Thesis: M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering, 1978 / Includes bibliograhical references. / M.S. / M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / A forty story commercial office tower in Tampa, Florida was redesigned for daylighting. The methods are outlined and results illustrated, A cooling load comparison is done to determine the economic feasibility of such a strategy. It was found that the smaller cooling plant and greater perimeter office space could offset the increased building expense. Energy savings were also significant, especially for cooling. / by Robert F. Roscow. / M.Arch.

Thesis. 1977. M.Arch.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Brandt Andersson. / M.Arch.

Thesis. 1976. M.Arch.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Rotch. / Bibliography: leaves 66-67. / by Simon Wiltz. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 196-198). / A design that proposes the redefinition of the role of a power plant facility within a community by creating a humane environment for recreation, education, community gathering, living, and energy production; rather than the traditional remote and often inhumane environments of the present. This thesis explores the design of a small scale alternative energy plant as the center of a new framework for revitalizing small industries, developing industrial cogeneration of energy, and redeveloping mixed use commercial, office, and residential areas within the context of a deteriorated urban neighborhood. Located in a historic area of Rockford, Illinois, the design incorporates some fifty new passive solar residences and a 34,000 square foot clean energy plant within an eleven and one- half acre inner-city site. Fueled by the sun, the wind, the Rock River, and the community's municipal refuse and sewage, this neighborhood alternative energy plant (NAEP) represents not only a renewable energy resource, but both a recreational and educational resource as well. The challenge of this project is to provide an integrated alternative method for both producing power and participating in its production. Included in the design of this NAEP are: an overview of alternative energy use in architecture and community planning; a history of small scale power generation within the context of the neighborhood; a master plan for the site; design of the facility; and energy and economic analysis, designed to demonstrate the viability of the project within a contemporary marketplace. / by Douglas James Brooks. / M.Arch.

Thesis. 1978. M.Arch.A.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 155-156. / M.Arch.A.S.

Thesis. 1975. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / Bibliography: leaves 135-136. / M.C.P.

Bibliography: p. 119-122. Aims to show how the GB Tool (Green BuildingTool) can be used to access the environmental performance of residential building developments, with a focus on South Australia. Describes the history of, and rationale for, the GB Tool; and its practical implementation. Identifies some theoretical short comings of the GB Tool, as well as some practical difficulties with using it.

The demand for energy and cost efficient buildings has made architects and contractors more aware of the resources consumed by the built environment. While the actual economic and environmental costs of future construction can never be completely predicted, energy simulations and cost modeling have become accepted ways to guide the design and construction process by comparing possible outcomes. These tools are now commonplace in the construction industry, and researchers are continuing to develop new and innovative strategies to optimize building design and construction. Previous research has proven that genetic algorithms are effective methods to evaluate and optimize building design in situations that contain a large number of possible solutions. The technique makes a computationally difficult multi-optimization process possible but is still a reactive and time consuming process that focuses on evaluation rather than solution generation. This research presented in this paper builds upon established multi-objective optimization techniques that use an energy simulator to estimate a conceptual building’s energy use as well as construction cost. The study compares simulations of a simplified model of a 3-story inpatient hospital located in Atlanta, Georgia using a defined set of variables. A combined global minimum of annual energy consumption and total construction is sought after using a method that utilizes a genetic algorithm. The second phase of this research uses a modified approach that combines the traditional genetic algorithm with a seeding method that utilizes previous results. A new set of simulations were established that duplicates the initial trials using a slightly modified set of design variables. The simulation was altered, and the phase one trials were utilized as the first generation of simulated solutions. The objective of this thesis is to explore one method of making energy use and cost estimating more accessible to the construction industry by combining simulation optimization and indexing. The results indicate that this study’s proposed augmented approach has potential benefits to building design optimization, although more research is required to validate this hypothesis in its entirety. This study concludes that the proposed approach can potentially reduce the time needed for individual optimization exercises by creating a cumulative, robust catalog of previous computations that will inform and seed future analyses. The research was conducted in five general stages. The first part defines the research problem and scope of research to be conducted. In the second part, the concepts of genetic algorithms and energy simulation are explored in a comprehensive literature review. The remaining parts explain the trial simulations performed in this study. Part three explains the experiment’s methodology, and part four describes the simulation results. The fifth and final part looks at what the possible conclusions that can be made from analyzing the study’s results.

Thesis (M. S.)--Building Construction, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Kathy Roper; Committee Member: Daniel Castro-Lacouture; Committee Member: Linda Thomas-Mobley. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.