Sustainable Architecture: Quizzes

• The provided material includes practice quizzes covering various topics in sustainable architecture
• The document covers sustainability, LEED, climate & architecture, climate variables, comfort, thermal delight, and site & resources

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• Buildings are the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the US

Energy Waste

• Approximately 70% of energy is lost before it reaches consumers

IPCC

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is what IPCC stands for

LEED Defined

• LEED is a rating system

LEED Acronym

• LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Wind Power

• Texas produces the most power from wind in the US

LEED Points

• Energy and Atmosphere have the highest points in LEED

Cold Climate Strategies

• Large spans of glass are not suitable for a cold climate

Climate & Energy

• Rainfall does not affect energy use

Low Temperature

• The lowest air temperature occurs right before sunrise

HDD Trends

• HDD has decreased during the past five decades in the US, except in Louisiana

Activity Level

• An activity level of 10 METs is equivalent to running at 10 miles per hour

Insulation Value

• One CLO is the insulating value of a one-piece coat and scarf

Air Conditioning

• Air conditioning was invented in 1902

Airflow

• Air flows from areas of high pressure

Urban Heat Island Effect

• Increasing pavement and buildings is NOT a strategy to mitigate the urban heat island effect

Sun Altitude in Winter (Reykjavik)

• The sun altitude at noon on December 21 in Reykjavík, Iceland (latitude 64.12°N) is roughly 2.38°

Sun Altitude in Winter (Tropic of Cancer)

• The sun altitude at noon on December 21 in the Tropic of Cancer is 43°

HDD and CDD Calculation

• To calculate Heating Degree Days (HDD) and Cooling Degree Days (CDD), compare monthly temperatures to a base temperature (e.g., 68°F)
• Sum the differences between the base temperature and the average monthly temperature for HDD and CDD separately to get final values

Mean Radiant Temperature Calculation Example

• Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) can be calculated by considering the percentage of temperature in each direction separately
• Add up the results to find the average
• Simplify version: MRT = (125x61 + 71x70 + 78x75 + 86x55) / 360 = 64.38

Bioclimatic Chart Plots

• Bioclimatic charts use both temperature and relative humidity data
• Plot the hottest and coldest months to visualize the location and climate

Solar Geometry

• Sunrays hit the north side of a building for 182 days per year
• This is because the sun rises north of east for half the year and south of east for the other half
• The sun rises due east and sets due west on 2 days each year which are the equinoxes
• There are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the 2 equinoxes, not at all latitudes
• At the equator, all days are 12/12 while at the poles, 6 months have 24 hours of sunlight, and 6 months have 24 hours of darkness
• The degrees north of east that the sun rises on June 21 varies with the latitude
• The sun rises 90° north of east (due north) on June 21 at midnight at the arctic circle
• The altitude changes by 47° from December 21 to June 21 at 12 noon
• The most amount of change in altitude occurs around the equinoxes
• On December 23 at the Arctic Circle, the sun will rise and set due south within minutes of each other
• At the equator, the sun passes directly overhead on the equinoxes
• At the equator, is it important shade both the south and north walls
• Vertical fins are a better shading system for north walls in the United States
• The south window is shaded only for One instant before/after 12 noon
• The length of the overhang (X) is calculated using tan(40°) x 8' = 6.7' or 6'8"
• The vertical fin (Y) is calculated by tan(15°) x 7' = 1.9' or 1'10”