In my current studio project, we are working on remodeling a house on Page St in Charlottesville, VA. I decided that it would be beneficial to evaluate the house as is in order to influence some decisions that I will make. In my project, we are only making changes to the first floor of the house, so while the second floor appears in my sections I am not going to evaluate it.
The section I chose to investigate in my larger section is the current bedroom and kitchen. The rooms are connected by a door and each have a window. These rooms are connected in terms of natural ventilation and sunlight.
Sunlight: As the house is oriented so that the two windows face east and west. Therefore, these two rooms receive a majority of their sunlight in the morning and late afternoon. In the winter, the sun covers more area of the bedroom and reaches into the neighboring kitchen. In the summer, the angle of the sun is much sharper.
Wind/Ventilation: Wind direction tends to be similar in the summer and winter in Charlottesville. Wind blows from the southwest. Wind speed tends to be a little faster in the winter than in the summer (9 mph versus 7 mph). The positioning of the windows as well as the door would allow for cross ventilation. Also because it is such a short distance, the air passes through with a nice flow.
Systems, Sites and Building ARCH 3230 