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Beijing House; ARCH 751, 2019

Created By:
  • Xuezhu Sun
  • Tianshuo Wang
  • Ruobing Huang
  • Wenzhao Xu
Title page with road map of Beijing city with building location circled.

Environmental Accounting of a residence in Beijing from Arch 751 in 2019. The course draws on systems ecology and the history and philosophy of technology to examine the complex task of environmental building design. Rethinking ecological design at the beginning of the twenty-first century means reconsidering the strong claims made about ecology and technology—utopian and dystopian—through the twentieth century, as the impacts of technology on eco-systems were encountered.

What gives a site it's value? Using Odum's diagrammatic structure, the students looked at the various systems, factors and operations that give value to a residential site within a city.

Date Created: Fall 2019
Course: Ecology, Technology And Design
Instructor(s):

William W. Braham

  • Red highlight shows the location of the apartment being studied within the building.
  • Street view of apartment building elevation.
  • Part 1 of the assignment is gathering input data.
  • Data collection of energy based on climate analysis - sunlight, rain, wind.
  • Data collection of energy based on building construction, car, water and food consumption, and waste water.
  • Data collection of energy based on supplies, solid waste, utilities and labor.
  • Data collection of energy based on location, commuting, annual income, and dimensions of the house.
  • Using elements from the E[m]ergy Synthesis language, diagram for water usage and wastewater in balcony, kitchen and bathroom.
  • Utility bills showing usage of water, electricity and gas for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019.
  • Fully furnished floor plan of the apartment building highlighting the apartment under study.
  • Part 2 of the assignment is energy calculations.
  • Excel sheets showing energy calculations.
  • Excel sheets showing energy calculations.
  • Axonometric line drawing of the apartment showing the different spaces and energy inputs.
  • Excel sheet of total emergy summary.
  • Photograph clicked from inside the apartment looking towards the balcony at 8am to capture the quality of daylight.
  • Using elements from the E[m]ergy Synthesis language, diagram of the construction and maintenance of a house and household.
  • Part 3 of the assignment focuses on construction.
  • Excel sheets showing energy calculation for site work, and photographs of underground parking and community landscape.
  • Excel sheets showing energy calculation for materials used in construction.
  • Excel sheets showing energy calculation for HVAC, electricity and plumbing with supporting photographs from site.
  • Excel sheets showing energy calculation of furniture, fixtures and equipment in the apartment.
  • Images of the different kinds construction material used in this apartment.
  • Detailed plan drawing showing the room sizes and floor finishes.
  • Photograph clicked of the balcony of the apartment, showing different finishes and elements of construction.
  • Photograph clicked of the balcony of the apartment, showing different finishes, materials, and elements of construction.
  • Photograph clicked of the interior of the apartment, showing different finishes, materials, and elements of construction.
  • Images of fixtures and finishes.
  • Part 4 of the assignment focuses on content of the house.
  • Plan of the house showing the different furniture pieces in each room.
  • Photographs pointing to the appliances in the kitchen.
  • Part 3 of the assignment focuses on performance.
  • Axonometric view of interior spaces, showing the types of human activity in each space along with energy expended.
  • Diagrammatic view showing difference in temperature between inside and outside, which affects human comfort.
  • Graphs showing improvement in thermal comfort by improving the performance of glass and wall U-values.
  • Excel sheets showing heating load calculations by improving the building façade.
  • Axonometric view of building showing the improved design strategies.
  • Axonometric view of apartment showing the improved design strategies.
Meet the Program Director William W. Braham

Learn to design buildings that positively contribute to local, regional, and global ecosystems.

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