilation strategy, and shading devices in your design?
We knew the Passive Chilled Beams displacement ventilation and LTHW radiators as an effective system and the kWh/m2 per cost was an acceptable value. Lighting was T5 cost efficient and shading devices were based on day lighting analysis that we conducted.

Controls

Describe how you designed the control strategy and/or chose the control schedules and set points.
There is only one control strategy other than no control which is the worst option. The schedules were kept to the default competition schedules. The set points were set to meet ASHRAE standards.

Design approach

Use this section to describe the approach you have taken, that has led to the final decisions. You can also show how your design evolved through the process, for example, the sequence of decisions on form, construction, systems, and control were made.
The geometry of the building was first determined based on the climate in which the building would be located. Daylight also played an important role in the derivation of the form, as we wanted to provide a significant amount of natural lighting to the occupants. This would also help reduce the amount of energy consumed within the building for interior lighting. The core spaces were assigned to be at the East and West ends of the building, whereas the main office area stays at the centre. All systems were chosen to be cost effective while maintaining high energy performance. Controls were maximized in order to reduce excessive amount of energy consumption.

Any Other Supporting Information

Comments and feedbacks

Anything else you would like to say from the experience of this competition? Your comments and feedbacks on the challenges of real world design problems, availability of tools, and the organization of this competition would be very welcome. Contents in this section will not affect your score.

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