house

CFNES Department of Construction Management A. Francis

Written paper: House

DETAILS

This paper represents an opportunity to reflect on the material covered in CM120 by considering how you might build your own house. The assignment is meant to help you practice communicating ideas and gain further experience in researching, writing, referencing, and formatting a college level writing assignment.

For this paper you are asked to describe the concepts behind your idea of a comfortable, energy-efficient, affordable home. Your house must fit within the following constraints: • 1,400 square foot (max) living space • 3 bedroom / 2 bath • $250,000 (max) construction budget (including materials, labor and equipment) • Site (choose a location for the site of the house from the list below)

If you could build an affordable energy efficient house, where, what, why and how would you build. Discuss how you would respond to your chosen climate through the passive and/or active design features of your house in order to make it comfortable and energy efficient. To develop a realistic response you will need to have an understanding of the climate in which you will be building (there are many online resources for this). Your paper should include a discussion of the following important points: • Determine best building orientation for the chosen climate zone • Who will use the building and how - draw a floor plan • Determine best way to minimize heating and cooling costs of your house • How much will the house cost to build - materials vs. size

Use words, drawings, graphics and pictures as you feel necessary. Your paper should be limited to 1000 words in length and should include any visual images that are necessary to communicate your ideas and describe the house. Your paper should include at minimum text, a graphic description of the house in the form of a basic floor plan, supporting graphics, and a mind map of the issues and considerations surrounding the project. A good way to think about this paper is to imagine that you are trying to communicate to family or friends your ideas for building a quality home.

[CM 120: BUILDING THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT]

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Type: Individual paper Due Date: 04/8/2016

Submission method: Bb Learn Points: 100

DELIVERABLES

Submit an electronic copy of your paper to the appropriate Bb learn assignment drop box. Please cite any references (text or images) used in your paper in the form of end notes as outlined in the MLA style guide. A summary of the MLA formatting guidelines is posted under “course content” on the CM 120 Bb Learn website.

The written paper is due in the Bb Learn assignment drop box at the beginning of class on Friday, April 8. Your submission should include a title page, written text, mind map, graphics and associated references as described above. Students enrolled in course CM120 are expected to complete their own work (as outlined in NAU’s academic integrity policy) and to properly cite and document any sources used.

SITE CLIMATE ZONES

Mountain - Cold, wet, or dry climate ✴ examples: Flagstaff, Lake Tahoe

Continental - Cold winters and warm summers ✴ examples: Chicago, Minneapolis

Coastal - A warm temperate environment ✴ examples: Seattle, Boston

Mediterranean - Close to ideal conditions ✴ examples: San Diego, Santa Barbara

Subtropical - Warm, humid climate ✴ examples: Miami, New Orleans

Desert - Hot and arid climate ✴ examples: Phoenix, Tucson

GRADING Written content - Description of building use and function 10 - Building passive response to site and climate 10 - Energy efficiency features (passive and active) 10 - Affordability (a basic cost estimate) 10 Graphic content - Mind map of project 10 - Floor plan drawing 20 - Supporting graphics 10 Formatting, grammar, etc. 20 Total 100

[CM 120: BUILDING THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT]

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