REVISED EXTERIOR ELEVATIONS OF LAUREL STREET

Perspective of Valet Booth looking towards Third Street and Bakery
Perspective of Cleaners

Elevation with Shading

Discussion with John Anderson

Today, I spoke with John Anderson as recommended by Chris Bankston. We are going to work on the specific details of about three LEED Credits and all of the formal requirements to meet these credits. The credits that we briefly discussed are ones related to interior finishes, water quality and quantity through different maufacturer technologies, and possibly some related to site requirements.

I did some research to check out the public transit system in terms of the transporation credits. There are also bicycles on the street for the hotel's occupants and public to use. There are also showers and locker areas for the staff. The Commerce Building would qualify for the transportation credit since the route runs down and has pickups on Third Street and throughout the CBD. Below is a map to show the routes and the Commerce Buildiing's qualifications.

Source: http://www.brcats.com/map.htm

Exterior Perspective and Elevation

The following two images are from the Sketchup model that I am producing of the exterior of the Commerce Building. The ground floor is done in antique red brick so that it still reserves some of the historic character of the downtown area. On the top, there are the aerotecture wind units to generate electricity for the hotel.

REVISIONS AND SPACE PLANS FOR 2ND-8TH FLOORS 02/21/08

Here are the revised floorplans for theh 2nd-8th floors that I reviewed with my instructor on Monday, February 18th. On the 3rd through 8th floors, I was able to get more space for my rooms by cutting into the corridor that was necessary for the 2nd floor. Since there are no rooms on that back wall or other functioning areas, I did not need to use that corridor. Also with the addition of the two stairwells with 3 minimum by code, I enabled myself to gain space for the guests.


2nd Floorplan




3rd, 5th, 7th Floorplan

4th and 6th Floorplan


8th Floorplan

1st Floorplan Completion

Here is the completed 1st floorplan. I added the back of house spaces yesterday and completed the lobby. In the lobby, I actually had room for a lounge/bar area. The space is very angular and based off of the idea of turbulence and movement of the river. I think the space is very dynamic and incorporates the overall design concept of the hotel well. Comments and suggestions from my professor were to add the bellman or hostess station. I also added two employee entrances and made the housekeeping and laundry area accessible to the dry cleaning back of house area. The washing and drying equipment (machines) are communally used by the hotel and the dry cleaners. I am also eliminating the Carpentry Shops to add a centrally located staff lounge. The furniture repairs will be handled outside of the hotel proper.

SPACE PLANS PROGRESS

I reworked some of the floorplan because by code three exits are required at a minimum which I found through researching the Life Safety Code. Therefore, I added to additional stairwell units and a lounge area flanking both sides of the courtyard. These lounges also have access to a balcony that fronts on Laurel Street.

I am also going to begin to pursue the layout of the Restuarant Space on the hotel's rooftop in order to iron out the placement of the pool. I am considering moving the pool so that the courtyard can remain glass topped to bring more daylighting into the hotel space. However, I am not sure if this is a wise idea since the pool requires at least a 6 foot depth to be cut into the floor and to the floor beneath. Again, I am working on the specific details of how this space will function.

1st Floorplan

2nd Floorplan

3rd, 5th, and 7th floorplan

4th and 6th Floorplan

8th Floorplan

ROOFTOP TERRACE/RESTAURANT AND BAR COMING SOON

ROOFTOP POOL AND RESTAURANT LAYOUT

Here is a sketch of conceptual ideas for the rooftop pool based on a meeting I had with an architecture professor named Frank Bosworth. He suggested placing the pool between the columns and adding an additional I-Beam at the father end of the pool for additional support. The pool's placement is on the south facade as the north facade is usually avoided. By placing the pool within the interior courtyard shell, the pool can get the necessary depth without cutting into any other portion of the hotel, such as the guest rooms. Since the pool was placed on the south facade, it is necessary to consider solar screening by possibly making the glass for the area have a special coating that addresses solar radiation or implementing shading through the vegetated roof garden system and trees.

Depending on how the final layout takes form, then the restaurant can be added on either the east or west side of the centralized pool area. The east facade may be more feasible for the view of the river; however, I was advised to check the nearby downtown sites to make sure that a good view of the Mississippi River is possible from this rooftop. Otherwise, either axis will work based on the city view. The main obstruction that needs to be analyzed is the Shaw Center for the Arts.


Here are a few sketched ideas that I may propose for the pool area. They are just rough ideas of what the main wall could look like if using an negative edge pool system. The space will have great dayligthing opportunities. There is no pool recommended for the hotel according to Hotel Planning, Design, and Development since there are only 200 guest rooms. However, I feel that the hotel would be more marketable. The minimum pool requirements are going to be adjusted slightly since a pool is not mandated.


The first idea is based off of an enclosed spa and surrounding pool with a main accent wall that hides the mens and women's restrooms behind them. The second idea is inspired by a two part pool where the main pool is raised about a foot above the second level pool that serves as a wading/cool off area. The raised pool drains over a wall into the wading area. I like both ideas equally. I was also playing with the idea of placing a gazebo entrance on the raised portion into the main pool but I am not sure if theoretically this can be done. I need to do a little more research into the placement and orientation of the second option.

LEED EA CREDIT 2:ON-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY

Aerotecture is a company that was recommended to me by Chris Bankston and John Anderson. It is a wind turbine that must be installed 40 feet above the ground. There are two models, the 510H and the 520H. The machines are placed perpendicularly to the movement of the wind. The more power that you are trying to generate then the more turbines that you would add to the structure. The units can be placed vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. The wind machines are ideal for suburban and urban use. They are noiseless and do not create vibrations either.

The cost of the 520H model is $20,000 and the cost of the 510H is $15,000. The energy costs for a hotel of this size will cost $300,000 for a ten year period so $30,000 annually. This means that if there are multiple wind turbine units, then it will take at least 5 years to break even. Then, there will be significant savings for the property causing the hotel's revenue to rise.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.aerotecture.com

SPACE PLAN PROGRESSION 02/11/08

My space plans are coming along nicely. Since I established the circulation patterns for each floor, I was able to determine the floor layout. I have almost completed the second floor layout and eight floor layout completely. There are pieces that are executed on the third through seventh floors.

In discussion with my mentor, the space plans are designed with the idea of maximizing daylight. Thus, the interior courtyard is one way of bringing more daylight into the spaces. Below are the additions that I have completed since Friday, February 8th. Tomorrow I am going to meet with one of my architecture professors, Frank Bosworth and discuss the potential placement of a pool on the rooftop separate from the rooftop terrace/garden and restuarant/bar. I am also discussing the possible problems associated with cutting a drop off covered parking space out of the structure of the hotel.

2nd Floorplan

3rd - 7th Floorplan

8th Floorplan

LIST OF LEED CREDITS

Here is the list of LEED Credits that I am going to try and acheive with my hotel design. If I obtain all of the points specified below, I can acheive LEED Gold Rating and will be two points away from Platinum Certification Rating.

SS Prerequisite 1: Construction Activity Pollution Prevention
SS Credit 1: Site Selection
SS Credit 2: Development Density and Community Connectivity
SS Credit 4.1: Alternative Transportation: Publlic Transportation Access
SS Credit 4.2: Alternative Transportation: Bicycle Storage and Changing Rooms (not sure if I will actually use this one or not because I have not quite finished spatially laying out the hotel lobby yet)
SS Credit 4.4: Alternative Transportation: Parking Capacity
SS Credit 5.1: Site Development: Protect or Restore Habitat (Option 2: Rooftop Terrace Garden counts as vegetated surface)
SS Credit 5.2: Site Development: Maximize Open Space
SS Credit 6.1: Stormwater Design: Quantity Control
SS Credit 6.2: Stormwater Design: Quality Control
SS Credit 7.2: Heat Island Effect: Roof (Option 2: 50% of roof to be vegetated)
SS Credit 8: Light Pollution Reduction (LZ3 Classification)
WE Credit 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping: Reduce by 50% with possibility of acheiving
WE Cedit 1.2: Water Efficient Landscaping: No Potable Water Use or No Irrigation
WE Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies
WE Credit 3.1: Water Use Reduction, Reduce 20% with possibility of acheiving
WE Credit 3.2: Water Use Reduction, Reduce 30%
EA Prerequisite 1: Fundamental Commissioning of the Building Energy Systems
EA Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Performance
EA Prerequisite 3: Fundamental Refrigerant Management
EA Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance (1-10 points) -- just calculated at a mid range of 5-6 points not sure the requirements behind this
EA Credit 2: On-Site Renewable Energy
EA Credit 4: Enhanced Refrigerant Management
EA Credit 5: Measurement and VerificationEA Credit 6: Green Power
MR Prerequisite 1: Storage and Collection of Recyclables (will designate an area on each floor within the vending area of the 2nd-8th floors of the hotel)
MR Credit 1.1: Building Re-Use : Maintain 75% of Existing Walls, Floors and Roof (do not have the existing plan with interior walls but structural components are the same)
MR Credit 2.1: Construction Waste Management: Divert 50% from Disposal
MR Credit 3.1: Material Re-Use 5% (possibility of acheiving 10% for MR Credit 3.2)
MR Credit 4.1: Recycled Content 10% (post-consumer + 1/2 pre-consumer) with possibility of acheiving MR Credit 4.2
MR Credit 5.1: Regional Materials: 10% Extracted, Processed, and Manufactured Regionally
MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials
MR Credit 7: Certified WoodEQ Prerequisite 1: Minimum IAQ Performance
EQ Prerequisite 2: Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control Required (not sure if I should use Option 1 or Option 2) Is it possible to have a smoke-free hotel establishment is my main concern?
EQ Credit 1: Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring
EQ Credit 2: Increased Ventilation
EQ Credit 3.1: Construction IAQ Mangement Plan: During Construction
EQ Credit 4.1: Low-Emitting Materials: Adhesives and Sealants
EQ Credit 4.2: Low-Emitting Materials: Paints and Coatings
EQ Credit 4.3: Low Emitting Materials: Carpet Systems
EQ Credit 5: Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control
EQ Credit 6.1: Controllability of Systems: Lighting
EQ Credit 6.2: Controllability of Systems: Thermal Comfort
EQ Credit 7.1: Thermal Comfort: Design
EQ Credit 8.1: Daylight and Views: Daylight 75% of Spaces (with possibility of acheiving EQ Credit 8.2)
ID Credit 2: LEED Accredited Professional (???? did not know if hypothetically this would count since I am working with someone who is certified on the project)

SPACE PLANNING LAYOUT

I have worked out the placement of the stairs in my design and for the circulation patterns established on the 2nd-8th floors for the hotel guest rooms and suites. Based on the layout, I have 5 WOW suites, 9 fantastic suites, and about 195 guest rooms (called Wonderful Room and Sepctacular Room). By spatial breakdown, there are only 11 suites required within the hotel's square footage, but I wanted to accomodate a few more. The suites are located on the second and eight floors of the hotel. The second floor suites were placed on this floor to accomodate business travelers attending a convention within the hotels conferencing facilities. The 3rd through 7th floors are designated for typical guest rooms, some of which provide views into the interior courtyard, the city or towards the river facing Third Street.


I have also done some re-configuring of the space. I moved the location of the stairwell to meet the code (1/2 theh distance of the longest diagonal). I also located the drop off point near the front of the hotel facing Laurel Street. I eliminated the parking garage that currently exists; however, there is a parking lot adjacent to building the could be purchased and form a larging parking complex for the hotel. It would also be an extra source of revenue for the hotel if the parking was paid for occupants not staying at the hotel.

For this week, I am going to work on incorporating the service elevators into the space so that the kitchen and laundry facilities have convenient access to the service elevators and the service elevator lobby. I may also move the vending area to where the three Wonderful Rooms are located on the left of the guest elevators so that it can hold two vending machines and recyclsing equipment to meet the LEED Credit that is applicable to implement recycling storage containers in the hotel.

The plan is to finish the space planning over the weekend and into the early portion of next week. Once this process is completed, then I will be able to put the spaces into a 3-d rendering program and dedicate a great amount of time to my perspectives. I am also coordinating with Chris Bankston about the LEED Credits that I wish to acheive for my hotel.

The following images are of the space plan and blocking models of all the floors.

1st Floorplan (includes 4 retails spaces, the interior courtyard, the hotel lobby, and the hotel back of house functions).


2nd Floorplan
3rd -7th Floorplan
8th Floorplan