Sustainable Systems Stefan M Fall 19

1) Building occupant satisfaction and sustainability are two related areas of design that can often find themselves in direct coordination or conflict. Occupancy satisfaction is often linked to comfort and amenities and these can be shared with sustainability. For example, natural light is considered a positive for occupant satisfaction as it has been proven that natural light can contribute to human happiness. Natural light is also a positive in the building field, as it can help aid in passively heating a building. Water usage comes to mind on the opposite end of the spectrum. For example, low flow fixtures, such as shower heads are great for water conservation. However, I think you would be hard pressed to find a large percentage of people that would prefer a low flow/low pressure head over a standard shower head. Another loosely related example would be that of air conditioning in cars. On a 70 degree day, the vast majority of drivers I would conjecture still rely on air conditio...

1. Designing for improved indoor environmental quality can achieve energy savings in a variety of ways. According to the article by Kathleen McKay which cites research being performed at the University of California, Berkeley, commercial energy consumption can be cut by as much as a third, while also giving office workers more control of their own comfort. What the researchers are proposing is a "Personal Comfort System" (PCS) that allows office workers within the building to control the immediate environment around them and thus not waste energy heating or cooling unoccupied areas. One of the ways they believe this can be done is through low-wattage heating/cooling devices placed in chairs, foot rests, fans, etc.. In total, the researchers believe this can lead to a 39% reduction in natural gas and 30% reduction in electricity used for heating/cooling. 2. Some of the issues that can lead to poor indoor air quality include: moisture trapped in the building assembly,  moi...