Institute For Health in the Built Environment

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This program was formerly known as the Center for Housing Innovation. The Institute for Health in the Built Environment at the University of Oregon is passionate about combining research (https://buildhealth.uoregon.edu/research-2/) and design in order to create a healthier built environment and population. Click here (https://buildhealth.uoregon.edu/about/) to find out more about the institute.

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Open Access
Accurate Measurement of Daylit Interior Scenes Using High Dynamic Range Photography
(Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2016) Jakubiec, J. Alstan; Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin; Inanici, Mehlika; Mahic, Alen
This paper investigates accuracy in typical High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography techniques used by researchers measuring high resolution luminance information for visual comfort studies in daylit spaces. Vignetting effects of circular fisheye lenses are investigated for reproducibility between different lenses of the same model and sharing between researchers. The selection of aperture size is related to vignetting intensity, dynamic range and potential for lens flare. Lighting variability during capture processes is also tracked, and it is recommended to measure vertical illuminance in order to validate the stability of a scene. Finally, luminous overflow—a concept where a HDR photograph cannot measure the true luminous environment—is introduced. Its effect on the glare metrics UGR and DGP is investigated by using neutral density (ND) filters to increase the dynamic range of photographs under direct sunlight. It is recommended to use ND filters in scenes with vertical illuminances greater than 5 000 lx or with direct vision of the sun.
Open Access
Acoustic Lab Testing (ASTM E492-2016, ASTM E90-2016) of Multi-Family Residential CLT and MPP Wall and Floor Assemblies
(Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2019-03) Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin; Northcutt, Dale; Fretz, Mark; Stenson, Jason; Zagorec-Mark, Ethan
The use of mass timber panels is becoming a popular choice for construction due to concerns about climate change, resource sustainability, the need for construction efficiencies and the human biophilic affinity for wood. Developed about three decades ago in Austria, panelized mass timber products have been used in Europe for some time but are now gaining market traction across North America and represent an opportunity for designers, developers, engineers and contractors. With this new design opportunity in North America comes jurisdictional code performance requirements that need to be demonstrated to building authorities in the United States. Among these are requirements for fire, seismic and acoustic testing. Acoustics standards in the United States are prescribed by various organizations, such as the International Code Council (ICC), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), American Nation Standards Institute (ANSI), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) and are codified by jurisdiction based on building typology. In addition to code requirements, the economics of occupant satisfaction and well-being play a role in project development. Economic studies have shown that consumers value spaces with higher acoustic quality and display a willingness to pay for the relief from unwanted noise.1 Furthermore, noise intrusion in places where people spend a majority of their time has been shown in a body of literature to effect cognitive function, disrupt sleep patterns, promote irritability, and provoke heart conditions.2 Therefore, in order for a housing project to perform, it must not only meet code requirements but also market expectations for high quality, acoustically separated living spaces. The acoustic performance of mass timber panels is measured by two metrics: STC (sound transmission class) and IIC (impact insulation class). STC, for example, is how well a wall assembly acoustically separates two spatial volumes. IIC is a measurement of how well a floor dampens the sound transmission of an impact between two adjacent spatial volumes, be that a dropped object or footstep. For multifamily housing, the International Code Council (ICC) prescribes a wall and floor assembly performance standard to meet or exceed a STC rating of 50 in a lab test (ASTM E 90 )or 45 in field tests (ASTM E 336) and IIC rating of 50 in a lab test (ASTM E 492) or 45 in field tests (ASTM E 1007).3 Using industry standards such as ICC, HUD, ANSI, FGI as a starting point for designing a series of floor and wall assemblies we hope to find high performing cost-effective acoustic solutions for mass timber assemblies that can be readily adopted by design teams and jurisdictional authorities . In addition, this study aims to provide more third-party verified data on CLT + MPP acoustic performance and disseminate it into the public sphere.
Open Access
AEDOT prototype I : building massing input/output template
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1991-12-31)
Open Access
An Approach to Teaching Calculation Procedures for Passive Design
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1981) Brown, G. Z.; Ubbelohde, M. Susan; Reynolds, John S.
This paper describes the development, testing and revision of a workbook, Passive Procedures for Daylighting, Passive Solar Heating and Cooling", which emphasize the integration of a set of calculation procedures with the building design process. The work was carried out in the University of Oregon Department of Architecture in 1980-81 and funded through the U.S.D.O.E. Passive Solar Curriculum Development Project, administered by the University of Pennsylvania.
Open Access
Architectural Response to Climatic Patterns
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1997) Brown, G. Z.; Novitski, B. J.
We have analysed several climates in terms of some basic recurring weather patterns, and then classified these patterns in terms of direct architectural response. This analysis allows the designer to organize and prioritize the vast array of architectural responses in a way that is appropriate for a particular climate.
Open Access
Barriers to Increasing the Market Share of Wood-Framed Closed Panels
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1996-05) Brown, G. Z.; Larocque, Paul; Peffer, Therese
The University of Oregon completed diagnostic testing of six units of housing which used open and closed panels. Open panels are built with wood studs and shipped to the site with sheathing, and sometimes windows and siding installed, but without insulation, vapor barriers, drywall, or wiring. Closed panels by contrast usually arrive at the site with insulation, vapor barriers, and electrical chases installed. The testing indicated that the units constructed of wood-framed closed panels performed better thermally than open framed panels. Despite the increased energy efficiency and value added, panel manufacturers are reluctant to produce wood-framed closed panels due to many perceived barriers. This report identifies those barriers as well as strategies to overcome those barriers. Strategies to reduce barriers include educating builders and the public to the benefits of wood-framed closed panels, educating builders to new construction techniques, revising of the code approval process at the federal, state, and local levels, and establishing manufacturing consortiums to share costs of code approval and marketing.
Open Access
Calibration of the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1990-12) Ryan, Patrick; Brown, G. Z.; Berg, Rudy
Open Access
Calibration of the boundary layer wind tunnel : progress report
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1990-12) Ryan, C. P.; Berg, Rudy; Brown, G. Z.
Since 1989 the U. S. Department of Energy has sponsored a research program organized to improve energy efficiency in industrialized housing. Two research centers share responsibility for the Energy Efficient Industrialized Housing (BEIH) program: the Center for Housing Innovation at the University of Oregon and the Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida. Additional funding for the program is provided by non-DOE participants from private industry, state governments and utilities. The program is guided by a steering committee composed of industry and government representatives. Industrialization of U.S. housing production varies from mobile home builders who ship furnished houses to the site, to production builders who assemble factory produced components on the site. Such housing can be divided into four major categories: HUD code (mobile) homes, modular houses, panelized houses, and production built houses. There are many hybrids of these categories. The goal of the Energy Efficient Industrialized Housing research project is to develop techniques to produce marketable industrialized housing that is 25% more energy efficient than required by today's most stringent U.S. residential codes, yet less costly than present homes. One aspect of the EEIH project is testing the energy performance of houses at several stages from design through occupancy. The activity described here comprises part of Task 2.6, "Tests of Construction Methods, Products, and Materials," a process which involves both field and laboratory studies. Toward this end the project will use the low speed boundary layer wind tunnel to study building ventilation and microclimates. This report describes progress toward the calibration of this instrument. First is a description of the tunnel itself -- a duct roughly 60 feet long, coupled to a variable speed fan, and shaped to provide a smooth air flow with minimum background turbulence. During calibration this level of turbulence was examined using the tunnel's three-part set of instruments: anemometry sensors (TSI Model 1066) and electronics, data acquisition system (IDAC-1000 plus custom communication program), and controlling Macintosh computer.
Open Access
Carbon Narratives for Design Planning
(Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2023) Bloom, Ethan; Chidambaranath, Pallavl; Fretz, Mark; Kwok, Alison; Mahic, Alen; Martin, Katherine; Northcutt, Dale; Rowell, Joshua; Stenson, Jason; Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin; Onell, Elaine; Puettmann, Maureen
The carbon story for buildings exemplifies the complexity and interconnection of embodied and operational carbon contributing to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions causing climate change. A myriad of considerations are in play, from natural resource management, extraction, processing, transportation, construction, operation and ultimately end of life, for every material and every building. Buildings currently represent about 37% of annual global CO2 emissions.1 About 10 GtCO2 annually come from building operations, which is at an all-time high, and about 3.6 GtCO2 from producing major materials used in building construction.1 As the world economy grows and living standards rise, the global consumption of raw materials is expected to nearly double by 2060.1 Decarbonizing the building sector will require coordinated action from numerous and diverse stakeholders in areas such as science, policy, and finance. Architects, engineers, and construction (AEC) professionals can take greater responsibility through building material selection, but this important decision-making process requires having the right data at hand when it’s needed. We believe the quickest means to reducing global warming potential through building material selection in the near term is to: 1) use and reuse materials efficiently, including existing structures; 2) use low embodied-carbon material options in place of materials that are derived from carbon intensive production; 3) employ bio-based materials, such as timber, that are renewable and remove carbon from the atmosphere during their growth, then design for durability and longevity, disassembly, and end-of-life reuse to ensure that the stored carbon remains out of the atmosphere for as long as possible; 4) create opportunities to use mill and production waste in products with long lifespans. At present, timber is typically less carbon intensive than steel or concrete if sourced from forests with sustainable forest management practices. On a longer time horizon, we believe: 1) significant reductions in all industry emissions and continued improvements in sequestration are imperative for all building materials including wood, concrete and steel; 2) transitioning a significant percentage of our buildings and cities to timber structures could significantly reduce carbon emissions in time, but only if sustainable forest management practices are used in concert with strong forward-thinking governance and broad-reach planning efforts; 3) sustainable forestry practices, along with the life cycle assessment methodologies and design tools used to quantify their impacts, are still in a period of development and refinement, and should be expected to be a moving target in the foreseeable future with advancement in our collective understanding and through greater adoption of these systems and practices. This guide, Carbon Narratives for Design Planning, was developed to acknowledge areas of influence when considering selection of mass timber as a primary building material. It is a complicated narrative, but one that designers and their clients are embracing based on multiple positive attributes of mass timber. At the same time, there is consensus that more transparency and uniformity in the embodied carbon story of wood products from forest to building site will lead to more informed decisions and improved environmental outcomes when specifying materials during design planning. This project offers a synthesis of available information for primary materials of structural building systems, with particular focus given to mass timber. We highlight ways in which mass timber can reduce whole building embodied carbon yet recognize that the narratives become complicated when comparing carbon content in mass timber structural systems against concrete or steel. The narrative becomes further nuanced when forest management practices, biogenic carbon and unknown material end-of-life pathways become part of the equation. The guide is structured in five parts, describing: 1) carbon in the built environment; 2) carbon, climate and forests; 3) carbon and mass timber; 4) carbon and concrete and 5) carbon and steel. Additional resources included in the appendices are survey results from 180 AEC practitioners from across North America, many with international project experience, that were used to structure a series of five workshops that took place between April and September 2021: 1) Wood Certifications: What is the difference and is it worth the extra cost? 2) Beyond the EPD: What aren’t we considering? 3) Comparing Carbon Narratives: How do concrete, steel and mass timber actually perform? 4) LCA Assumptions: Counting carbon neutrality versus climate neutrality? 5) Design for Building End of Life: Assumptions versus Actualities. Workshops drew on expertise and perspectives from individuals in forest ownership and production at small and large scales, manufacturers, non-profits, government and academia. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these workshops were held entirely virtual, which allowed participation of national and international experts. Links to workshop recordings are hosted on the Institute for Health in the Built Environment (IHBE) and NetZed Laboratory websites. The immediate goal of this work is to create a common narrative for use by AEC professionals in their current and future work involving specification of building materials and associated carbon impact from those choices. Longer range goals of this work are based on the belief that these carbon narratives are key to advancing research, innovation, and cross-disciplinary urgency surrounding broad efforts to decarbonize the building sector and the materials used in the built environment.
Open Access
City Form: The Creation of Comfortable Urban Microclimates
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1981) Brown, G. Z.; Novitski, B. J.; Kleczynski, H.
This paper describes a method for analyzing the climate of exterior spaces in terms of human thermal comfort. Hypothetical city configurations are compared in two U.S. climate zones.
Open Access
Climate Responsive Earth-Sheltered Buildings
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1981-03) Brown, G. Z.; Novitski, B. J.
An understanding of the impact of climate on the built environment can lead to the' design of more fuel-efficient buildings. The authors present a methodology for analyzing climate conditions in terms of the architectural response required for thermal comfort. They used hourly climate data for several locations, and from these data determined diurnal and seasonal climate patterns. Although climate varies widely in different locations, several patterns - such as cold morning, comfortable midday, cold night - are common throughout North America in different seasons. Through proper architectural and site treatment, buildings can be designed to accommodate these patterns, effectively increasing the amount of thermally comfortable time. The authors find that earth-sheltered buildings can be designed in response to dynamic climate conditions. In this way, the outside spaces associated with underground buildings as well as the inside spaces can also be designed for thermal comfort, thereby increasing the livable space of the buildings.
Open Access
Comparing Perceptions of a Dimmable LED Lighting System Between a Real Space and a Virtual Reality Display
(The Society of Light and Lighting, 2021-01-04) Rockcastle, S; Danell, M; Calabrese, E; Sollom-Brotherton, G; Mahic, A; Van Den Wymelenberg, K; Davis, R
Over the last several decades, designers have used digital screens to view images of real and simulated spaces and make critical design decisions. Screen technology has improved during this time, as technologies like OLED have replaced legacy displays (CRT, plasma, and LCD). These new screens provide a higher pixel resolution, luminous output and contrast ratio. Immersive head-mounted displays now allow designers to view immersive images, and recent developments in real-time rendering have encouraged the uptake of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays in mainstream practice and design education. This paper presents an experiment on lighting perception using a series of LED lighting conditions in a real space and a virtual representation of those conditions captured using a 360° high-dynamic-range camera and presented on an HTC Vive Pro HMD. Fifty-three participants were asked to rate each lighting condition by viewing it in a real space (n = 30) or via immersive HDR photographs displayed in a VR HMD (n = 23). The results show that ratings of visual comfort, pleasantness, evenness, contrast and glare are similar between the HTC Vive Pro HMD and our real space when evaluating well-lit scenes, but significant differences emerge in dim and highly contrasted scenes for a number of rating scales.
Open Access
Comparison of Residential Energy Codes
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1992-01) Pierce, Sam; Brown, G. Z.
The objective of this investigation is to gain an understanding of the code requirements in order to gauge the task of developing an energy code compliance tool for use by industrialized housing producers. Although this pilot study was limited to 5 states we expect it is representative of other regions of the U.S. This document reduces the various code material to a format facilitating direct comparison and analysis. Included are tabulations of code requirements by component or code issue, a tabulation of code jurisdictions and a direct comparison of the codes. All identifiable regional, state, and local codes for the Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and California are included in this investigation with exception of Missoula, Montana which uses the Model Energy Code.
Open Access
Composite Industrialized Energy Efficient Construction for Housing: Case Studies of Recent Danish and Swedish Housing Projects and Implications for U.S. Multi-Family Housing
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1990) Finrow, Jerry V.
The countries of Scandinavia have been on the leading edge of housing design including construction technology for the past 20 years. In Denmark, housing innovation such as the current "co-housing" movement, has been and continues to be a way of life. In Finland, Tapiola was the pioneering example of the planned community. Having greatly improved U.S. wood frame technology by Industrialization, Sweden has produced the most advanced wood frame house In the world. Because of its setting and climate, Norway has been experimenting with Artia housing which has important international implications in housing design. Given this history of innovation it is timely that we carefully examine the technology of housing In Scandinavian countries. The research reported here is supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Open Access
Computer Use in Industrialized Housing Sales, Design and Manufacturing Processes
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1991) Brown, G. Z.; McDonald, Margot; Meacham, Matt
This paper summarizes a study on the extent of computer use by industrialized housing producers in the U.S., Japan, Sweden and Norway. The study was directed at understanding industrialized housing production and energy decision making processes used by producers in order to set general criteria for new energy software tools and to make projections for future computer use in the industry. Computers' first penetrations into the U.S. housing industry were in component design and manufacture. U.S. manufacturers continue to computerize an increasing number of discrete tasks such as drafting and material resource planning, aware of the difficulties in sharing data between individually automated tasks. Use ofcomputerized energy tools by U.S. industrialized housing producers is low, though manufacturers recognize the need to automate as a means to increase productivity, improve quality control, and speed up communications between the various phases of production and management. As the number of software tools developed for the industry grows, so Will the industries' willingness to accept computerization. Japanese and Scandinavian companies are more sophisticated in their use of computers than U.S. companies-Sweden in the control ofproduction and links between production and design, and Japan in the computerization of the sales process and its links to design. Our analysis of the activities required to make a house and the nature of energy decisions revealed how critical it .is to identify the correct audience to increase acceptance of computerized tools. This study concluded that energy calculations should be computerized and that the computer tools developed should be integrated with hardware and software systems expected to be used in the future by industrialized housing companies. Energy tools must be an integral part ofany other computerized design and sales aids designed to be used with customers. New computerized energy tools should help link manufacturers of energy efficient products and homeowners. Energy tools should be part of expert systems which assist non-professional personnel in housing design.
Open Access
Conceptual Design Subdomain Model
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1990-12) Brown, G. Z.; McDonald, Margot
The Advanced Energy Design and Operation Technologies (AEDOT) Research Project was created to develop a scientific and technical basis for improved energy-related decision making early in the design process and in ways that impact operational efficiencies. AEDOT research will develop intelligent computer-based tools to provide the technological basis for presenting and testing energy options. A multiyear plan has been developed by Pacific Northwest Laboratories with the Department of Energy to administer and coordinate research activities on the AEDOT project Additionally, three research teams share responsibility for completing individual research tasks: California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL), and the University of Oregon. At the University of Oregon, AEDOT will draw upon building design process experience and developmental work with conceptual energy design software tools. This report addresses work done on the modeling of the conceptual design subdomain.
Open Access
Cost Analysis for a Stressed Skin Insulating Core Panel Demonstration House, Springfield, Oregon
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1995) Aires, Kevin; Berg, Rudy; Brown, G. Z.; Kline, Jeff; Kumar, Pawan
This paper summarizes a detailed cost study performed to evaluate the first cost of the building system innovations in a stressed skin insulation core (SSIC) panel demonstration house built in Springfield, Oregon. The objective was to compare this building envelope system to a conventionally built, architecturally equivalent Reference House designed with the same energy performance that the Demonstration House provides. The demonstration House proved to have a lower first cost and to be more profitable to the builder than the Reference House.. The primary cost benefit of the Demonstration House is the reduced amount of on-site labor required through the use of SSIC panels. In addition to providing high insulation values and a very tight building envelope, using these panels reduced the use of framing lumber by almost 50%.
Open Access
Daylighting Patient Rooms in Northwest Hospitals
(Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2005-10) Brown, G.Z.; Brickman, Johanna; Kline, Jeff; Livingston, Gina; McDonald, Brooks; Smith, Crawford; Staczek, David; Wilkerson, Mark
This section is intended to enable hospital design professionals to quickly understand the basic principles of hospital patient room daylighting design in order to apply them in their current design projects. It delineates the important variables such as room width and depth, and describes how they interact. The section concludes with 10 prototype patient room designs that represent a range of possibilities for typical hospital design. The potential benefits from daylighting patient rooms are energy savings and increased patient well-being. Lights can be turned off when daylight is available, saving electrical energy. Turning off the electric lights can reduce internal heat gain, which in turn reduces the size of the cooling system, reducing both initial and operating costs. Proper placement of the windows increases the opportunity for views and the availability of daylight, both of which can improve patient wellbeing.
Open Access
Demonstration House Project for: St. Vincent De Paul Society
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1992) Brown, G. Z.; University of Oregon. Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory
Open Access
Design and Evaluation of Energy Efficient Modular Classroom Structures
(Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon, 1996) Bernhard, Sarah; Brown, G. Z.; Briscoe, John; Kline, Jeff; Kumar, Pawan; Wang, Zhunqin; Rasmussen, Donald; Rasmussen, Kenneth; Stanard, James
The objective of our investigations was to develop innovations that would enable modular builders to improve the energy performance of their classrooms without increasing their first cost. The Modem Building Systems' classroom building conforms to the stringent Oregon and Washington energy codes, and at $18/S.F. (FOB the factory) it is at the low end of the cost range for modular classrooms. Therefore the objective we set for ourselves was challenging. We proposed to investigate daylighting, crossventilation, solar preheat of ventilation air, and thermal storage as ways to reduce energy use. Simple paybacks range from 1.3 years in Honolulu to 23.8 years in Astoria, OR. Therefore in the five climates we investigated in Phase I we came closest to achieving our objective of increasing energy performance without increasing the first cost of the unit in the Honolulu climate. We were able to do this in Honolulu because a preheater was not required, and we were able to save money by eliminating the economizer unit, using cross-ventilation, and reducing insulation in the envelope. Our second best performing climate was Fairbanks with a simple payback of 7.7 years. In this case we were able to eliminate the heat pump and economizer by using crossventilation, thereby reducing cost. Our third best performing climate was Bakersfield, California, which had a simple payback of 10.3 years. Spokane had a simple payback period of 17.2 years. The major cost increases in Spokane are in the preheater and lights, with a modest increase in windows. Astoria had the worst payback period of almost 24 years with most of the increased cost being in the preheater, windows, and lighting. The savings from the preheater are modest. In Phase II of this project, by combining the strategies of improved electrical light-switching, perimeter insulation, shading, window sizing, preheater configuration and location and HV AC locations, we expect to reduce simple payback periods to 0 years in Honolulu, Hawaii; less than 2 years in Bakersfield, California; 3 years in Astoria, Oregon; 4 years in Fairbanks, Alaska; and 8 years in Spokane, Washington.