Shady proposition: Comparing passive thermal control strategies

In 1961, the building at One East Broadway in Eugene, OR was constructed as a steel frame with a single-pane glazed envelope. The building's energy efficiency experienced many shortcomings over the years whereby the user had no control of thermal comfort; the only consolation was an intricately crafted copper screen that served as a sunshade device (Fig. 1). Under current management, the building appears rejuvenated, exhibiting an exuberant new sunshade device that attempts to compensate for the envelope's lack of thermal insulation. Once the product of an artful architectural copper screen, the building now appears as a series of layers with varying gradients of transparency (Fig. 2). The lineage of the building at One East Broadway provided a unique opportunity to study the difference in shading efficiency between past and present sunshade devices. This student case study serves as an analysis of passive thermal control strategies in relation to direct solar gain. Guidelines set forth by Vital Signs at University of California, Berkeley became the framework for proceedings. This approach includes an Abstract, Introduction, Hypothesis, Methodology, Equipment, Analysis, Summary, Acknowledgements, and References (1).