ARCH 262/562 Building Technology, Materials & Methods
Final project

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Assigned Nov. 26, 2007
Due: Dec. 13, 2007, 7:00 pm, 121 Rand Hall (office vestibule, or corridor in from of office door)

Redesign of Rand Hall

The final project is an analysis of existing conditions and a schematic redesign of Rand Hall's building envelope. You may base your analysis and proposal on approximate dimensions, using the information supplied as well as your own observation.

The following supplementary information is provided online:

The following additional links will also be needed:

Other references on course reserve will also prove useful, especially Architectural Graphic Standards and the course text. Examples of labeled wall sections (useful not necessarily for specific content, but for graphic quality) can be found in the final sections of Allen's Architectural Detailing.

Use course reserve and/or other online sources for further information on materials and systems not provided through these links.

Rand Hall, 2nd floor interior view of studios, Cornell

Groups

The final project may be completed by groups of no more than four students.

Special office hours

Special office hours will be held for questions about, or just preliminary feedback on, the final project:

Tues., Nov. 27, 2007, 9:00 - 10:00 am
Tues., Dec. 4, 2007, 9:00 - 10:00 am
Thurs., Dec. 6, 2007, 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Tues., Dec. 11, 2007, 9:00 - 10:00 am

Format

Your final project should be submitted as a report on 8-1/2" x 11" paper, organized in two parts as outlined in the requirements below. A title sheet should list the course, date, and names of students in your group. If a physical model is included, it should also be labeled with the same information.

Part I. Analysis of existing conditions

A. Fire Safety

Referring to specific sections of the International Building Code [2006 IBC], analyze and comment on the following existing Rand Hall egress and fire safety conditions:

Find the appropriate occupancy group from Chapter 3 ("Educational occupancies for students above the 12th grade"), and the "highest" construction type that fits the existing conditions in Rand Hall from Tables 601 and 602. Comment on why the various construction types do or do not apply to Rand Hall's existing construction, and choose the "best" construction type that applies.
Allowable area confirmation: based on IBC occupancy group, construction type, frontage, and sprinklers, what is the total allowable floor area for Rand Hall? The actual gross area of Rand Hall can be taken as 9,903 square feet per floor, based on the typical floor plan provided. Frontage distances can be estimated from the online Cornell map. Is Rand Hall in compliance with IBC floor area limitations? Refer to 2006 IBC Chapter 5, or the fire code class handout.
Width of stairs (based on occupant load): Use the exception specified in IBC Section 1004.1.1 to find an occupant load based on the approximate number of desks on a typical upper-level floor (an approximate number is sufficient). How does this compare with the numbers obtained from IBC Table 1004.1.1? Find the required width of egress stairs from IBC Section 1005.1 (using Table 1005.1). Also check the minimum width from IBC Section 1009.1. What is the actual width of the two egress stairs? Do not enter the east stair, since an alarm will be triggered. Instead, see plan and section of inaccessible east stairway. Is Rand Hall in compliance with IBC egress stair width minimums?
Stair shaft enclosure: Based on IBC Section 1020, what fire resistance rating is required for the vertical exit enclosures in Rand Hall?
Egress doors: Do egress stair doors comply with IBC Section 1008.1.1 for door size?
Posting of occupant load: Is the large, open first-year studio at the east end of floor 2 an "assembly space?" See IBC Section 303 and discuss whether or not it seems to qualify. Assuming that it does qualify as an assembly space, would it comply with IBC Section 1004.3?
Tread and riser dimensions: Do the egress stairs comply with IBC Section 1009.3 for tread and riser dimensions? (Again, do not enter the east stair; instead refer to plan and section provided.
Hand and guard rails: Do the handrails and guard rails on the egress stairs comply with IBC Sections 1012 and 1013?
First-floor corridor: Do the corridors on the first floor of Rand Hall comply with IBC Sections 1017.2 and 1005.1 (use "business area" occupancy from IBC Table 1004.1.1 to determine minimum corridor width per Table 1005.1); Section 1005.2 (door encroachment); Section 1014.3 (common path of egress travel); Section 1016.1 (travel distance limitations); and Section 1017.1 (construction)?
Number of exits: Based on IBC Section 1019, how many exits must Rand Hall have?

For each of these items, cite the specific IBC requirements and section numbers, and discuss whether and how the existing conditions comply. Use sketches or diagrams as necessary.

B. Building envelope heat flow (existing)

Rand Hall is a steel-framed building with a 1-way concrete floor system spanning between steel beams, clad with an uninsulated 12"-thick brick wall and single-glazed steel windows with no thermal breaks. For these existing conditions, find the (approximate) total heat loss for the whole building under winter conditions:

Estimate the overall building dimensions and the percentage of glazing (including the 3rd floor skylight). Refer to the typical floor plan, roof plan, and typical elevation. Estimate surface areas based on these drawings; it is not necessary to account for every special condition and exception.
Find R-values for the wall and roof components only: assume 12" of brick, single glazing, and a roof that is assumed to consist of a 6"-thick concrete slab with 2 inches of rigid polystyrene insulation (EPS) covered with a single-ply membrane. Neglect air film contribution. Assume an interior design temperature of 70-degrees F and an exterior winter design temperature of 10 degrees F.
Compute total heat flow in BTU/hr.

Part II. Building envelope

Leaving the existing brick cladding in place, propose a new building envelope for the vertical surfaces only (walls and windows) that meets New York State Energy Code standards. Because Rand Hall is not designated as a historic landmark, your proposal can alter the appearance of the building. However, you may also choose to leave the exterior as is, with all modifications occurring on the inside. Existing windows may be left in place (presumably with another layer of glazing in front or behind), or may be removed and replaced.

A. NYS code compliance

To prove compliance with New York State energy regulations, include a print-out from the COMcheck Prescriptive Package Generator available online at no cost. In using this online software tool, make the following assumptions:

Code: "New York"
County: Tompkins
Construction type: office
Number of stories: 3
Conditioned floor area: use 9,903 square feet per floor x 3 stories
Glazing area percentage: based on your design proposal and estimate
Roof assembly: concrete slab or deck
wall assembly: other masonry, metal frame
Floor assembly: slab, unheated
Basement: no basement

Then generate your compliance report and include here with your final project. Note that your proposal must correspond to the R-values and U-values listed in the Compliance Certificate.

B. Wall section

Your building envelope proposal should address issues of heat loss, as well as air and water control.

Draw a detailed partial wall-section showing your proposed alteration for a typical wall-window area. Label all materials. The partial wall section should extend from the bottom of the 2nd-floor slab to the top of the 3rd-floor slab, with "break lines" through the window and/or wall to reduce the overall drawing size so that it fits on a single 8-1/2" x 11" sheet. Use a scale of 1" = 1'-0".
Comment on the water and air barrier strategies in your typical proposed wall section. Would you characterize the proposed wall type as a barrier wall, internal drainage plane wall, drainage cavity wall, or pressure-equalized rain-screen wall? Use schematic diagrams to illustrate your concept.
If the interior air is conditioned in the winter with added humidity (as is common in modern buildings), do you expect to have a problem with interstitial condensation? Use an approximate, conceptual temperature/dew-point gradient diagram to illustrate whether your sectional concept at a typical solid wall area is likely to experience problems with condensation: for this diagram, assume inside and outside temperatures of 70 and 10 degrees F respectively; and inside and outside dew point temperatures of 40 and 0 degrees respectively. A calculation example, with different dew point values, is provided online. It is not meant to represent an exemplary design strategy.

C. Three-dimensional view

Build a partial model (either a physical or digital one) showing a fragment of the proposed renovation of Rand Hall, corresponding to the window/wall area shown in the section. The fragment should include both solid wall and window areas, as well as a portion of the 2nd- and 3rd-floor slabs. Do not include the roof or foundation conditions.

If a physical model is submitted, the scale should be 1" = 1'-0" and the overall model size should exceed neither 12" x 24" in plan, nor 24" in height. Do not attempt to simulate concrete or masonry materials with plaster or other "heavy" modeling elements. Photos of the model included within the report are optional.
If a digital model is submitted, choose a "scale" that shows the construction at an appropriate level of detail, and print images to fit on 8-1/2" x 11" paper, included within the final report. One or more images of the same model may be included, but avoid needless redundancy.

For either modeling strategy, use cut-away techniques to reveal all relevant parts of the construction, while still giving viewers a sense of the architectural concept (facade and interior finishes).

D. Building envelope heat flow (proposed)

Find the (approximate) total heat flow in BTU/hr for the proposed building envelope under winter conditions. Change the wall to correspond to your NYS-approved details and also "improve" the roof by using insulated glass units in the skylight and increased roof insulation (assume 3 inches of rigid polystyrene EPS insulation covered with a single-ply membrane over the existing slab). Neglect air film contribution.

Use the same overall building dimensions as before; only re-compute the percentage of glazing (including the 3rd floor skylight) if it is different from the percentage of glazing in the existing conditions. Again, estimate surface areas without attempting to account for every special condition and exception.
Find R-values for the proposed wall and roof components. Again, assume an interior design temperature of 70-degrees F and an exterior winter design temperature of 10 degrees F.
Compute total heat flow in BTU/hr.
Comment on proposal and existing conditions: How much more energy efficient is your proposed building envelope compared with the existing condition of Rand Hall?