Project 725 Description

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This project description has been edited to remove personal information, but should otherwise match the distributed description of Project 725 in Winter 2021.

Project Title: Off-Grid Home

2. Project Description

K is the owner of a country property to the east of Kingston where she would like to construct a new home. (Site details will be available to participating design groups.) The property is large and she would like to locate the house well away from the road, making the cost of service access expensive. To provide an alternative she would like an APSC 100 group to provide a design for a home and accompanying systems that would be viable without connection to the hydro grid. Objectives include:

Approximately 1200 square foot living space suitable for 2 to 3 people.
Energy- and cost-efficient operations without grid electric power.
Sustainability through alternative energy sources such as solar PV.
Consideration of alternative construction techniques for the building envelope, including shipping containers.
Heating should consider ground or water sourced heat-pump systems for heating.

This project will provide an opportunity to work with the end user of the home to provide a custom solution that can incorporate some of the space saving technologies from tiny homes to provide a comfortable, space efficient, and livable country retreat. The successful design will involve leveraging new energy technologies to make the off-grid operation successful. You will work with a faculty advisor for technical input and have regular input from the client to guide your design direction.

3. Key Expectations and Goals

The goal of this project is to provide a conceptual design for the home, including layout and building envelope construction methods with a construction cost estimate. Particular attention will be required to design the energy management and storage options, including backup systems to keep the space livable throughout the worst of Canadian weather.

4. Modeling and Analysis

Analysis of your design will include predictions of operations through a typical year and comparison to traditional alternatives on the basis of cost, carbon footprint, and environmental impact.

5. Deliverables

The final report will provide a layout for the house, details of built-in furnishings, specification of all mechanical and energy systems, and results of the analysis above.

6. Delivery and Disposal

This project will be a design concept. All materials should be provided as PDF files for electronic communication, as well as native files for CAD and MATLAB or other analysis packages. Students should meet with the client and supervisor electronically to meet COVID safety requirements as determined by the university and public health officials.

7. Health and Safety Requirements

No special health or safety requirements are required for this project other than COVID distancing requirements.

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