The Total Energy Consumption on The Earth

Today the total energy consumption is greater than the earth potential to sustain. The global trend towards sustainable development, the increase of population and the definite source of the earth and their effect on rising energy prices are putting increasing stress on developing buildings with a considerably higher environmental performance. Likewise, the transition to an energy system based on renewable technologies will have very positive economic and environmental consequences. Buildings are responsible for a high percentage of energy use per year and most of this energy come from the combustion of fossil fuels to provide heating, cooling, and lighting, and to power appliances and electrical equipment. By transforming the built environment to be more energy-efficient and climate-friendly, the building sector can have a notable impact on reducing the use of non-renewable energy resources and the threat of climate change.

The Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons in Loyola University is a good example of a high-performance energy efficient project, which by means of energy integrated systems and active and passive technologies special attention is paid to minimize the consumption of renewable resources. The minimal embodied emission of the materials and minimize negative impacts on the environment are also considered, while the building takes advantage of the maximum use of environmental potentials for making thermal and visual comfort indoors and maximum quality of the indoor environment and architectural quality. On one hand, the concept of a transparent, open computer space using the clearest glass available with visually delicate structural elements to maintain views from the campus through the building to the lake, plays a crucial role in giving a magnificent daylight setting with breathtaking views which is a part of the concept of the building.

Moreover, to fulfill this result there has been an essential need for performing detailed climate analysis to understand the external environment in order to use the natural environment for heating and cooling the building. Detailed climate analysis was performed to understand the external environment in order to utilize the natural environment to facilitate the building with ventilation and help the heating and cooling systems work better. Climate analysis including wind speed and solar radiation impact. For example, the results indicated that an integrated façade and mechanical design were needed to mitigate heat gains from the rising and setting sun in summer. As a result, It is perceived that the building is designed in a way to harness the energy from the environment and be in close engagement to its environment which is a crucial quality of an energy efficient and Integrated energy building. The result of these innovative techniques is a building that achieves a 52% energy reduction below ASHRAE-90.1-1999 requirements. The purpose of this standard is to provide a set of standards for the energy-efficient design of buildings except for low-rise residential buildings, including standards like too little heating or cooling, not using electricity or fossil fuels, etc. The ambition of this report is to give a better perception of the energy systems used inKlarchek Information Commons in Loyola University building and their concordance with the implication of architectural expression and design methods. The aim is to study how sustainable approaches work together to develop an energy-integrated building and to get an understanding of the unique approaches of the building responding to its environmental conditions.

By considering the fact that the building follows the sustainability requirements to some specific degree. Trying to find out, by doing research, if the building really functions as predicted or not. Analyzing which methods are working fine and which ones could better be replaced by another innovative solution. This concept has been carried out in a building environment with extreme climatic condition with very hot summers and very cold winters. Thus the building must include both cooling and heating systems by making use of the minimal energy sources.

Therefore, the Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons can be considered as an applicable example of a building which has responded to different climatic challenges while it embodies appropriate architectural concept. This building could be a reference to provide a starting point for conducting a case study. Below we see some information about the building: In this specific paper, I will be analyzing “klarchek information commons”. This new university building is designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, with a corporation with environmental engineering group Transsolar KlimaEngineering and included a mechanical and structural consulting group, Elara Engineering and Halvorson and Partners. The newly designed building is requested Loyola University for a digital library. The result of these innovative techniques is a building that achieves a 52% energy reduction below ASHRAE-90.1-1999 minimum requirements.