The VAC
Vandal Athletic Center CASE STUDY
Tristan Van Slyke, Glenn Edward Ostrom, Justin Matsukawa
METHODOLOGY
Equipment
10 hobos - (5) 2 channel, (5) 4 channelilluminance meter
daylight model
VIZ model
HYPOTHESIS #1
The amount of glazing on the east facade causes solar heat gain during the morning hours.
HYPOTHESIS #2
The mechanical and passive systems utilized within the space are effective in maintaining thermal comfort
HYPOTHESIS #3
The curtain wall on the east facade and lack of glazing elsewhere causes uneven light distribution to the back of the space.
1. Make a physical model
a) Heliodon machine
b) Mirror box room
2. Make a virtual model
a) VIZ 2007
b) ACAD 2007
3. Test physical light levels
a) Luminance meter
HYPOTHESIS #4
The curtain wall on the east facade and lack of glazing elsewhere causes glare issues.
a) Heliodon machine
b) Mirror box room
2. Make a virtual model
a) VIZ 2007
b) ACAD 2007
3. Test physical light levels
a) Luminance meter
We created a survey that would help us point out key issues that the users may have with the space. We conducted 83 surveys; 20 at 10:30 AM on a partly cloudy day, 20 at 11:00 AM on a sunny day, 30 at 3:00 PM on an overcast day, and 13 at 2:30 PM on a sunny day.
Our results from the survey didn't vary much from day-to-day, but they varied a little from time-to-time. The surveys that were taken in the morning on a partly cloudy day resulted that the space was comfortable with temperature with 70% of the surveyors checking the top two circles for "very satisfied." The sunny day at 11:00 AM had about 60% of the surveyors comfortable in the space. A majority (60%) of the athletes said they feel the temperature should stay the same.
The question dealing with thermal comfort threw a few people off and I had to explain what thermal comfort is. The morning groups resulted in about 50% responding neutrally, and about 30% saying that it enhances the space. The afternoon groups had about 35% responding neutrally and 40% saying that it enhanced their workout.
The third question, asking about the temperature during the morning hours had mixed responses between the morning and afternoon groups. The morning groups had 60% of the responses as very satisfied, while 30% was neutral. The afternoon groups stated that the space should be cooler (60%) and most of the surveyors were neutral with the comfort.
Out of all the surveyors, only about 20% of the people put that there was no heat gain during the morning hours. Forty percent of the surveyors were neutral about the heat gain, and 40% thought that there was too much heat gain.
The question asking about the satisfaction with the shading devices was practically unanimous, with 80% of the athletes stating that the shades are perfectly fine and are very satisfied with the effectiveness of the devices.
Forty percent of the users during the afternoon hours were dissatisfied and 30% were neutral when asking about the amount of light in the space. The morning hours had a different opinion, with 60% of the students stating that the lighting provided satisfaction and only 15% being dissatisfied with the levels of light. 80% of the students in the morning also stated they wouldn't change the levels.
The last question asked how the visual comfort from the lights is and listed four options that could be an issue (glare, reflections, contrasts, and other). About 60% of the surveyors were neutral with the visual comfort, and about 25% were satisfied. Glare was checked as an issued by 70% of the users, and another 10% filled in "dim" on the "other" option.
The survey concluded that conditions definitely are different from the morning hours to the afternoon hours. For the most part, the users seemed pretty satisfied with the space, however they might think that there is too much light or that the lights are just too bright. This information will help us derive our conclusions to our hypothesis.