Thesis Proposal
Depth Work: Lighting
The lighting redesign areas of the building vary in their use, location, occupancy, and scheme. From top to bottom in "schematic heirarchy" the spaces are: Facade, Entrance Lobby, Parking Level/Lobby, 16th/17th Office Reception, 16th Open Office. The theme of the spaces will be aquatic in nature, with a metaphor based on "a fountain in a park." Water elements will be used throughout the public spaces, and an emphasis on daylighting will be applied to the office tenant areas given the building extensive glass curtainwall facades. A few different "technically innovative" design elements are to be researched and, dependent on their potential, used in the spaces.
Depth Work: Electrical
The building's electrical system is currently the most appropriate system for the building and its "three owner" electrical distribution structure. The building has three separate and differing service entrance voltages, and a redesign effort will be used to determine if a single-owner, single-service, shared bussing distribution system would be of any particular benefit to the current owner for profitability, initial cost concerns, or overall annual energy costs of the building. As a supplement, given appropriate time availability, the introduction of photovoltaics or other power-generating systems may be analyzed to coincide with the daylighting research applied to the lighting redesign.
Breadth Work: Mechanical
Given the extensive availability of daylight, and the introduction of a building management system, mechanical loads will be altered and the current (core and shell) design will be analyzed. The use of a utility-provided steam service will be analyzed in its effectiveness and usage potential for alternate applications (other than the current water-source heat pump systems).
Breadth Work: Construction/Cost Management
Given all of the alteration to the current systems, a cost analysis will be performed to analyze the feasibility of such changes as the lighting redesign, and future cost/profits will be analyzed respective to the changes in the electrical distribution system. Costs related to utilities and purchase costs, operating costs with altered conditions, etc. will be analyzed to determine payback periods (if any) relative to the cost option selected for the building at the time of its construction.
Proposal Executive Summary - (21 KB)
Breadth Work Executive Summary - (20 KB)
Thesis Proposal (full report) - (62 KB)