Second Place in The National ACSA/NSF Sponsored Competition: The Architect & Engineering of Sustainable Buildings
All of these factors led to the Graduate Studio Project – Reinventing Norman’s Civic Complex. The studio focus is on regenerative architecture in the sense of not just net-zero energy but positive energy production with water catchment and treatment. The Graduate Studio utilized the Open Challenge Program as a vehicle to explore and promote these sustainability issues in an urban framework that promulgated the leadership role of municipal government and services, reinforcing the sense of place that can be accomplished through civic architecture.
After an intensive period of study and analysis that featured readings and student led presentations from Bacon, Jacobs, Lynch, Cullen and many others, the students were tasked with master planning the entire Civic Complex. The master plan had to address multiple issues including aggregating the individual buildings to share resources with regard to energy production and usage, as well as water catchment and treatment. Additionally, the Civic Master Plan was required to strengthen the link to community festivals and events. This helped to leverage its unique position to create not only a daytime presence but also a nighttime transition between events, as well as creating a destination in its own right.
After the Civic Master Plan was developed, each student was required to further develop all buildings in the complex. The design development was used to test conceptual targets, respond to program, code, planned zoning, function, net-zero energy, LEED Platinum certification, and water catchment that met all its individual and aggregate complex needs. Finally, the competition entry boards were designed to tell this story, with the visual display of quantitative nformation playing a key role in conveying energy and water data.
In reaching my net-zero facility, I focused my attention on four main areas, building footprint, space frame structural system with double skin façade, water
collection, and energy production.
All of these factors led to the Graduate Studio Project – Reinventing Norman’s Civic Complex. The studio focus is on regenerative architecture in the sense of not just net-zero energy but positive energy production with water catchment and treatment. The Graduate Studio utilized the Open Challenge Program as a vehicle to explore and promote these sustainability issues in an urban framework that promulgated the leadership role of municipal government and services, reinforcing the sense of place that can be accomplished through civic architecture.
After an intensive period of study and analysis that featured readings and student led presentations from Bacon, Jacobs, Lynch, Cullen and many others, the students were tasked with master planning the entire Civic Complex. The master plan had to address multiple issues including aggregating the individual buildings to share resources with regard to energy production and usage, as well as water catchment and treatment. Additionally, the Civic Master Plan was required to strengthen the link to community festivals and events. This helped to leverage its unique position to create not only a daytime presence but also a nighttime transition between events, as well as creating a destination in its own right.
After the Civic Master Plan was developed, each student was required to further develop all buildings in the complex. The design development was used to test conceptual targets, respond to program, code, planned zoning, function, net-zero energy, LEED Platinum certification, and water catchment that met all its individual and aggregate complex needs. Finally, the competition entry boards were designed to tell this story, with the visual display of quantitative nformation playing a key role in conveying energy and water data.
In reaching my net-zero facility, I focused my attention on four main areas, building footprint, space frame structural system with double skin façade, water
collection, and energy production.
Building Footprint
By raising the entire facility off the ground and only allowing the main staircase to touch the ground I was able to reduce the overall buildings’ footprints by 86%, as well as create a focal point where the entrance is located. This allows for more pervious cover areas to instigate additional site rain water for filtration, thus refreshing the water table, as well as opening up views through the site allowing the users to see all outdoor areas and locate their destination more easily. By positioning all stair towers toward the center of the site, it also allows the users to sit within this space and see what is going on around them. It also creates a public outdoor soapbox or speech area, allowing public meetings and speeches to take place in various locations of the site.
Space Frame Structural System with Double Skin Façade
When trying to limit the building footprint on my site as well as open up the views to key areas of the site, the finished product I developed was these giant cantilevered triangular shaped buildings. After conversing with some structural engineers within our college, I decided to use a space frame system integrated with a double skin façade on the north side to allow the most day lighting into my building without making the structure seam massive and overbearing. The space frame systems is basically a “U”shaped structure resting on the three lower walls of the stair tower. Then, two-way concrete slab floors are used throughout the structures to strengthen the connection and reduce the amount of columns needed within the buildings. The double skin façade allows me to regulate the air coming into the building by either opening or closing vents thus heating or cooling the air between the two layers of glass. It also promotes the use of fresh air without the safety and security concerns associated with these types of civic structures. Secondly, the interior stack ventilated area and light well helps allow natural day lighting into the rear of the building and aids in heating and cooling, much like the double skin façade, from the center of the building. This is also the main entry point to the buildings, so a vestibule area is not needed. Interior windows are also operable so in the winter months you are still able to get fresh, clean, outside air without the risk of high winds or precipitation.
Water Collection
With my focus on water, I designed enough building roof areas to collect the total needs for each building. While each building has its own collection tank integrated under the main entry stairs, all the systems are integrated in case one building’s water store is depleted; it can pull from one of the other buildings. This system houses well over the projected needs within the building, as well as what is needed on-site to aid in irrigation to help maintain the grounds and keep the landscaping green throughout the summer months. The remaining water on the site is allowed to filtrate in various locations around the site. Triangular shaped parking lots allow for detention ponds in the center thus directing all water flow to those areas instead of out into the street. Sloped, grassy areas within the site help direct water to underground holding tanks to allow for a greater amount of filtration into the site. Street-facing rain gardens allow street water coming from various other sites to enter and filtrate, and what is not processed is at least filtered and allowed back into the street to continue on to the city drainage system.
Energy Production
As with any sustainable facility I had two goals in mind when dealing with energy production. First, I wanted to limit the amount of energy the facility uses by increasing the amount of natural day lighting and using more efficient systems like geothermal and passive heating and cooling. Secondly, I wanted to generate as much renewable energy as possible. By integrating vertical wind turbines in the dead space in the corners of each of my buildings, spacing solar panels in the window sun shading devices, using solar paint on the lower roofs to reduce glare, and installing solar tubes on the upper roofs, the greatest amount of energy possible will be generated.
Building Program
The COURTHOUSE contains four court rooms with four separate judges’ chambers for each. There are also spaces for 197 other activities or offices in both the public and private areas. The public and private sectors have their own separate entry points as well as stairwells between floors.
The POLICE STATION contains spaces for 42 employees, 4 administrators, 6 records, 2 offices and 30 detectives, as well as a holding and booking area for detainees waiting on a court hearing at the courthouse. It is one story in height to allow for day lighting into the courthouse directly behind it.
In the LIBRARY, I decided to separate it into two buildings with a bridge connecting them to allow access between the spaces. The larger rear triangle is mainly public spaces with library stacks and reading areas for all ages, while the front, smaller triangle houses offices and multipurpose rooms. This allows for meetings to take place after library hours without the need to regulate the air temperature within the entire building.
The CITY HALL is the largest of all my buildings’ program consisting of Mayor and council, Council Chambers, City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, Community Services, Economic Development, Human Resources, Management Services administration, management services accounting, management services risk management, management services tax and utility services, real estate, as well as other supporting spaces, totaling 242 offices. The red area is public corridor space and the green are is private corridor space.
The POLICE STATION contains spaces for 42 employees, 4 administrators, 6 records, 2 offices and 30 detectives, as well as a holding and booking area for detainees waiting on a court hearing at the courthouse. It is one story in height to allow for day lighting into the courthouse directly behind it.
In the LIBRARY, I decided to separate it into two buildings with a bridge connecting them to allow access between the spaces. The larger rear triangle is mainly public spaces with library stacks and reading areas for all ages, while the front, smaller triangle houses offices and multipurpose rooms. This allows for meetings to take place after library hours without the need to regulate the air temperature within the entire building.
The CITY HALL is the largest of all my buildings’ program consisting of Mayor and council, Council Chambers, City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, Community Services, Economic Development, Human Resources, Management Services administration, management services accounting, management services risk management, management services tax and utility services, real estate, as well as other supporting spaces, totaling 242 offices. The red area is public corridor space and the green are is private corridor space.