On March 5th (8am to 6pm) and 6th (8am to 4pm ) I was at the Green School National Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. I was lucky enough to receive a full scholarship to be a participant in this awesome opportunity. One of the really cool things about the program was that we were surrounded by about 15 other high school students who were also working in their schools and communities to bring sustainable awareness to the forefront. Tim Cole, the Virginia Beach sustainability coordinator (and probably a bunch of other things!), along with Bryna Dunn gave a good presentation about all of the work we are doing in Virginia Beach with our schools. This is what prompted my Symposium Project, a review of Ocean Lakes High School. The second day started off amazingly with Dr. Peter Senge who spoke about how society and education directly affects the environment. He very importantly said, "Nobody wants to wake up in a world wanting to destroy species or ecosystems, but what are we doing?" He tried to emphasize how we will never be able to advance ecologically until our education system is not based off of an assembly line and people are not left behind in society.
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I spent a day shadowing Mrs. Bryna Dunn at Moseley Architects on January 26, 2015 from 10am-3pm. This opportunity was amazing- I even remember complaining about how my eyes hurt from keeping them so wide during the day! Moseley Architects is a really interesting company because they are considered full service, meaning that they can complete each step of the process (architecture, engineering, planning, interior design) in house, and they only need to contract people for construction. While Bryna is a sustainability coordinator, she did set up various meetings with other departments so I talked to 3 different architects, somebody in the engineering department, and somebody the contracting department. I was really shocked by how much you can learn from just one person. Bryna talked to me about the Urban Heat Island effect and how they use FSC certified wood- things I wasn't originally familiar with. The architects emphasized daylighting/views and open spaces. The engineers talked about solar tubes and energy use reduction. All of these are compiled to create the buildings they design-which are mostly up to a LEED standard. It really helped me realize that being an architect, in the sustainable design field specifically, is something I would like to do in the future.
Fortunately for me, there is an extreme amount of information left to be learned. I honestly think that I could research even more deeply into anything I have already research and more. There were many things that I wanted to research more, but ran out of time on. I wanted to research more about energy efficient and water efficient appliances, I also wanted to research more about the pricing for all of these endeavors. I really want to do a mentorship, just so I can see the viability of this career that I have in mind. From there, I want to work on a project for the community or some sort of analysis of a building. I want to do something that benefits others, rather than just the experience benefiting me. I spoke to a biologist and environmental scientist for my interview, but I would really like to speak to an actual architect maybe one that specializes in sustainability. Although I quite enjoy sustainability, I would not mind focusing on architecture as a broad topic. I think that architecture can evoke certain emotions, and that would be interesting to research what types of elements trigger feelings. A serious challenge with increasing efficiency is knowledge about the subject. Many people are uneducated on the things that they can do to help, and what they think they can do- they often think is too difficult or expensive. By increasing an education effort, more people would be willing to add certain elements to their designs and everyday lives. This could be as simple as making a website with easy to read and understand information, or making a pamphlet of information to display at architectural firms. I think a mentorship and in-field experience would be the most helpful. To see the design and installation of the things that I've only read and written about on paper would be incredibly instructional. The biggest piece of advice I have for myself is to self-regulate and time manage. By breaking up the research/requirements and giving myself deadlines, the research will be conducted properly and hopefully more expertly.
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Health of occupants is heavily focused on air quality, basically getting rid of that "new building smell" and anything other factors that would cause the building to be above the allowed air quality index, or AQI. This requires the building materials, including paint and finishes, to be free of contaminating chemicals. One source of indoor pollution is from combustion of oils, gases, automobiles in attached garages, and the like. Carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are the major pollutants. http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/protectingyourhealth.htm
A proper ventilation system can help with this, as well as installing appliances that have sealed combustion features. Another source of pollution is from the building materials, such as old insulation containing asbestos, old paint containing lead, and products containing formaldehyde. Being conscious of the products in the building materials and furnishings is important. Even in remodeling it is important to realize that certain materials are even more so exposed. Health of occupants also includes the safety of the individuals, so things like preventing falls (especially from heights,) slips, and trips are important as well. Anything that can reduce hazards should be taken into consideration. Having the interview with Ms. Dunn was really helpful, because she was able to lead me to 3 main ideas involved in sustainable architecture: water efficiency, energy efficiency, and health of occupants. Water and energy efficiency are things I have already focused on, but health of occupants was a relatively new concept to me. Health of occupants is heavily focused on air quality, basically getting rid of that "new building smell" and anything other factors that would cause the building to be above the allowed AQI. This requires the building materials, including paint and finishes, to be free of contaminating chemicals. Especially things such as lead and asbestos need to be controlled. Health of occupants also includes the safety of the individuals, so things like preventing falls (especially from heights,) slips, and trips are important as well. Anything that can reduce hazards should be taken into consideration. http://www.wbdg.org/design/ensure_health.php
Energy efficiency is something that I have realized is much broader than I previously thought. It involves massing and orientation, energy modeling, and the shapement of the building. I have put research into solar power, but the topic also encompasses HVAC and lighting efficiency. Trying to use as much natural lighting as possible and not using as much energy for HVAC. An example is recycling rainwater for use in the cooling towers as part of the air conditioning system. Water usage is the biggest topic, I believe, in sustainable architecture. I've already written about it, but I think that Ms. Dunn opened my eyes to even more ideas. Things such as using pervious pavement to infiltrate rainwater, and using vegetative roofing to capture stormwater. Also using toilets that flush at about a 1.28 gallon per flush usage, compared to the usual 1.6 gallons per flush. Active solar design is the use of photovoltaic cells to harness light energy and convert it to electricity. That energy can be used for anything, while passive solar design maintains the heating and cooling of buildings. The idea apples to photoelectric effect. The cells capture photons from light and release electrons. The capturing of the electrons creates an electric current. This electricity can be used for multiple activities. Through practices combining sustainable architecture with landscape architecture, architects can promote limiting water usage through infiltration, storing, and recycling water. A few practices use residential bioswales or bioretention ponds. Bioswales using plants (such as grass,) soils, rocks, and other types of vegetation to infiltrate and treat stormwater runoff. They treat stormwater by reducing the pollutants and contaminants, which increases water quality. Bioswales must be sloped to move water through the system. Bioretention ponds act similarly by using vegetated areas to capture and store stormwater runoff. Rain gardens can use rainfall and stormwater runoff as irrigation in a depressed vegetated area, usually with the use of native plants. By using highly porous plants, 30 percent of the runoff can be filtered into the ground, which is about one inch of rainfall per 4 hours. Residential rain water harvesting if the act of collecting, diverting, and storing rain in a catchment tank. The rainwater can be used for landscape irrigation, because rainwater is collected directly from the sky and avoids many pollutants water collects by flowing streets. The rainwater can also be used for activities like car washing and toilet flushing.
Passive solar design is the use of the sun's energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces. Active solar design is the use of mechanical devices to harness energy. Passive design is cheaper, more sustainable, and can be more efficient than active design. Since it relies on natural energy, it can't break; therefore, it doesn't require any repair costs or any costs to run it, such as the HVAC system. The idea is that buildings should be elongated on a east to west axis in which the southern side of their building is equipped with windows and the appropriate materials to capture the sun's energy for heating. During the winter, the buildings are heated; during the summer, the buildings can be cooled with foliage, awnings, attic fans, and operable windows. This works best in buildings with open floor plans and interior designs that lack carpet, drapes, and fabric covered furniture that can absorb moisture from the air, which causes the HVAC system to work harder. Rooms with carpeting and such should be located on the northern side of the building, along with the rooms that are less used and won't benefit from the sun's heat as much.
There are three types of passive solar design. The first is direct gain which encompasses south facing glass that transfer solar energy into the house, where it directly and indirectly strikes thermal mass materials (thermal mass is the ability of something to absorb heat energy) into the house. Direct gain utilizes 60-75% of suns energy striking the windows. Indirect gain is when thermal mass absorbs the sunlight that strikes it and transfers it to living space by conduction. Indirect gain utilizes 30-45% of sun's energy. It also requires operable vents at the top and bottom of the thermal wall to release energy. The last is isolated gain, which utilizes 15-30% of the sun's energy, by using a sun room that shares it's collected heat with a shared wall to the indoor living. Gentrification is when a lower income area is transformed into a more prosperous and "appealing area." I had never heard of this term specifically, but I am aware of situations involving it. When thinking of the definition, it sounds like a great idea - let's make the area look better and make more money. Problems arise when the people that live and work in these lower income areas are bought off, some thinking they are getting a good deal, and told to relocate. There are businesses and people that have been in that area since before they can remember and now they have to leave. Due to the economy, it's not always easy for businesses to relocate, especially for the same rent that they were paying in their previous location. What can be particularly upsetting is that lower income areas, tend to be culturally influenced. As these areas become transformed, the culture is left behind; those little restaurants with the great food and the house with the flowers not usually found in this area are forgotten and culture is lost. It takes life out of the area. On the other side of the argument, property value and local retail income usually increases as these areas "improve." The area can become safer and decrease in family size which might bring in a more "sophisticated" clientele. Being an architect, urban planner, construction worker, etc. gentrification comes with many ethical issues. Is it okay to "improve" an area, while costing other people their homes/businesses and most likely a large sum of money? Depending on your position in the industry, it can be a personal choice or something you have no control over. Most likely it is a choice, because anything you do has your name attached to it someway or somehow, and you have to decide if you want that.
As a student, this ethical dilemma sparks a little bit of interest cross disciplinary. In school, choices are often made for where fund raising/money will go such as will the money go to the football team or the fine arts department? Is it okay to give more money to the department that is doing better, when the other departments needs that money and can benefit from it? When I begin to write my research paper, there will be a lot of different sources that I will pull from to my paper and I am sure that I will have to make decisions on the validity of certain information, because ethically it would be wrong to present incorrect facts. Ethics seem to be everywhere, and gentrification is a touchy subject, but one that certain professions have to choose a stance on. |
Cassie HowardA high school student aspiring to change the world through green technology and sustainability. Archives
April 2015
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