GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
DG 1110-3-112 May 1979
3-4 BUILDING DESIGN (cont'd)
(1) Inviting Design Characteristics. The ACES Center must reinviting and convenient to visitors as
well as routine users. Especially important are the location, expression, and identification of entrances
in relation to the approaches on the building site. The design of the ACES Center should reflect the
scale and nature of the activities involved and invite participation therein.
(2) Adaptation to Environmental Context. One measurement of good building design is the success
with which the facility is adapted to its particular environment. Specifically, such factors as site and
climate provide the basis for determining appropriate architectural responses. For example, a hot,
sunny environment requires a facility that provides protection from heat and glare, with entrances that
accomplish a comfortable transition between the bright sun on the exterior and the relatively dark
interior. In wet climates, rain protection at exits and between building elements should be considered,
and in colder climates, compact buildings that increase floor space per unit area of exterior surface and
door circulation should be used. Environmental considerations such as these are an integral part of an
attractive and functional design.
(3) Facility Identity and Perception. The ACES Center building must be readily identifiable as a unit
and have a visually apparent organization that facilitates orientation and circulation. These basic
perceptual qualities are essential to the further development of a system of viewing positions and
settings to communicate the aesthetic intent of the building design. A series of viewing positions,
intentionally planned into the approaches to the building and continuing on into the space organization
within, shall be established for this purpose, and identified in the design analysis. The settings will be
composed of elements of the building design, such as the sizes and shapes of the building's exterior
masses and interior spaces, the color, texture and lighting of those elements, and the visual
articulation or decoration thereof.
(4) Exterior Detailing. The color, texture and scale of building materials should generate visual
interest, as well as establish characteristics appropriate to the overall scale and image of the
installation. The articulation of the exterior mass of the building is also an important consideration.
(a) Wall Shading. A substantial proportion of the air conditioning requirement for most buildings
results from solar energy absorbed by building surfaces. By simply shading those portions of building
receiving the most sun, cooling requirements can be significantly reduced. Methods of wall shading
which should be considered include applying various forms of canopies or louvers to the walls, and use
of deciduous trees. Each wall of the building may require a different treatment depending upon its
orientation to the sun.
(b) Control of Glass Areas. In cases where the shading methods (mentioned above) are not
practical, the choice of window glass becomes important. At a radiation angle of incidence of 40
degrees, ordinary glass admits 85% of the solar thermal energy that strikes the glass surface, while
reflective glass admits 63%, heat-absorbing glass 60% and certain specialized glasses as little as
28%. Windows may also be recessed as illustrated in Figure 3-1. Such a design shades the window
glass, substantially reducing the amount of solar energy striking the glass surface.
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