Background
Over 1,700 commercial building constructed annually in Kansas. Licensed design professionals, engineers, and architects are required for the design of these buildings. Energy use by new and existing commercial buildings accounts for over 17 percent of Kansas energy use. In 1997, Kansas adopted ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 for the design of commercial buildings. However, there is no state-wide mechanism for code enforcement and local government adoption has been slow. Kansas energy prices are historically low. Electricity is available from a low of $.045 to $.13 per kWh. End-use capacity charges do not adequately reflect the true cost for summer peak power. Natural gas, produced within the state, is available for less than $.50 per therm. Lack of energy code enforcement, low energy prices, and a booming construction industry has produced low-performance commercial buildings as a legacy for future generations.
Current Activities
Studies currently underway will evalute the energy performance of recently constructed commercial and residential buildings in Kansas and identify specific areas where better design and construction practices would improve performance. Code compliance training has been provided to engineers, architects, builders, and code officials. Detailed training on state-of-the-art commercial building technology is planned for this year. County and city code enforcement is being targeted to improve officials understanding of the local benefits from energy code adoption. However, achieving higher levels of building energy performance requires more than incremental improvements in hardware, design, and enforcement. It requires a shift to include an integrated design approach with a multi-disciplinary team of trained design professionals.
Future Activities
Where will a new breed of design team managers come from? How will they be educated to provide this critical service to the building industry? These are questions that require special consideration at this time in building history.
The quality of building design can be improved and new technologies implemented on a broad scale if emerging design professionals learn and work in a virtual studio environment. This approach to an integrated and multi-disciplinary design will closely replicate the way design professionals must collaborate in the future. Enhancing technology-based skills and broadening the student and professional’s exposure to total building design (TBD) considerations will increase their capacity to produce quality designs. If successful in a prototype phase, the delivery would be expanded to include much of the integration of technical considerations into the traditional studio education of architects.
Development of a virtual studio is needed that would address technical considerations as overlays in a design process. Recognized national leaders issues on would address these technical considerations as part of an integrated design. Presentations would be developed and delivered using emerging technology for delivery to a broad range of current and future design professionals. Presentations would include technology and multi-disciplinary infrastructure; the impact of form, materials, and function on energy; and HVAC design and the impact on comfort, productivity, and health, to name a few.
After each of these overview presentations, a synchronous interaction via internet involving a specific studio project/ application would be scheduled for the participants. Follow up questions and problems would be addressed over the next several weeks in the form of chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards. Ongoing posting of a student’s individual design via an electronic portfolio presentation would be required on linked home pages available for peer, faculty, and expert review and comment. Sponsors, scholarships, and award programs would be developed to acknowledge and reward excellence in these areas of design integration.
KSU Contact: Gene Meyer, College of Engineering, 785-532-6026, gmeyer@ksu.edu