Essential Questions 2.3

1.     How do you achieve a balance between cost-saving measures, important features, and environmental responsibility when designing a residential structure?

 These three things are very important in the design of a residential structure, and, when constructed in conjunction with each other, they can combine to form a cost-effective, energy efficient structure.

2.     What are the advantages and disadvantages of using 3D architectural software rather than creating hand-produced plans?

Both methods have distinct advantages and disadvantages. 3-D architectural modeling software can provide a much greater degree of precision than a hand-drawn model, however, such software can be hard to learn.

3.     Why are organizations such as LEED important?

 Organizations such as LEED, that reward architects and engineers for building energy-efficient structures, are important because they provide incentive to go the extra mile to construct a more cost-effective building that will require less energy to maintain.

4.     When planning a project, how does the availability of public utilities impact the design?

 A house's plumbing systems could differ slightly depending on whether a municipal water system is available or not. Such knowledge beforehand will help to avoid problems during the design phase.

5.     What options are available for the management of wastewater from a building?

 Both municipal water systems as well as a localized septic system are common options for wastewater management. Greywater systems, however, are sustainable design elements that reuse water for non-potable uses.

6.     What are the important considerations when design a plumbing system?

Some things that are important to consider are: whether or not a septic/well water system should be used or not; psi and gpm of water output both from a water tower or from a well, and the static and dynamic head loss as well as the effective length of the pipe from a water tower.

7.     Why should a designer know about the different types of lighting and their applications?

 Different types of lighting are better at illuminating different areas. For example, recessed lighting on a dimmer switch is good for a media/living room area, however, areas that require greater amounts of light (like a kitchen), should have non-recessed lighting fixtures with at least 100 watt bulbs. Interior lighting should never be used outdoors.

8.     What are the important considerations when designing an electrical system?

 Some important things to remember are: Which switches control which light(s), how much electricity a certain type of light will consume, where to place electrical outlets, and how to reasonably arrange switches and outlets.

9.     What information is important when documenting the design of a building

Keeping all the information located in an easy to find area while keeping the sheets un-cluttered is important, as well as giving all the information necessary for a construction team to build the building to design specifications.