(mass timber)
// advanced research studio project
// university of washington
// university of washington
the objective of this research based studio was to approach the design of a mass timber building through computational analysis of embodied and operational carbon emissions.
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the ground floor is available to commercial tenants and community space while the upper floors are residential. a hybrid clt structural frame allows for bay width of 34’x17’ and an open floor plan with flexible unit layout options.
the ground floor is available to commercial tenants and community space while the upper floors are residential. a hybrid clt structural frame allows for bay width of 34’x17’ and an open floor plan with flexible unit layout options.
the site was a triangular plot located in the busy arts district of capitol hill, seattle. utilizing a courtyard shape offers private green space on the interior, but also optimizes the shape of the site. additionally, the building is offset from the northeast corner and southwest to give space from the busy street.
single unit (2br, 1 ba)
double unit (townhouse)
the residential units are meant to support multi-family housing with both single and double floor units. the tiered shape of the upper floors was configured to allow additional light into the courtyard.
units are pushed to the exterior envelope of the building with circulation wrapping the interior edge of the courtyard. circulation cores at the corners are meant to be experiential and a meeting place for residents.
units are pushed to the exterior envelope of the building with circulation wrapping the interior edge of the courtyard. circulation cores at the corners are meant to be experiential and a meeting place for residents.
computational analysis:
this project was designed similataneously while supporting design decisions with testing analysis. below is a graphic to represent the breadth of tests we ran for our analysis. each dot represents one test, and moving from left to right are the inputs of each test including; studs (2x6” or 2x8”), insulation thickness, window to wall ratio (wwr), shading elements, solar heat gain coefficent (shgc), and double or triple glazing. we focused on collecting data related to the building envelope, because the shape of our building has much more surface area for the facade and an important element of energy intake and loss.
the fitness landscapes to the left explains how we focused on comparisons of wwr for each side. we looked deeper into how much wwr to attribute to each side of the building for optimal passive heating and cooling, especially the north and se sides which take up the most area on our site.
from this we can tell that we want to stay between 20 - 40% wwr and remain in the blue zone for best results for both embodied and operational carbon emissions.
from this we can tell that we want to stay between 20 - 40% wwr and remain in the blue zone for best results for both embodied and operational carbon emissions.
west = 40% wwr
north = 30% wwr
southeast = 20% wwr
in conclusion, this project created a 25% EUI reduction in comparison to the baseline models. the combination of repititious testing and cross-examination with building design proves we can improve the building performance and the impact on the user.