Building Retrofit DesignMary PerottiRichardson BuildingEcological Design Final ProjectDUE: April 30th 2012

Energy Audit

Richardson Strengths:•Overall beautiful building•Aesthetically pleasing•Red slate roof•Red slate chimney•Many angles•Bay windows•Strong foundation

Richardson Weaknesses:• Many angles

• Thermal bridges• Basement windows

• Single pane windows• Lack of insulation

• Poor lighting• Windows Ignore Orientation

Poultney VT Climate Description

Poultney Vermont, located on the Vermont and New York border is in a valley location. The winters are very cold with lots of snow

and below freezing temperatures. The summers are mild to hot getting up to 90 or

so degrees. The wind is marginal and the springs can be rainy. Richardson, part of the

Green Mountain College campus borders the Poultney River and is near the flood

zone.

Heat Loss:1/1x1000x7000x24 = Windows = 168,000,000btu1/6x 1980x7000x24 = 1st floor walls = 55,440,0001/10x2925x7000x24 = 1st floor ceiling = 49,140,0001/6x 1725x7000x24 = 2nd floor walls = 48,300,0001/10x 2925x7000x24 = 2nd floor ceiling = 49,140,0001/6x960x7000x24 = 3rd floor walls = 26,880,0001/10x1500x7000x24 = 3rd floor ceiling/roof = 25,200,000Heat Loss: 422,100,000btus per year….48,185btu per hour

Square Footage: 39x75ish – 3 Floors1st floor ceiling: 39x75 = 29251st floor walls = 39x10x2 + 75x10x2 = 2280 – 300 = 19802nd floor ceiling = 29252nd floor walls = 39x9x2 + 75x9x2 = 2025 – 300 = 17253rd floor ceiling/roof (smaller) = 15003rd floor walls = 30x7x2 + 60x7x2 = 1260 – 300 = 960Apertures: 72 windows, average or 12sqft per window1000 square feet rounded.

R Values:Windows R1R value of walls: plywood 1.2 + fiberglass insulation 3.5 + plywood or siding 1.2 = R6Ceiling/Roof :R10 (includes fiberglass insulation and wood)

Location: Next to road, near Feick Arts Center, Dunton Hall, Griswold Library

and the Farmhouse. The closest dormitory is SAGE to the west, across the road is the Bentley House. This is

mostly an administrative area.

Site Plan forRichardson Building

and Surrounding Buildings

The Problem Air Leakage Heat Loss

Preserving Aesthetics Ventilation Livability Lighting

1st Floor: Communications2nd Floor: Alumni Relations3rd Floor: Faculty Offices

Basement Issues

North Side

Broken Windows

Preserving Aesthetics/Preventing

Air LeakageUnsealed Apertures

These images are only a few of the

indoor and outdoor issues in Richardson.

With the proposed solutions on pages

two and three, these issues can be

resolved.

1

Attic/Knee Walls

• Seal off knee walls to prevent warm moist air from getting into attic, it can no longer be storage for professors.

•Blow in cellulose insulation before seal to keep heat in. Even if air can not go through, wood is permeable and heat can move through, insulation will help with time lag.

•If third floor wasn’t needed, seal off whole space and leave cold, cut off thermal envelope at 2nd floor ceiling.

•The idea here is to prevent condensation and mold and provide a healthy working environment.

Windows/Apertures:

•There are 72 windows on this building, all are single pane and some are stained glass, there is a lot of air leakage around the windows and between panes.

•By caulking around the window, there will be less air and heat leakage.

•By adding storm windows to the outside, the windows will become like double paned windows and have a higher R value.

•Replacing all of the windows would be expensive and unnecessary, the caulk, air sealing and storm windows would be enough, also the existing windows could be refinished by a local carpenter to be more efficient.

The Solution

STEP 2: Preserve Aesthetics of the Building

This is a Thermal Image of the knee wall

This is a Thermal Image

of an open window in

Richardson on a 30º day

•By caulking around the sides of the chimney air leakage would be prevented.

•By insulating the chimney, putting in a liner or totally capping it off, would reduce air leakage. Also sealing it from the inside is possible.

•Preserving the slate roof tiles by insulating the inside of the roof will protect the visual aspects of the roof.

• Re-painting the siding or installing new siding would allow visual of the structure. if there is mold underneath the siding, a contractor can be hired to deal with the problem but white siding would need to be put back on. The use of vinyl siding would be unacceptable.

STEP 1: Thermal Envelope Improvement Strategy

This is a picture of the same knee wall

Richardson Building is known for its farmhouse appearance, red slate roof and chimney, and inside décor.

This is a broken window

with a 2x1” opening

The beautiful stained glass window to the right needs to be air sealed. The image to the left shows where caulk could be used to seal gaps between

the wall and chimney.

The image to the right shows the

inside of Richardson with

the fireplace in the meeting room. This

could be sealed from the inside.

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This is an image of the knee wall from the outside

STEP 4: Alternative Energies/Passive Lighting

Passive Heating Strategies/Ecological Design StrategiesSTEP 3:•Living Solar Waiting Room:

Idea: Turning the waiting room into a passive solar room or sunspace.

• This room will also provide highly oxygenated air from the native plants that will be sprinkled around the room.

•The wall paper and other décor will stay untouched, air sealing will be minimally visible, and overall the image will be preserved.

• The windows that are currently in the building would be replaced with more glazing but these new windows would be in the same style as the building.

•An air circulation system could be installed to move the warm air into the meeting room. This is a rendering of what a different set of

windows would look like to optimize solar gain.

•Install PV panels on the southern roof to power the lights in the dark hallways and stair ways that do not have outside wall access.

•Install light tubes for third floor office spaces that need light during the day. See above image for visual.

This is what the southern facade of the Richardson Building currently looks like. To the right is an image of the meeting room area, it is dim with curtains blocking the sun. This room also has a large radiator and a wall with a 3x7 opening into the meeting room.

This is a rendering of what the inside would look like including the plants, a bench to sit on and larger windows.

Proposed Solar Waiting Room Window Idea

1. Light Tubes for lighting on the third floor

2. Photovoltaic Panels for electricity needs

3. LED Bulbs for lighting dark hallways and stairways

•The PV system would be tied to the grid with a net metering system for days when the sun is not out. No storage would be necessary. Thin film panels would be recommended.

•Install LED light bulbs in place of other, less efficient bulbs. These, working in conjunction with the PV panel will save a lot of energy and money for the college.

This hallway located in the middle of Richardson could use some LED lights to brighten the atmosphere.

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