environmental systems

Environmental Systems II_Spring 2013

Chandler Ahrens, Assistant professor at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts 

with Chad Fisk and Kirsten Goedeker

Case study exercise of the Südwestmetall Regional Headquarters by Dominik Dreiner with Chad Fisk and Kirsten Goedeker

The Studwestmetall Headquarters is located on the site of a former German military barracks in Heilbronn, a town in the southwest region of Germany. The program contains the main office space, a library, meeting rooms, and a conference room that can seat up to a hundred occupants. The building functions and operates on a system that is void of all fossil fuels, has no carbon emissions, and cools without refrigeration. The roof slab operates as the main structure and energy strategy - the concrete ceiling heats and cools though a system of geothermally tempered water pipes - radiating heat in the winter and adsorbing excess heat in the winter. Additionally the exterior of the building provides daylight and heat by reflecting  light waves off of its woven stainless steel skin; the southern side is slightly longer to provide sun shading and prevent cooling loads. The glazing has operable solar shades and is filled with a low-E gas.

Thermally active facade design exercise with Chad Fisk and Kirsten Goedeker