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MIT affords numerous opportunities to get involved with a variety of projects focused on building energy issues. To date, I have
been able to devote my time to only a few side projects worthy of mention outside of my thesis work. These projects are described below. |
Mixed Mode Ventilation with Assisted Buoyancy Flows |
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This project investigates the potential for a mixed mode ventilation system in the
new PDSI building at MIT. It is proposed that the existing atria be unconditioned for much of the year, using
motorized louvers and smoke evacuation fans to moderate temperature during certain seasons. The atria would
be conditioned in the most extreme seasons. More information is available here. |
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Spectral, Bi-directional Fenestrations |
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In this project, I explored the potential for integrating a spectral bi-directional fenestration system
in a solar home. The idea is to install a passive window system that rejects near infrared radiation during the summer but transmits it during
the winter while at the same time providing visible light for daylighting year round. A presentation on the system
is available here |
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Sustainable, Modular Residences
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As part of a class on Open Source Building for Low Energy, Responsive Homes in the MIT Media Lab, I have been exploring ways to integrate renewable energy
and water conservation technologies into prefabricated, modular houses. These designs are meant take advantage of
prefabricated components that fit into a standardized 12 by 12 by 10 framing system for reduced material consumption and site assembly time.
The process may also lend itself to easier integration of sustainable features for homes such as photovoltaic panels, solar thermal collectors,
green roofs, rainwater collection and greywater systems. The project is also exploring ways to make spaces more flexible with modular components,
so that homes, such as a University President's house, can be converted for private to public functions quickly. A presentation on my
preliminary design concept for a modular, sustianable house is available here
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Solar Decathlon Energy Analysis
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A group of MIT students, with the assistance of faculty primarily from the Department of Architecture, began work on the
National Renewable Energy Lab's (NREL) Solar Decathlon competition in Spring of 2006. The solar decathlon is an international
competition among university's to design and build a house powered entirely by solar energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, appliances,
lighting, controls, and any other energy demanding home functions. As part of this competition, I developed a building energy simulation
tool that estimates the total annual electricity and hot water production and consumption of our solar decathlon design. |
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The result of my work is an Excel spreadsheet model with a Visual Basic code that uses typical meteoroligical year (TMY2) data to simulate
the annual energy performance of the house. Although this model uses a simplified Radiant Time Series (RTS) method as compared to other, more
detailed energy simulation programs such as Energy Plus, it provided an easily manipulated format for us to rapidly tailor the energy model to changes in the design and to
assess energy performance. The Excel based energy simulation model is available here. An energy analysis of the initial solar
decathlon design is available here.
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House for an Ecologist
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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) hosted a competition to design a "house for an ecologist"
that provided a working and living space for a hypothetical ecologist in residence at the National Conservation
Training Center (NCTC) in West Virginia. The house was meant to be completely "off the grid", however our design team deliberately
worked against this idea. Our team, made up of Yanni Loukissas, Robin, and myself, designed a residence for an ecologist, a HOUSe, that emphasized
its many connections to social, environmental, industrial, and technological "grids" at many scales, while at the same time
producing its own power, hot water, and potable water and replinishing nutrients. Our submission is available here.
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UFAD used for Mixed Mode Ventilation
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| As a final project in the Analysis and Design of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems, each class member
designed the basic framework for a new Sloan School of Management building along with a HVAC system for the building. We then analyzed the effectiveness
of our design on the summer and winter design days as well as the potential for natural ventilation during moderate seasons of the year. My design
attempted to utilize an underfloor distribution system for both mechanical, displacement ventilation and natural ventilation through insulated louvers
to the outside. These louvers could be sealed during active conditioning and opened for natural ventilation. A presentation about my project is
available here.
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