The design team has been hard at work completing the details of the design, testing assumptions and continuing to prepare the drawing for submission to obtain permits. During this process, it became obvious that the solar (PV) panels would not drive a high enough yield positioned on the top of the garage/workshop as the sun is partially obstructed a point in the day. The decision was made to relocate them to the top of the main building, but in order to do so; a redesign of the roof and associated terraces would need to be done.
As you can see in the newest rendering, Jim and his team have done an amazing job of integrating the panels on to a new roof awning that cantilevers over the fourth floor deck. This provides us protection from the sun and double the usable roof square footage. Another change is the integration of the glass panels that sit atop the brick; they are nearly two and a half tall glass panels that wrap both structures. They provide light and flow-through ventilation, given half of them are fully operational. There are many other evolutionary changes and will be more obvious as I post different views and new renderings.
During early January, we will begin to develop a “thermal model” in order to maximize engineering options and to validate final design. Thermal modeling answers questions about airflow and temperature distribution under various weather conditions. In addition it allows control over PV design and performance. The goal of energy modeling is to accurately predict the energy use of this building. While costly, this will allow us to play ‘what if’ with various products, finishes, and design options to insure we reach our goal of net zero-energy, before we actually begin construction.
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