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Arch 463ECSFall 2004 Name_______________________________________

Quiz #2

"Corbu in the Desert"

For this problem you are the passivecooling consultant for a client who wants tobuild a near replica of Corbu's Villa Savoye inthe Arizona desert near Phoenix. Your client,Madame Clouseaux, thinks that the buildinghas great potential for maximum passivecooling if some alterations in the plans aremade before construction begins. It's your jobto analyze Corbu's design and to proposechanges that will improve the building'spassive performance without compromisingthe design parti. In other words the mostsubtle changes are the best.

Site and Climate Context. The site is atotally flat one-acre plot with no vegetationlarger than small cacti and sage. Diurnalwinds blow from the west in the daytime andfrom the east at night.

Original Building Design. The originalbuilding is lightweight construction, featuringstud walls with external stucco and internalplaster finishes. The roof and floor decks areuninsulated, post-tensioned concrete slabs.It used the technology of the day—singlepane windows, no insulation, and no caulkingor weather-stripping.

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Buiding Analysis

1. Point out two features of the design that are favorable for passive cooling in the desert.Explain why you think so.

2. Point out two features of the design that must be altered to assure effective passivecooling in the desert.

Explain why you think so.

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Building paraline. View from the Northeast..

Roofless paraline. View from the Southeast.

View from salon through open terrace to coveredterrace..

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Redesign

3. Propose four design strategies for passive cooling. Show how you would implement them inthe drawings on page 4 and/or with sketches of your own invention.

Explain how each works toward acheiving effective passive cooling design.

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