make HVAC great again
Historic house in New York City.
As the world continues to modernize and invent, I think it's unrealistic to think that we would revert back to old systems when ones with higher convenience exist now. Despite the environmental benefits of reducing our HVAC systems and utilizing natural ventilation, most people will not sacrifice comfort for this benefit. I think in terms of thermal comfort it's better to fully integrate these HVAC systems and embrace them. Lee Halls is a good example of a building that fails to fully integrate thermal comfort. The thermal differences in temperature between spaces are one of the biggest student complaints. While the building may be energy efficient it does not work well with the actual users, a system that integrated more air circulation would have a better impact on the student's thermal comfort. So no matter the energy reduction, users will complain about the temperature.
Kj, while I agree that Lee hall may have uncomfortable moments, one may agree that Lee 3 also lacks passive ventilation since the south operable windows broke down. While HVAC is not meant to be used year round, I think we can both agree that there are times of year in which it's passive strategies could work. If they were to fix the operable windows on the rear end of the building I believe this would make the comfort of the space much greater. During the mornings when the weather is cool, I can imagine the benefit of a space that allows the cool air to circulate the space rather than HVAC. On rainy days, I'd imagine this comfort to be even more relaxing. During the daytime when it gets hot, in a perfect reality, these windows would shut and HVAC would take over. While I agree that Lee hall has lost its purpose since these windows have been discontinued, complimenting HVAC with sustainable strategies would lead to a more sustainable building in the longer term. There must be a combination of things for the strategies to work properly. To me, they failed us when they decided to not fix the windows. I also use RJ's tiny desk fan from time to time, and honestly, with his fan on I'm very comfortable in the warmer times of the day. I imagine that his tiny fan would be a cost saver in the longer term rather than pushing large amounts of air in the building using HVAC. We will all open the windows to our house one day at specific times of year when the weather is cool because once we have to pay the bills, one could image this will be a different story. It's easier to say HVAC is needed all the time when we don't pay the bills (not that Clemson doesn't have more than enough money to pay the bills).
ReplyDeleteKJ,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I think it is short-sighted to think either we keep using HVAC to its max as we have or to revert back to passive systems. Why are we not challenging the HVAC systems we have now to become more efficient? We should be moving forward, not backward. Maybe the technology needs to focus on warming and cooling individuals instead of the building space. Either way, I do not think this is a design challenge for architects. I think it is discriminatory for us to propose buildings with passive systems because it is assuming the range of comfort of the users. I would like to see the research showing this "acceptable" range of temperature. This is why in our project, we are using some type of conventional heating/cooling. The users in our project, teenagers with down syndrome, do not have the same body regulation as me and you. They can overheat easily, so their "acceptable" range of temperature is not the same as everyone else. So, what if they go into a building with these passive systems, they are supposed to accept the fact that they may suffer from the building temperature or just not enter the building?
KJ, tolerance to these levels of minor discomforts differs culturally. It's a NANO-climate issue that can be quickly dealt with by RJ's fans. You don't need to blow treated air 24x7 in Lee-III. It's difficult for us to adapt to these subtle changes as we've experienced and lived with only a linear comfort zone. It's that change that we as a society need to make. We cannot go back to being without HVAC.
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