Next Generation Architects:
7th Annual Thesis Showcase
New Carbon Architecture: New approach Toward Sustainability in Existing Buildings
Mahsa Hedayati
Thesis Abstract
This thesis explores new approaches to leverage the embodied energy of an abandoned late-nineteenth-century bank building in Philadelphia by creating the bridge between embodied and operational energy, transforms it into a high-performance building, and facilitates continuity and adaptability to unforeseen subsequent changes.
In the abandoned bank, there are some aspects of this building that are near-permanent and define the characters of the building, such as brick walls, two bank vaults, Wissahickon Schist wall, and ceiling trusses. The buildings envelope, the thick masonry wall considers as a mass that is still actively performing and provides a moderately good insulating effect that will temper the indoor air that also preserves the fabric and historical character of the building both inside and outside. By pairing localized heating and cooling by using a radiation and conduction system, we can leverage the performance of that building. Revitalizing the old concept of “heating people, NOT places” provides a new definition for thermal comfort.
