ronald o greene thesis project december 2014 eco-affordable housing project york village ...

125 Pages·2015·11.12 MB·English

ECO-AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT

YORK VILLAGE, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
RONALD O GREENE
THESIS PROJECT
DECEMBER 2014
1
ECO-AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT
FOR SIERRA LEONE’S MIDDLE CLASS

by
Ronald O. Greene, ACIAT
BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology, Nottingham Trent University UK, 2009
A Thesis
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the
Master of Architecture
School of Architecture
In the Graduate School
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
December 2014
2
Copyright by Ronald Greene, 2014
All Rights Reserved
3
Thesis Approval
The Graduate School
Southern Illinois University
________________________
Date of Approval
I hereby recommend that the thesis prepared under my supervision by
_R_O_N_A__L_D_O_._G__R_E_E_N_E________________________________________________________
Student Name
Entitled
_E_C_O_-_A_F_F_O_R__D_A_B_L_E_H__O_U_S_I_N_G__P_R_O_J_E_C_T__F_O_R__S_I_E_R_R_A__L_E_O_N_E_'_S_M__ID_D_L_E__C_L_A_S_S__________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
_M_A__S_T_E_R_O__F_A_R__C_H_IT_E__C_T_U_R_E_________________________________________________
In Charge of Thesis
Head of Department
Recommendation concurred in
1.
Committee
2 . for the
Final Examination
3 .
4
AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF
Ronald Greene, for the Master of Architecture degree in Architecture, presented on Nov
28th, 2014, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
TITLE: ECO AFFORDABLE HOUSING YORK VILLAGE SIERRA LEONE
CHAIR: Assistant Professor Shannon McDonald
This proposal was developed from a personal interest in the lack of energy efficient
building design in Sierra Leone (the writer’s origin) which is a developing country. Like
most of the countries in the region, average air temperatures range from around 24 °C
(80 °F) to 30 °C (90 °F) and the climate is typically hot and humid all year round (Koch-
Nielsen 2002). With global issues like climate change, increased use of fossil fuels and
high energy prices; it can be perceived that there is a growing need for a more sustain-
able, economical and less energy dependent lifestyle. It is widely known that most of the
countries in the tropical regions (the part of the world closest to the equator) of the world
are developing countries where the vast majority of the population cannot afford mechani-
cal cooling systems such as air-conditioning or expensive alternatives. Therefore thermal
stress (and its impact on health and productivity) should be minimized primarily by appro-
priate urban and building design that does not involve high cost (B. Givoni 1998). Most of
the houses built in the tropic region are constructed with materials that absorb heat readily
from the sun during the daytime. At night time the air outside cools rapidly, but the fabric
behaves in such a way that the heat is released from the building mass to the indoor and
surrounding outdoor air. This thermal behavior is typical of houses predominantly built of
highly dense materials such as concrete and cement blocks. Such structures, require a
lot of energy to cool mechanically (Neville 1986, University of Malaya) and this seems to
be in contradiction with the low-mass building types traditionally considered as appropri
5
ate in hot-humid regions. Therefore, the writer feels the need to investigate appropriate
sustainable design principles that will be used to design and build houses that are af-
fordable, attractive and easy to live in but also maintains comfortable and healthy indoor
environmental conditions. The study will be based on the review of secondary data from
previous research work and case studies which will be used as precedent to inform
the design of a dwelling (s) suitable for hot humid climate. Also, the study will rely on
computer simulation software such as the the Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual
Environment (IESVE) software to understand how air will flow in and around the building.
Through proper investigation of this type of humid climate, the right choice of materials
(where availability is also a factor), and the correct placement of window openings the
designer hopes that the occupants will be able to achieve thermal comfort without the
installation of air conditioning. The design will incorporate a wind tower to assist with the
natural ventilation of the house especially during periods of little or no air movement.
The study will be beneficial to home owners, students, building designers and
developers, governments as well as non-governmental organizations (with little or no
knowledge about the subject in tropical region) of the need for and the approach to achiev-
ing sustainable housing.
6
ACKNOWLEDEGMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank God for his continued guidance and for also giving me
strength and the determination to complete this project.
My sincere thanks go to my supervisor and committee chair, Assistant Professor Shan-
non McDonald and committee members Assistant Professor Chad Schwartz and Dr.
James Mathias, for their encouragement, insight and constructive criticism.
Finally special thanks go to my family for their continued, support, words of encourage-
ments throughout this study and my time at Sothern Illinois University Carbondale.
7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ABSTRACT 5
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS 8
LIST OF FIGURES 10
CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Project Rationale 13
1.2 Key Project Definitions 16
CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction 24
2.2 Building Envelope Design 27
2.3 Review of Case Studies 32
CHAPTER 3 – ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAM AND DESIGN
3.1 Introduction 44
3.2 Key Project Brief 44
3.3 Site Analysis and Location 46
3.4 Building Orientation and Form 50
3.5 Preliminary Design 1 53
3.6 Preliminary Design 2 56
3.7 Final Design 61
3.10 Key Materials 68
3.11 Airflow Diagrams 70
8
PAGE
CHAPTER 4 – SYSTEMS
4.1 Introduction 72
CHAPTER 5 – COMMUNITY PLANNING
5.1 Introduction 74
5.2 Brief History of York Community 75
5.3 Layout Study 77
5.4 Proposed Layout 79
CHAPTER 6 - CONCULSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Conclusions and Recommendations 81
REFERENCES 83
APPENDICES 86
Appendix A – Additional Architectural Design Process Data 87
Appendix B – Additional Climate Data 92
Appendix C – Models 97
Appendix D – Cost Estimation 99
Appendix E – Design Team Meetings Agenda and Minutes 103
Appendix F – Final Presentation Board 105
Appendix G – Resume 123
Appendix H – Engineering Report 125
CD ENCLOSED
9
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
Figure 1.1.......................................................................................................................16
Figure 1.2.......................................................................................................................16
Figure 1.3.......................................................................................................................17
Figure 1.4.......................................................................................................................17
Figure 1.5.......................................................................................................................21
Figure 1.6.......................................................................................................................22
Figure 1.7.......................................................................................................................22
Figure 1.8.......................................................................................................................23
Figure 1.9.......................................................................................................................23
Figure 2.1.......................................................................................................................29
Figure 2.2.......................................................................................................................31
Figure 2.3.......................................................................................................................32
Figure 2.4.......................................................................................................................33
Figure 2.5.......................................................................................................................34
Figure 2.6.......................................................................................................................35
Figure 2.7.......................................................................................................................35
Figure 2.8.......................................................................................................................36
Figure 2.9.......................................................................................................................37
Figure 2.10.....................................................................................................................37
Figure 2.11.....................................................................................................................38
Figure 2.12.....................................................................................................................38
Figure 2.13.....................................................................................................................38
Figure 2.14.....................................................................................................................38
Figure 2.15.....................................................................................................................39
10