Eman Nasrallah Prof. Schambureck
Amarillo Clinical Simulation Center Project information
Introduction
Amarillo, Climate Descriptions
Building Layout
This project, located in Amarillo, Texas, was about understanding the client needs by analyzing the Amarillo Clinical Simulation Center, an envelope-dominated building. In such an analysis, it is important to define the overheating and under-heating periods, the climate region, and the sun angle in summer and winter. The main aim of this project is to develop the best strategies to reduce heat load and reduce energy use, including supplementary mechanical use, plumbing, and the water use strategies for the project (Figure 1).
Amarillo, Texas located in the middle of the state and has a semi-arid temperate that changes rapidly, especially during the winter. It is one of the windiest cities in the country. The residents get some dust storms during spring, some rare intense storms and experience low humidity. In recent years, they have had wind and heavy rain during the spring and summer. The Amarillo area is located in the western region of "Tornado Alley. ” (Figure 2).
This project that we have been studying and developing is a one-story simulation center which is considered an envelope dominated building (Figure 3).
(Figure 2)
(Figure 1)
(Figure 3)
Supplementary mechanical use
Strategies to reduce heat load South Façade
West Façade
A movable horizontal overhang is the best choice for the south façade, as it blocks the sun but not the view. This choice also provides passive heating during winter and good shading during summer. Identifying the full shade and full sun line on the south window section was the first step to adjust the perfect location and sizing of the shading device on the south side. Then, according to the resulting sun and shade angle, the size of the shading device, a movable system consisting of two panels supported by dynamically rotating arms, was determined. The movable system device allows control of the shading device according to the need. The first piece of the shading device could be stretched to reach the full sun line during the under-heated period (winter) to allow for more light. During the overheated period (summer), the second piece could be stretched to reach the full shade line to support from the summer shade (Figure 4).
It is hard to shade the west side of the building and there is no best way to shade that side. Therefore, the goal for west window is just to shade as much as possible. The west façade is different than the south facing façade, so it is difficult to use the same technique to shade both sides. After identifying the full shade angle for the west side, which is too long to have horizontal panels, it was found that using vertical fins is better option. Also, it is better to avoid using wide and long windows and better to use short windows instead. Moreover, the existing window design was a wide curtain wall (Figure 5).
.
Time of Year
Winter Dec 21 South Façade
Time of Day
Altitude
Azimuth
8 am
8
53
10 am
24
30
12 noon
31
0
2 pm
24
30
4 pm
8
53
Time of year
Summer June 21 West Façade
West Section
South Section
Time of day
Altitude
Azimuth
6 am
13
107
8am
37
94
10 am
61
72
12 noon
77
0
2 pm
61
72
4 pm
37
94
6 pm
13
107
(Figure 4) Section, Full shade line Floor Plan
The Best Mechanical Heating/Cooling System for the Medical Zone
The Best Mechanical Heating/Cooling System for the Surgery Zone
The Simulation Center will benefit from packaged heating and air conditioning systems. The system is preferable for this environment because the hospital has multiple rooms and confined spaces (Simmons & Mullin, 2017). In addition, the system provides a single package for all the different offices and patients’ rooms in the building. The air conditioner and the heat pump work together with the evaporator coil. In addition, it has a thermostat that provides an interface for controlling the movement of air throughout the building (Ananthanarayanan, 2013). The system allows the administrators to determine if they should utilize optional air quality improvers. The hospital environment can benefit from the adoption of purifiers, cleaners, ventilators and UV lamps.
The packaged heating and air conditioning system is appropriate for a surgery room because it requires minimal space. The air conditioner and the heat pump are contained in a single unit with the evaporator or fan coil (Turner & Doty, 2006). The thermostat that provides an interface for controlling the entire system can be located outside the surgery rooms. The system is comprised of features that enable users to enhance the quality of the air in the room (Turner & Doty, 2006). For instance, surgery rooms can be fitted with air purifiers, cleaners, and ventilators that make the air cleaner. In addition, the system provides for the use of UV lamps that not only enhance visibility in the surgery room, but also cleanse the air. The system provides acceptable thermo quality that enhances the quality of air in the room (Mcdowall, 2007).
The Best Mechanical Heating/Cooling System for the Offices Zone The office environment is in a windy area requires split systems to provide an allowance for the user to place them inside or outside the building. The Amarillo area requires that the system be placed inside the house because of the weather conditions. The offices would benefit from an air conditioner cooled the refrigerant part of the split system. In addition, the system has ducts that can carry clean air to different rooms. Office blocks with multiple rooms would benefit from the adoption of this system because it ensures that all the rooms benefit from clean air. The system also has a control panel that can be used to control the flow of air in the office (Lechner, 2015). The offices can also be fitted with purifiers, humidifiers, UV lamps, or air cleaners to enhance the cleanliness of air in the rooms. The furnaces have the capacity to coil in order to convert the refrigerant and cool air in the office (Lechner, 2015). The features of the split system make it a good solution for one-story offices that may be affected by high levels of dust blown into the rooms.
The Best Mechanical Heating/Cooling System for the Auditoriums zone The Best Mechanical Heating/Cooling System for the Auditoriums Zone The duct-free split heating and air conditioning system can be used in an auditorium because the system is suitable for a large area. The system can complement other mechanical heating and cooling systems that have been installed in the building (Brown & RealtyPro Advisor, 2016). The system has a compact fan coil that can be used to cool air the auditorium. In addition, it has a thermostat and a control panel that is convenient for large spaces. In addition, it has wires and tubing that connect the outdoor unit to the fan coil in the room. The architecture of the system makes it suitable for large rooms (Brown & RealtyPro Advisor, 2016). In particular, it has provisions for the inclusion of optional accessories that can clean the air and make it pleasant (Figures 10 & 11).
(Figure 5)
Floor Plan
Section, Full sun & shade
3D View
3D View
Double Skin Façades
Fins
Glass façades that face east and west can provide natural ventilation and passive cooling. The system was created for use in a different way during summer and winter, according to the weather. The glass in the summer can reflect solar radiation with a system of lamellas to shade the sun. Meanwhile, in the winter, the system is closed, and thereby keeps hot air inside the simulation center. Applying the double skin façades can help improve the daylight conditions and reduce the use of electricity. Double skin façades can solve several issues of passive heating and cooling. Furthermore, the design of the existing façades needs be changed in order to implement the double skin glassing correctly (Figure 12).
The suggested design chosen for the west façade had small windows close to each other covering the whole wall, as opposed to a curtain wall, to allow for better controlling of the shade. Also, thin vertical fins on the edge of the windows were used to help reduce the direct sunlight from entering the building. Moreover, thin horizontal fins were used above and underneath each window to reflect the sunlight. These fins consist of two pieces. The second piece is the movable part and is connected to the first part, which is connected to the wall. It can be stretched during the overheated period (summer) and closed an additional part during winter. Also, there were small fins used underneath each window to reflect the sun light from the interior (Figure 13).
(Figure10) (Figure 11)
Acoustical Controls
Electric Lighting
The acoustic control in sensitive healthcare environments must occur along the path between the source and the recipient and at the point of reception. The ergonomic intervention is integral in managing noise levels in a healthcare environment. In addition, the equipment used in a healthcare environment and the materials that are placed on the walls critically influence the noise levels in the building. Also, the design of the building should be informed by the intended uses (Figure 16).
Optimizing the use of daylight is very important to reduce the amount of energy used. Also, the center should use energy-efficient lighting systems to optimize energy utilization. The electrical lighting systems provide the most effective platforms to manage the energy in the building. In addition, it is better to use new lighting technologies that have higher luminous potential. Energy levels can be optimized through the implementation of integrated systems (Figure 15).
(Figure13)
(Figure12)
Strategies to reduce energy use Wind Towers
Active Solar The PV panels can be used on the roof in order to change sunlight directly to electricity. The PV panel angles are very important to get the best result. So for this location to get the greatest benefit, the PV should face south. A movable system to follow the sun direction should also be created for the best benefits in this type of climate (Figure 6) .
(Figure 15)
(Figure 16)
One good solution to be used in this project is wind towers that could be designed in the south and north area, according to the wind directions. This technique was created many centuries ago to provide ventilation. These towers can help direct the breeze to come into the interior through the chimney and refresh the air as they allow the air to move through the corridors. Also, the window panels used for shading can help in ventilation too (Figure 7).
Plumbing and Water Use Strategies Plumbing Systems
Rain Water Harvesting The rainwater harvesting system is comprised of a catchment area, storage tanks, filler, supply facilities, pipes and overflow units. The stored water should be used for non-potable functions such as toilet flushing, washing hands, pavement cleaning, and irrigation (Figure 17).
(Figure 7)
(Figure 6)
Cooling Techniques
Ventilation
One of the most common means of cooling is comfort ventilation and night flush to help cool the interior of a space. For a West Texas climate, night flush cooling could be accomplished by having small window openings in the top of the walls and another opening below in the interior walls that can move the hot breeze out from the interior places at night; it can also cool the thermal mass. Moreover, there should be an opening in the suite doors that face the corridors in the simulation center, and there should be ventilation slots in the bathroom that could help complete the night-flush cooling cycle to better ventilate the space (Figure 8) .
Using windows that can move up and down can provide shading and ventilation systems. Additionally, the use of glazing, which has a very low Uvalue of 0.78 W/m2K, for the windows can reduces transmission losses and create the “greenhouse” effect. Also, it could be better to use sensors to close the windows automatically when the temperature is high in the interior spaces. During summers, the cooling can become an issue that is hard to solve using passive cooling, but using this technique can help use less energy to cool the space (Figure 9).
(Figure 8)
(Figure14)
(Figure 17)
References
(Figure 9)
Awbi, H. B. (2015). Ventilation and air distribution systems in buildings. Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, 1 (4), 1. Daghigh, R., Ruslan, M. H., & Sopian, K. (2015). Parametric studies of an active solar water heating system with various types of PVT collectors. Sadhana, 40 (7), 2177-2197. Dubois, M., Bisegna, F., Gentile, N., Knoop, M., Matusiak, B., Osterhaus, W., & Tetri, E. (2015). Retrofitting the electric lighting and daylighting systems to reduce energy use in buildings: A literature review. Energy Research Journal, 26-43. Kahoorzadeh, A., Elnaz, S., & Osivand, S. (2014). Investigation of the usage of passive solar energy in Salamis road’s buildings, Famagusta. International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 5 (2), 132-137. Konkani, A., Oakley, B., Faimbe, F. E., & Penprase, B. (2014). Reducing Hospital ICU noise: A behavior based approach. Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 5 (2), 229-246 Matos, C., Santos, C., Pereira, S., Bentes, I., & Imteaz, M. (2012). Rainwater storage tank sizing: Case study of a commercial building. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 2 (2), 109-118. Wu, S., & Xiong, C. (2014). Passive cooling technology for photovoltaic panels for domestic houses. International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, 9 (2), 118-126. Ananthanarayanan, P. N. (2013). Basic refrigeration and air conditioning. New Delhi: McGraw-Hill Education (India). Brown, R. P., & Realty Pro Advisor (Firm). (2016). Learn the lingo of houses: Reference of real estate terms for today's industry professionals. Cheyenne, WY: Queen Bee Publisher Inc. Lechner, N. (2015). Heating, cooling, lighting: Sustainable design methods for architects. Hoboken, New Jersey, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Turner, W. C., & Doty, S. (2006). Energy management handbook. Lilburn, GA: Fairmont Press. Mcdowall, R. (2007). Fundamentals of HVAC systems: SI edition. Atlanta, GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers eLearning. Simmons, J. P., & Mullin, R. C. (2017). Electrical wiring: Commercial. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. The references for photos used: (Figure 2): https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/alexandria (Figure 6): http://www.switchsource.co.uk/solar_thermal.html (Figure 7): https://www.pinterest.com/pin/305470787206530466/ (Figure 8): http://moss-design.com/passive-cooling/ (Figure 9): http://westcoastpvc.com/sliding-sash-windows/ (Figure10):http://e-partenaire.com/2016/09/23/home-heating-design/passive-solar-house-plans-cost-effective-and-eco-friendly-luxury-home-heating-design/ (Figure 11): http://zdrav40.ru/?k=Air+ConditioningHeat+Pump+Troubleshooting++HVAC (Figure 12): http://www.keyword-suggestions.com/d2FsbCBsb3V2ZXIgZGV0YWlscw/ (Figure 13): https://aag8x.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/ (Figure 14): http://www.solartwin.com/product-information/plumbing-summary/ (Figure 15): https://community.smartthings.com/t/aeotec-micro-smart-switch-g2-3-way-wiring/19989/10 (Figure 16): http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/channel.htm (Figure 17): http://gosmartbricks.com/rain-water-harvesting-methods-in-india/