Conclusions
Hypothesis 1 | Hypothesis 2 | Hypothesis 3
After careful analysis of data and information that was gathered in our experiments, our team was able to determine the veracity of each of our hypotheses. Often times we were surprised by the information yielded by our research equipment, which seemed to directly contradict our expectations of the space we studied.
Over the course of this project, we discovered that it is safe to assume that when 1960's-era design, construction, and materials are involved, it is possible to create architectural spaces that seem to openly defy reasonable expectations of building performance.
Here we will discuss the conclusions reached for each hypothesis in turn, citing the data and/or observations upon which the conclusion was based.
Hypothesis 1 - The glazing area in the atrium stairwell space provides sufficient daylight* for the second floor offices on the southern wall.
Conclusion: Plausible. Luminance meter readings indicate that the atrium provides enough light to keep the light level in the southern wall offices above the 30fc required for task lighting.. It should be noted, however, that the luminace meters provided in our team's toolkit seem to produce erratic readings and that further analysis is recommended
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Hypothesis 2 - The atrium stairwell expereiences a measurable temperature stratification effect** between the first and second floors.
Conclusion: False. We supposed dueed that the highest HOBOs would have the highest temperatures, but the results of our study were entirely the opposite of what we expected. This we believe is due to the fact that there may be air leakage from the windows, an insignificant amount of thermal mass in the area, and no direct sunlight hitting the HOBO. The other extreme was the bottom HOBO, which we expected to be coolest. It turned out that this HOBO recorded the warmest temperatures. Although the sun was not permitted to strkie the HOBO, a 100 watt light bulb nearby may have increased the temperaturethe area below the stairs.
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Hypothesis 3 - The radiant heating units on the east and west walls of the first and second floors of the atrium stairwell are not necessary to maintain an adequate comfort level***.
Conclusion: True. The comparison of HOBO data from locations above radiant heaters varied both above and below the temperatures recorded by the HOBOs situated above the heating units. Although the heaters do seem to affect the overall temperature of the study spaces, it is not obvious that the heating units are necessary to maintain the comfort level within the atrium space.
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NOTES:
* Sufficient daylight for these office spaces is considered to be a daylight factor of 1.0-2.5 when measured at the work plane (~3'-0" above the floor).
** The temperature stratification effect is estimated to span 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
*** An adequate comfort level for the atrium space is considered to be between 68 degrees and 72 degrees Fahrenheit.