[ Home Page | Information | Activities | Case Studies | What's New ]
The VITAL SIGNS Curriculum Materials Project: Information and Resources
http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedr/vs/inf/rps.html -- Lawrence F. London, Jr. mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGardenTitle: The VITAL SIGNS Project - Resource Packages
[ Home
Page | Information | Activities | Case
Studies | What's New ]
The VITAL SIGNS Curriculum Materials Project: Information and
Resources
This 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 Bill Burke, the Vital Signs Project
Coordinator, at bburke@ced.berkeley.edu.
Below each of the following descriptions, you will find one or
two 
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.
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. 
HVAC Components and Systems
Walter Grondzik and Richard Furst
Florida A&M University
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.
HVAC Components and Systems - An online version of the HVAC Components and Systems Resource Package, is under development at Florida A&M. Check out their progress to date.
Thermal Mass in Passive Solar and Energy Conserving Buildings
Bruce Haglund and Kurt Rathmann
University of Idaho
Thermal mass can play a constructive 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.
Observing Air Flow in Buildings
Dean Heerwagen
University of Washington
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.
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 Dynamic Pattern of Shading and Solar Heat Gain Through Windows
Scott A. Johnston
Miami University
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.
Health in the Built Environment: Indoor Air Quality
Tang G. Lee, Denise De Baisio and Antonio Santini
University of Calgary
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.
Taking a Building’s Temperature:
Measurement and Display of Thermal Performance of Buildings
Murray Milne
University of California, Los Angeles
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.
The software used in this resource package is available for download at the Energy Design Tools page at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Interior Illuminance, Daylight Controls and Occupant Response
Marc E. Schiler and Shweta A. Japee
University of Southern California
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.
Glazing Performance
James H. Wasley and Michael Utzinger
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
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.
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.
[ Home
Page | Information | Activities | Case
Studies | What's New ]
Comments to author:Vital Signs
All contents copyright (C) 1996. Vital Signs. All rights
reserved.
Created: July 6, 1996 Revised: February 24, 1997
