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Resource PackagesThis page provides a quick summary of the Resource Packages created by the Vital Signs Project. A Resource Package is a 40 to 60 page document that addresses a single building performance issue. Each package covers relevant primary physical principles, a description of how the topic affects design decision making, a discussion of applicable standards and practices, an annotated bibliography, and a set of field exercises. Complete sets of these Resource Packages were distributed to all schools of architecture in the United States and Canada in May 1996. If you would like to find out who at your school received these packages, email Cris Benton, the Vital Signs Project Director, at crisp@socrates.berkeley.edu Below each of the following descriptions, you will find one
or more If two versions of a Resource Package are provided, one has low quality images, and a smaller file size, while the other has high quality images and a larger file size. Choose the smaller file if you want to browse the document, and choose the larger file if you need to print it. If only one PDF file is listed, there was not a large difference between the two file sizes, so only the high-quality file is provided. You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer to read these
documents. If you need a copy, it is available for all computer platforms from Adobe for
free.
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Building
Balance Point Michael Utzinger and James H. Wasley University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
The Level I protocol introduces a method of estimating the balance point and characterizing the dominant building energy flows from a single day field trip to the site. This protocol and its discussion of principles are designed to lead the student toward a conceptual understanding of building energy flows based on visual observation. It is directed toward introductory level course work. The Level II protocol concludes the discussion of the theoretical relationships defining dynamic energy flow in buildings. It is directed toward advanced graduate students with an interest in exploring the relationship between the theory underlying energy dynamics in buildings and its validation through experiment.
HVAC
Components and Systems - Florida A&M has turned the HVAC Resource Package into
an online web site. It contains the complete text of the RP as well as hyperlinks
throughout.
The PDF version of this resource package is large. For manageability, we broke it into three parts in the following manner. Download all three for a complete version of the package.
The software used in this resource package is available for
download at the Energy Design Tools
page at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The PDF version of this resource package is large. For manageability, we broke it into five parts in the following manner. Download all five for a complete version of the package.
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Comments to
author: vitalsigns@ All contents copyright (C) 1998. Vital Signs Project. All rights reserved. Created: 07/06/96 |
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buttons. By clicking on these buttons, you can
download a portable document format (PDF) version of that Resource Package. PDF files are
electronic versions of documents that are identical to paper copies, and that can be used
by any computer platform.
This resource
package explores the thermal life of buildings in a holistic sense; with concepts and
exercises that illustrate the interrelation of internal heat production and building
envelope performance, the thermal demands of the occupants and the climate outside. It
begins by introducing balance point temperature concepts as they relate to architectural
design and to the design process, including the relationship of balance point concepts to
building codes and their increasing reliance on energy modeling programs. The protocols
present methods for estimating the balance temperature in the field at two levels of
sophistication.
This Resource Package covers
concepts and methods to predict whole building energy performance using an energy
simulation model and on-site measurements. The purpose of these analyses is to support
understanding of retrofit design strategies for existing commercial buildings. As part of
the field components of this package students investigate, measure, and record the
building’s geometric features and energy parameters - such as HVAC zoning, thermostat
setbacks, ventilation and occupancy profiles and lighting density and schedules.
An understanding of HVAC systems by design students is important
for four reasons: 1) Such systems require substantial floor space and building volume that
must be accommodated during the design process; 2) HVAC systems constitute a major budget
item for many common building types; 3)HVAC systems are directly related to occupant
thermal comfort and good indoor air quality; and 4) Maintaining appropriate thermal
conditions through HVAC system operation is a major driver of building energy consumption.
The field component of this package utilizes a number of different techniques. Examples
include observation, comparison of drawings with as-built conditions in the field, and
analysis of information acquired on-site using data loggers and through utility billing
data and energy management system reports. The package provides exposure to the
characteristics of HVAC systems in operation and leads students to consider these systems
from the perspective of energy consumption.
Thermal mass can play a constructive role in building thermal
performance. It can also have less desirable effects. This Resource Package provides a
series of exercises that identify the thermally massive elements of a building, track
their influence on surrounding architectural space, and examine patterns of performance
over time.
Most students have little
experience in measuring air flow or in identifying locations within buildings where air
flow and air exchange occur. This Resource Package describes techniques for observing air
flow and air exchange in buildings. The study of air motion will most likely occur in
search of information about a ‘larger’ building quality or performance issue,
such as passive cooling, indoor air quality, or heat transfer through a building envelope.
The student exercises in this package are designed to be carried out independently, but
can be used to address these ‘larger’ building performance questions as well. 
Architecture students must gain
an appreciation for the many factors that influence the amount of sunlight a window
receives, sunlight that is subsequently transmitted through the window to the building
interior. This Resource Package provides a conceptual overview of the variables involved
in the calculation of window solar heat gains, along with student field exercises for the
analysis and monitoring of actual buildings. The exercises compare the results of simple
sun study models with on-site observations and occupant interviews to better understand
how window solar gains affect the comfort level in a space. Other exercises involve the
computer simulation of clear day solar heat gains for an actual window. The degree of
correspondence between simulated and measured solar gains is then studied with particular
attention to understanding the causes for differences observed. This provides students
with an understanding of the real world variability inherent in computer model input
parameters and the degree of uncertainty associated with simulation results. 
This Resource Package introduces students to the problems
associated with poor indoor environments, particularly inadequate indoor air quality. It
provides students with a fundamental knowledge of the causes and effects of building
related illnesses. Field exercises progress from simple observation and interview
techniques to the measurement of carbon monoxide, ozone and volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) using handheld equipment and monitoring badges, and finally to air sampling
techniques that require laboratory analysis. The exercises enable students to develop the
skills required to examine particular problems associated with poor indoor air quality and
to identify their causes and possible mitigation strategies. The resource package
encourages students to utilize design and planning practices that maximize occupant health
and well being. 
This Resource Package helps
architecture students directly experience how design decisions influence the thermal
behavior of buildings. Using computer software available from the author, students see the
magnitude of the impact each separate element has on the building’s overall
performance, leading to a better intuitive understanding of the dynamics of heat gain and
loss. Using climatological data recorded at an existing building, students can refine the
computer model description of a space until it accurately reproduces the site recorded
indoor air temperatures. The computer model graphically displays how an existing building
room or space performs over an extended period of time. Students can then use the model to
test design alternatives. 
Architecture students need an
understanding of the physical concepts underlying light, its behavior, and its perception
by the eye. This Resource Package offers discussions of both illuminance and luminance,
and covers the complex relationship of reflection, brightness, contrast and glare. It
includes a broad range of field exercises involving observation, interview, a variety of
data collection tools and computer simulation. The importance of high quality lighting,
including daylighting, to good indoor environmental quality is stressed throughout the
resource package. 
This Resource Package describes
the interrelationships of design issues that pertain to the use of various types of
glazing, particularly issues affecting the thermal and luminous environments of buildings.
It identifies the general types of glazings found in use and discusses their thermal and
luminous performance characteristics. It seeks to instill in students the ability to
specify glazing with an eye towards optimizing these characteristics. The exercises for
field investigation promote both an intuitive and scientific understanding of glazing
materials, relating the choice of glazing material to the design of the building as a
whole. Also included in this package are two computer modeling exercises: one providing a
general overview of the effects of glazing on energy flows in a building and the other
modeling energy flows through specific glazing assemblies. These are meant to complement
and extend the field protocols.
