Passive/Sustainable Home Building

[S.Lotus2]

I am just starting a project where I will attempt to design and test parts of a sustainable home, possibly one that will fulfill and surpass the Passive House Requirements. I have several questions as to how I can narrow down my topic, and choose a research path.

(a) Should I choose to design a home based on one particular location (for example, my hometown)? The reason I ask is because passive home building is largely reliant on the climate of the location.
(b) Should I focus on designing one complete home, for one location, or instead focus on developing parts of a home that can be modified for any location? (example, focus on certain appliances, features of house, etc.)
(b) Would it be better to work on designing a new house entirely, or work on modifications that can be installed in existing homes to increase energy efficiency? (this might be difficult due to the different varieties of residential housing)

I have from February to the beginning of April (so approximately 2 months) to complete this project, and I plan on entering it for the national science fair.

Thank you very much for your help!

[deleted-71417]

Hi

I would suggest asking yourself:

1) For your possible project alternatives, do you have access to the design and environmental considerations to complete the project and measure results in your project timeframe?

2) Is the scope of the project small enough to complete it within your time and resource budgets?

3) Can you get real data that proves the benefits of your design in time for the fair?

It sounds like you are undertaking an engineering, not a science, project. I would try to find out what the judging criteria are for the fair you intend to enter. I suspect they will consider whether you were able to measure actual results for your design, whether your design is economically feasible and practical.

Given these considerations you might think about how the house in which you live could be modified to meet your goals, and whether it would be economically feasible (cost of modifications would be recovered in a short enough time through energy cost savings to be desireable)


By way of example, here are some judging criteria for a science fair in my area:

“
How well the students understand the project or experiment.
How creative the students were and how they dealt with problems that arose.
Did the students do the work themselves? It is expected and desirable that they obtain assistance from experts, but they are ultimately responsible for the project.
How the project compares to other projects in the same category and grade.
Projects are scored on the following basis:
JUDGING CRITERIA INDIVIDUAL TEAM
Scientific Thought or Engineering Goals 30 30
Creative Ability 30 30
Thoroughness 15 15
Skill 15 15
Clarity 10 10
Teamwork-NO LONGER USED NA 0
Maximum Total Points 100 100

Scientific Thought (For Science projects only)
Is the problem stated clearly and unambiguously?
Was the problem sufficiently limited to allow plausible attack? Good scientists can identify important problems capable of solutions. Neither working on a difficult problem without getting anywhere nor solving an extremely simple problem is a substantial contribution.
Was there a procedural plan for obtaining a solution?
Are the variables clearly recognized and defined?
If controls are necessary, did the student recognize their need and were they correctly used?
Are there adequate data to support the conclusions?
Does the student or team recognize the data's limitations?
Does the student/team understand the project's ties to related research?
Does the student/team have an idea of what further research is warranted?
Did the student/team cite scientific literature, or only popular magazines?
Engineering Goals (For Engineering projects)
Does the project have a clear objective?
Is the objective relevant to the potential user's needs?
Is the solution
(a) workable?
(b) acceptable to the potential user?
(c) economically feasible? Unworkable solutions might seem interesting but are not practical. Solutions that will be rejected or ignored are not valuable. A solution so expensive it cannot be utilized is not valuable.
Could the solution be utilized successfully in design or construction of some end product?
Is the solution a significant improvement over previous alternatives?
Has the solution been tested for performance under the conditions of use? (Testing might prove difficult, but should be considered.)
Creative Ability
Does the project show creativity and originality in
(a) the question asked?
(b) the approach to solving the problem?
(d) the interpretation of the data?
(f) the construction or design of new equipment?
An original idea for a project would show greater creativity than a suggested project from a textbook. Obviously no project is creative and original in every aspect. Remember that a creative and original project for high school students is different from that of professionals. Conversely, some projects may contain elements that seem original; the materials may have come from new curricula in textbooks or laboratory manuals unfamiliar to judges.
Also consider how much help a student received. A student's or team's approach to solving a problem may seem original, but may have come from a scientist's or engineer's suggestions. If a student received help on a project, any credit for creative ability and originality should reflect the student's own contributions. This should become clear through careful questioning.
Creative research should support an investigation and help answer a question in an original way. The assembly of a kit would not be creative unless an unusual approach was taken. Collections should not be considered creative unless they are used to support an investigation, and to help answer a question in an original way.
A creative contribution promotes an efficient and reliable way to solve a problem. When judging, make sure to distinguish between gadgeteering and genuine creativity.
Thoroughness
Was the purpose carried out to completion within the scope of the original intent?
How completely was the problem covered?
Are the conclusions based on a single experiment, or are there replications?
How complete are the project notes?
Is the student/team aware of other approaches or theories?
How much time did the student/team spend on the project?
Is the student/team familiar with scientific literature in the field?
Skill
Does the student/team have the skills required to do all the work necessary to obtain the data that support the project? Laboratory skills? Computational skills? Observational skills? Design skills?
Where was the project done? (i.e., home, school laboratory, university laboratory) Did the student or team receive assistance from parents, teachers, scientists, or engineers?
Was the project done under adult supervision, or did the student/team work largely alone?
Where did the equipment come from? Was it built independently by the student or team? Was it obtained on loan? Was it part of a laboratory where the student or team worked?
Clarity
How clearly can the student discuss the project and explain the project's purpose, procedure, and conclusions? Make allowances for nervousness. Watch out for memorized speeches that reflect little understanding of the principles.
Does the written material reflect the student's or team's understanding of the research? (Take outside help into account.)
Are the important phases of the project presented in an orderly manner?
How clearly are the data presented?
“

I do not think I can answer these questions for you, as you know your own situation far better than I ever could.

Good luck and have fun with the project!

Barrett L Tomlinson.

[S.Lotus2]

Thanks so much for your reply!

I think I will go with option a, to choose a specific location, because I have a lot of environmental/climate data for my hometown, so it may be a little more accurate. I will also try to adapt existing building principles, and make my own modifications and then try to calculate how much more energy efficient the house can be. I'm not sure I would be able to actually build anything big, since it would be expensive.

So do you think it would be acceptable if I simulated the situation for my experiments? For example, instead of using an actual geothermal pump, maybe I could make a model using a small heat source? Basically, the principles would be the same, just not the same equipment. And I suspect I'll be doing mostly calculations, instead of actual observations. Would judges consider experiments like this accurate enough to predict real results?

Thanks also for the judging criteria - I'll definitely keep it in mind while I do my project.

[deleted-71417]

Hi,

Building a model is an excellent idea. Most big projects are modeled before they are built to try to prevent expensive mistakes. Models can be either physical or computational/mathematical computer models or even hand drawn ones.

I will make one other suggestion: keep a bound notebook record of everything you do on your project. A well kept notebook will probably blow the judges away if you do a good project. It is a mark of competent professionalism. The notebook should record everything you do on the project: your ideas, questions, problems, errors, successes, references, experiment designs, data collected, interpretation - everything!!!
This has the advantage that when you forget something or need to find a prior idea or result there is only one place you have to look. If you can form this habit it will serve you well your whole career and endear you to whatever company you associate with. The patent lawyers love you forever when you can produce a contemporaneous dated written record of your work showing how your ideas were developed and when they were done.

Have fun

Barrett L Tomlinson

[S.Lotus2]

I will definitely keep a notebook on hand. Thank you for all your help!

[S.Lotus2]

Hi,
I need some advice about my project. So, I did a lot of background research and stuff, but now I'm rather stuck because I don't know where to go next. How exactly does someone start designing a house? o_o I'm not sure how to proceed, because I know my project can't be all research. I need to do a lot of experiments using the models I planned to construct, but I don't really know what they'd be of yet.

I was thinking I should do a sort of energy audit for my house, by examining the power consumption of various appliances using an Energy Meter than I can borrow.

But, then what? I'd really appreciate any advice or ideas for how I can work myself out of this dead end.

Also, I have another question. Many engineering projects that I've come across have had their experiments conducted in a formal lab setting with lab equipment and building actual prototypes and things like that. I don't really have access to a lab, and I wonder if judges are more skeptical of experiments that are just done with simple equipment that I have at home? In the past, judges have always seemed less impressed when you tell them you did an experiment using stuff like kitchen thermometers, the stove, aluminum trays, etc. Is there any way that I would be able to present it as accurate or effective as a lab experiment? Because I really do try to make sure the experiments don't have any flaws.

Thanks!

[deleted-71417]

Hi,

Do you know how architects go about designing a house with the green characteristics you are striving for? Do you have a mentor who is in the architecture or green building field? If the answer is no to these questions, my best advice is to find one and interview them. Here is Science Buddies advice on finding a mentor:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... tors.shtml

As far as experimenting with models, you really have no choice but to use the resources you have.
If that means doing experiments at home, so be it. As a judge I would try to look at how the experiment was designed and performed, not what fancy equipment was used. This is where an architect as a mentor could really help. Professionally many of them work as one or few person businesses, so they are no stranger to the problems you face and know how to solve them or they do not succeed. Many also start their careers as almost apprentices to established architects, so they understand how the mentoring process works. My guess is that many architects would be willing to grant you at least a one time short interview and try to be as helpful as they can be within that time.

I wish you success!

Barrett L Tomlinson