Efficient management of water and energy use in living spaces is a huge challenge that is expected to become more acute with increasing urbanization, increasing water and fossil fuel scarcity and global climate change. Your task is to propose a design for the planned Ecological Engineering building “Gilmore II” building to replace Gilmore Annex with the following constraints:

  1. Space: 27m x15m (405m2~4,360 sq. ft.). Design guidelines stipulate that floor area ratio > 3.5 are preferable for the building in sector C.
  2. Functionality: Energy and water consumption, classroom, laboratory and office space.
  3. Capital costs: Estimate construction costs @ $500/sq. ft. As additional cost up to 10% of the building cost can be used to enhance any exterior surfaces, water processes, and site characteristics to improve the environmental foot-print of the building.  In addition, the synthesis of these improvements into student opportunities for real-world laboratories based on the building is allowed 2.5% of the building cost. 

The objective of your design is to minimize the ecological footprint of the building by incorporating innovative solutions such to increase water (such as harvesting, purification, metering, reuse, treatment) and energy (generation, conservation) use efficiency. Design objective should include both engineering (such as design innovation, technical feasibility and technology availability) economic and regulatory (designs must meet all state and federal regulations) considerations.

At a minimum your design must include the following elements:

  1. Meet the space, capital costs and functionality constraints.
  2. Measures to conserve energy and improve energy efficiency.
  3. Measures to conserve water, harvest water, improve water reuse/recycle and reduce discharge.
  4. Consider climatic factors in your design.
  5. Economic considerations in all designs (Capital versus operating costs, comparison to current state of affairs).
  6. Regulatory aspects of technologies (ex. is the implementation of the technology permitted by law?)

Provide your design and evaluate the net present value of the design, as well as providing a full life-cycle analysis of your additions.  The basic foot-print of the building is provided.

The design problem for BEE 469 and 470 have been drawn, in part, from the GE Edison challenge 2011 in India.