Mechanical Breadth |

For a mechanical breadth, this will directly relate this to the daylighting study of the atrium space in my building. Different glass options, as well as building overhangs, will be explored to see how these different materials affect the heat load on the building. Since the curtain walls of the atrium face both East and West, this space will receive a lot of daylight which can put a heavy cooling load on the building, especially in the summer months. Specifically, the solar heat gain on the curtain wall system was analyzed. Exploring different decisions about the curtain wall system and how they affect the heating load, and potentially the cooling load, of the building could pose results that could benefit the building.

 

 

Structural Breadth |

For a structural breadth, the ceiling structure in the atrium will be analyzed with the removal of the currently installed skylights. The building was made out of steel so the analysis will see if when removing the skylights in the ceiling would affect the structure. This would involve running a structural analysis of the ceiling when the skylights are removed. There is potential that there could be cost savings with this option. The steel beams will be checked for resizing and the system will be analyzed to see if there is a more economical structural layout without the skylights. With all of the daylight that will be flooding the space through the curtain walls on the East and West façade of the atrium, the small number of skylights used in the ceiling may not be necessary. In addition to the removal of the skylight, a large, custom skylight will be constructed around the feature wall in the atrium.

 

MAE Daylighting Breadth |

The atrium will undergo a daylighting study based on the AE565 and AE562 courses taken last semester and during this semester. The atrium has two large curtain walls on the East and West façade that are critical in the lighting design, controls, and mechanical systems of the building. By doing this daylighting study, glare probability, direct sun contribution to the space, and annual daylight exposure, can be analyzed so that an economical and practical solution can be produced for the space.