INSTITUTE FOR ANIMATION AND GAMING ENUGU (A STUDY ON PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN THE DESIGN OF SUSTAINABLE LEARNING SPACES)

ABSTRACT:

Every decision that architects, engineers, builders, and homeowners  make about the design and operation  of their buildings  carries with  it  an energy  cost,  and all energy  costs  in tum  have environmental costs. For example, changing the orientation of a window, or the colour of the roof, or  adding  a  sun  control  will  change  the  amount  of electricity  it uses  for  lighting  and  air conditioning.   Passive design;  an idea within the growing trend of green buildings,  is a creative way to use the natural resources such as sunlight and breezes, to our advantage, both for heating and cooling, based on the design ofbuildings. Passive design can greatly reduce resource demands. Passive  design  is  also,  by  necessity,  coupled  with  and  supportive  of sustainable  practices. Employing passive design strategies in urban environments has the benefits of reducing resource consumption, making urban living more adorable, and connecting human experience more deeply into a direct relationship with resources.

This study is aimed at identifying passive design features through extensive literature study that can be incorporated  into educational buildings to make them energy efficient. The study is also aimed at identifying changes in the design process that can affect energy efficiency in educational buildings.

The findings from this study indicate that proper orientation, reducing openings and increasing the thickness on external walls on east and west, and use of appropriate horizontal overhang ratios for all four orientations can reduce the cooling load of educational buildings in Enugu, hence reduce the total energy use of such buildings.  Finally it can be concluded that the process of designing energy efficient educational buildings is not a ‘one-man’s show’. Architects, builders, engineers, developers, interior designers and clients must collaborate to bring a change in the design practice.

Keywords: Energy- efif cient; passive design features; educational building; sustainable practices.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION;

As the entertainment and advertising world is growing, there is a huge demand for professionals in the field ofanimation, multimedia, video editing and graphic designing in Nigeria. Computer animation  is of immense  benefits  to our generation,  it has been  useful  in areas  such as education, communication, project designs, in entertainment and in the media.  In Nigeria, its application is more in the advertising sector. Communication corporations like MTN, GLO and Airtel are always in need of professional animators to head their advertising departments.   In order to cater for the demand of the industry, a training institute is proposed to provide hands• on experience  to students, promote  freshers  within  the industry  and produce  experienced professionals.

The Proposed Institute of Gaming and Animation will be in an excellent position to:

•     Promote   undergraduate   and  postgraduate   courses   with   a  clear   industrial   and commercial relevance where students learn, develop and work.

•     Promote an enabling environment in which research and scholarship thrive to produce graduates with the potential to play a significant role in the creative industries.

Animation and gaming institutes are a fast rising entity and they include established firm; such

GAIF animation institute USA, and new upstarts such as Aardman animation institute UK.

1.1 BACKGROUND  OF STUDY

“Education is not the learning offacts,  but the training ofthe mind to think.” -Albert Einstein

Educational  spaces  consume  lots of energy  due to the need  to create  comfortable  indoor environment’.  The economic  and environmental  implication of reliance  on non-renewable energy has led to changes in climatic conditions around the world

Climate  change  due  to  increasing  temperature   is  an  important   environmental   concern throughout  the  world.  Rising  sea  level  has  a  consistent  trend  with  global  warming  by contribution from thermal expansion, melting glaciers and ice caps, and the polar ice sheets. In both Hemispheres, overall mountain glaciers and snow cover have shrunk. In addition, precipitation  has decreased in some parts of the world such as Mediterranean  and southern Asia.  Over the last 50 years,  frost and cold days and nights have become less frequent while hot days and nights, and heat waves have become more frequent. Wind patterns  have also changed and the areas affected by drought have been globally expanded since the 1970s (IPCC,

2007b). To deal with these issues it is essential to know about the reasons for this dramatic change.

Human activities have contributed to striking raises of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions (Intergovernmental Panel  on Climate Change  -IPCC,  2007b).  The energy  balance  of the climate  system  has  been  altered  by  changes  in  atmospheric  concentration  of GHGs  and aerosols,  solar radiation and land cover. Global GHG emissions rose by 70% from 1970  to

2004; during the same period, the annual  emissions  of the most  significant  GHG, carbon dioxide (CO2), increased by roughly 80% (IPCC, 2007 b). Moreover, IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) predicted a rise of 25% to 90% in global GHG emissions from

3

2000 to 2030. Further warming and changes in global climate would be caused by continuous global GHG emissions at or above present rates (IPCC, 2007a).

Energy consumption  in various  sectors of the economic world is the main source of CO2 emissions.  Buildings account for approximately 40% of final energy consumption (WBCSD,

2007) and related CO emissions in most countries. In 2004, an approximately  10.6Gt GHG emission was from the building  sector (IPCC, 2007). Figure  1.0 shows the estimated CO emissions caused by energy use in buildings.

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emissions

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use and district heating in buildings

all energy sources             direct combustion in buildings

Figure 1.0: Carbon dioxide emissions from energy use in buildings, 2004

Source: IPCC, 2007

Sustainability  is defined by the World  Commission  on Environment  and Development  as “meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In considering ways to reduce GHGs in educational buildings, a sustainable design approach offers many advantages over traditional design of schools. These advantages

include reducing carbon emissions through design of integrated passive systems for facilities; daylighting,  acoustical sensitivity,  natural ventilation,  and use of eco-friendly materials that promote learning by creating healthier interior environments. Sustainable design incorporates collaborative and integrative planning processes from the start of a design plan.

Considering  the  above  mentioned,   the  study  explores  ways  to  enhance  energy  use  1n

educational buildings through the use of passive design.

Passive design refers to a design approach that uses natural elements, often sunlight and wind, to cool, heat, or light a building.

Systems that employ passive design require very little maintenance  and reduce a building’s energy consumption by minimizing or eliminating mechanical systems used to regulate indoor temperature and lighting.

Houses today are more energy efficient than ever before.  However the vast majority of new houses still ignore a lot of energy saving opportunities – opportunities available in the sunlight falling on the house,  in the landscaping,  breezes and other natural elements of the site, and opportunities in the structure and materials of the house itself, which, with thoughtful design, could be used to collect and use free energy. Passive solar (the name distinguishes  it from “active” or mechanical solar technologies) is simply a way to take maximum advantage ofthese opportunities.

Passive design approach can include the structure of the building itself, building orientation, window placement, insulation and building materials, or specific elements of a building, such as window shades.

1.1.1 HOW DO PASSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN RELATE

Passive solar heating and passive ventilation for cooling assist in creating sustainable buildings by reducing dependency on fossil fuels for heating and cooling buildings, as well as reducing the need for electricity to support lighting by using practices of daylighting in buildings.

In LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Awards, Passive Design assists in gaining points in the Energy and Atmosphere  category, as well as in Indoor Air Quality as Passive Design promotes natural ventilation and daylighting strategies.

However, not all Sustainably Designed buildings are strongly passive, and not all Passively Designed buildings are by default strongly sustainable, although this is more likely than the reverse.

1.2 STATEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL PROBLEM:

The architectural problems that prompted this study include;

1.             In the tropics, we are faced with the challenge of making our buildings cooler. Poor understanding   of  sustainable   design   strategies   (such   as   site  preservation, daylighting, cooling, resource conservation and building enclosure) in the design of educational buildings that have led to poor design solutions,  this in tum leads to poor output from students.

11.               Non-utilization of site potentials, altering sites and poor micro-climatic analysis are banes facing energy efficient solutions within Enugu State.

111 .               Lack of integrative design process in other to create high performance buildings, with a holistic thought process on life cycle utilization.

1v.        Excessive dependence on non-renewable energy sources within buildings in Enugu and its environs.

The research  intends to provide  pragmatic  solutions to the above mentioned  architectural problems through designing cooler, efficient and sustainable learning spaces by harnessing renewable  energy sources. This can be achieved through an in-depth understanding  of the microclimate and natural resources.

1.3 AIM;

The main aim of this research is to create a model learning facility that contributes to the understanding of sustainable solutions in tropical climates.

1.4 OBJECTIVES;

This aim can be achieved through;

(1)  Investigating the experience of existing design method.

(2)  Investigating  the  relevant  technical  solutions  compnsmg   both  innovative     and traditional design elements, that can be applied within the region

(3) Identifying the drivers and barriers to develop the applied solutions.

(4) Including specific design features that promote learning, and that create a welcoming, healthy, cost effective and environmentally responsible building.

Other specific objectives to be sought after are;

a.    Day lighting through the educational and studio spaces. b.    Find Alternative sources of energy from natural means.

c.    Optimum orientation

d.   Construction ofbio retention areas to minimize storm water runoff. e.   Higher R-value thermal envelope.

f.    Cross ventilations

g.   Use of Architectural  Shades overhang.

h.   Reduce number of Air-Conditioning  Units.

1.      Keep the budget within a cost efficient rate.

1.5 MOTIVATION:

The primary motivation in carrying out this research is to conserve energy and other resources while also enhancing students’ learning environment. Another source ofmotivation stems from the desire to be better  stewards  of the environment  and to teach  others about  conserving resources by using principles of sustainable design as we build or renovate facilities.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS  OF THE STUDY:

The scope of this study will be limited to the experience of energy efficient learning spaces with focus on the applied design and technical solutions.

Some key limitations of this study will include:

This is the first time an institute and studios for animation is ever been proposed within the region, so most case studies to be conducted will be on similar educational buildings.

Lack of some fundamental data about energy consumption and costs in the buildings under this study will also be a constraint.

1.7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Architectural research is the search for new knowledge and ideas about the built environment. The  overall  objective  of this research  is to contribute  to the understanding  of pragmatic sustainable solutions to develop energy efficient buildings  in the tropical climate of Enugu. This aim will be achieved by means of answering the following research question:

•     How can sustainable design strategies and techniques be applied  to improve energy efif ciency ofhigher institutional buildings in Enugu?

To answer the aforementioned  research question and achieve study objectives the following approach  and methods  was taken. The research  method used in this project  includes both primary  and secondary source of data collection.  This type of research method is aimed at exploring and investigating specific areas of phenomena in order to gain more insight into the particular problem under investigation and proffer solutions to them.

The primary stage of data collection was face-to-face interviews with the supervisor who is experienced  on the subject of energy efficiency in buildings as well as searching on related websites to find relevant contact persons and addresses.

Studying a number  of buildings  design and construction  projects was adopted as a useful method to gain a deep understanding of applied technical solutions with the aim of improving energy efficiency. Therefore, six energy efficient educational building design or construction cases were selected to review. The published information about chosen cases was collected via

the internet while detailed unpublished information was obtained through semi structured and qualitative interviews by email contacts and phone calls.

Data was also sought from other secondary sources such as several literatures including books, articles, master theses and doctoral  dissertations  on the subject  of various types of energy efficient and sustainable buildings as well as proposed and implemented design solutions were reviewed to gain an understanding about energy efficient building concepts and characteristics. Secondly, different approaches adopted to enhance energy efficiency in buildings specifically with consideration to their relevance to warm climates were studied.

1.7.1 ANALYSIS OF COLLECTED DATA

At the first stage, the boundary for data analysis was limited to architectural design aspects of applied energy efficient solutions. Data on utilized solutions in each case were scrutinized to understand why and how they are used.

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