April 27,2010

Today I finished the second body paragraph for my research paper, I have six sources and 500 words to go. I will be finishing it today and editing it next time.

April 15, 2010

Today I worked on a more in-depth outline for my research paper. I have found many good resources and have made my outline more in depth so that I have a better basis for my research paper.

April 13, 2010

I have been working on research for my paper. I have finalized my floor plan and will be putting it into revit this week. I have read the US Department of Energy's webpage regarding passive solar design, what it does and how to design a home in the manor. It has helpful tips such as having dark flooring near the south facing windows to trap the heat and allow it to radiate throughout the house. Using conduction, convection and radiation with the sunlight can efficiently and cheaply heat your home. I have also been reading the novel Death in a Prairie House, which has been interesting in the ways that they describe Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. They were unlike anything they had ever seen before, so light and open and they blended with their landscape especially on the hill in his hometown where he built the Talisiesin on a knoll overlooking the town. I am hoping to make my design very open as well.

April 1, 2010

Today I updated my Gantt chart with the due dates of the research paper, portfolio, and presentation. I researched energy efficiency as incorporated in sustainable design, and wrote that section of my research paper. I had to modify my thesis in order to incorporate the idea of tailoring your design to your site, in an effort to make it more energy efficient.

March 30, 2010

Today I worked on research for my Capstone research paper, I found an article on Dwell magazine's website which had some interesting ideas on designing a home for large families. Which will be useful when I begin selecting materials and such for my design, bamboo flooring is what they selected because of it's durability. I also sent an email to my aunt and uncle so that we could set up a time to meet and discuss their wants and needs of their dream home so that I can create a program and a design to fit that. I spent time updating my engineering notebooks with what I've been working on recently.

March 18, 2010

Today I did some more in depth bubble diagrams and created a scaled floor plan. I moved some of the things I had originally in the bubble diagrams to make for more open space in the design I also created some optional features for the home buyer to chose from (garage options and bonus room).

March 16, 2010

Today I completed the outline for my research paper. I will be focusing on three main aspects of sustainable design, energy efficiency, water management, technology and design. Now I can do more in depth research on those specific topics. I also completed the sponge assignment, by reading the article on creating outlines and writing a summary of it.

March 9, 2010

Today I created bubble diagrams for my building and did some more research of the site and sustainable design ideas.

March 5, 2010

Today I created a list of items that need to be included in my design. I am preparing to start with bubble diagrams next time, I have found that the location in which I am designing for is zoned Rural Residential Farm Forrest 5 acres. The approximate elevation of the property is 500-600 feet and the land value is $154, 977. The property is located in rural Clackamas county near the town of Boring. I also researched home designs so that I can take ideas from them and incorporate them into my design.

March 3, 2010

Today I completed my thesis and read an article that will help me create the outline for my research paper.

Intro

My Senior Capstone Project is designing a sustainable home, with hypothetical clients and site. The goal of this project is to design a sustainable "green" home that is not extremely expensive, so that the average family can afford it. I plan to incorporate solar and wind energy, water reuse and positioning of the house to make it harmonious with the seasons and the sunlight. By making simple design choices that will make the house more energy efficient I will be able to design a affordable sustainable home.