“Crook”, “Cup”, “Bow”, and “Twist” (categories of wood deformation) refer to some of the latent potential energy of natural systems towards movement. The project’s intent was to capture this gestural movement of the surrounding landscape in design, as well as the performance of a building. The outer layers of construction are not part of the building enclosure and thus acts as an exterior shade. The secondary skins of perforated metal roofing and wooden solar panels help to regulate the diurnal and seasonal swings of temperature and solar cycles.

We use thermal comfort as the first target of analysis in energy efficient building design. When people are comfortable, no energy will be needed to heat or cool the space they occupy. Using a variety of software tools, we generate:
• Annual hour-by-hour simulations of thermal conditions inside the building without mechanical systems
• Parametric analysis of the role of each building component in providing thermal comfort and autonomy
• Design recommendations for achieving greater thermal comfort and greater energy autonomy
We provide both performance energy modeling and regulatory modeling (such as Title 24) as part of the design process. Performance energy modeling is used to understand the actual energy use, without regulatory defaults, to better characterize and compare building performance and energy costs during design and after occupancy. We use EnergyPlus, a whole building energy simulation program with proprietary scripts to model energy consumption for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and plug and process loads. We also use regulatory software as required by state energy codes for permitting when the project is ready to permit. Energy modeling includes:
• Simulating annual building energy use at all stages of design process
• Developing early energy use parametrics to identify energy saving opportunities in design alternatives
• Developing suites of energy strategies to reconsider conventional approaches to building energy use
• Comparison of mechanical strategies and HVAC systems in terms of energy use
• Green building certification
• Quantification of energy cost
• Real-time building control and operation
• Future weather energy simulations
Achieving zero-energy and zero-carbon requires a building and site to generate the energy needed for building operation, which requires renewable energy. We use energy simulations and other tools to:
• Quantify solar and wind potential
• Identify and size appropriate alternative energy sources including photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, fuel cells
• Coordinate location and installation issues with the design team
• Identify renewable energy that can be sourced through public utilities and renewable energy vendors
Natural ventilation – using outside air to provide fresh outside air to a building and to exhaust hot air– is a critical design and operational strategy for high-performance and low energy buildings, both residential and commercial, in most climates. Natural ventilation is driven by the building design, with inlets and outlets provided for cross-ventilation and/or stack-ventilation. We use a combination of software and a laboratory wind-tunnel to assist the design team to:
• Strategically identify and locate the path of ventilating air
• Quantify the available wind on site in terms of direction, velocity and patterns of availability
• Size and locate openings for incoming air and exhaust
• Coordinate the mechanical system with natural ventilation as an operating protocol

Interior comfort levels are maintained by means of natural ventilation in conjunction with a ground-coupled heat pump. Solar energy is used for both production of electricity and hot water. The PV panels and the hot water panels are placed on the south facing roof that is tilted an optimal 14 degrees off the horizontal. All electrical needs of the main building are met on an annual basis. Configuration and controls of the solar hot water system are based on various occupancy modes to optimize energy use of the building. Loisos + Ubbelohde provided consulting on sustainable strategies, energy modeling, thermal comfort modeling and system and control designs for the solar energy systems.

AWARDS

2014 AIACC Design Awards, Merit Award

2014 Custom Home Design Awards, Grand Award : Architectural Detail

2010 AIACC Un-built Design, Honor Award

2010 The Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, Shortlisted