The main task of a civil engineer is to solve the problems of civilians. Therefore, that was the starting point of our conceptualization of the urban area. People live and, for that, basic needs like housing, water, and energy need to be addressed. Starting from here, we thought about how we can best include our single models. In the middle, we therefore placed the Multi-story building and the social housing multi-story building. A level lower would be the shading device that can be used for any housing to save energy. But where does the energy come from that is being saved? A dam can generate electricity by stopping huge amounts of water and letting them go through turbines. At the same time, the water reservoir can also be used to supply the buildings with the necessary water. To further save energy, we placed the water tank on top of the building. That way, gravity can be used to distribute the water to the needed places. A strong pump can bring the water up to the building. From there, it can be used and also let down into the sewer system.
But how much water is needed for a house? Can the building even hold the loads of so much water? That’s what the parametric model can determine. To evaluate the required water, we need to estimate how much is consumed in a residential building. It is estimated that each person uses 50 to 100 gallons of water per day, leading to a range of 200 to 400 gallons per day for a family of four [1]. Another factor is the number of people living in a building. According to the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), providing occupancy rules, every unit should have an overall occupant limitation based on its overall size [2]: 1-2 occupants: must have at least 120 square feet living room. 3-5 occupants: must have at least 120 square feet living room and 80 square feet dining room. 6 or more occupants: must have at least 150 square feet living room and 100 square feet dining room. The numbers above are the minimum numbers but, according to [3], in 2019, apartments in Germany were 91.9 square meters, on average, equating to 47 square meters per inhabitant. Based on the information above, it was assumed that a family of four normally consumes 300 gallons or 1.14 cubic meters of water per day and also this family can live in each unit area which equals 90 square meters.
The water is supplied by the dam. Here we use the formula: volume (m^3) = surface area (m^2) × max depth (m) × 0.4 [4]. This allows us to generate the capacity of the dam that can be used to determine how many tanks can be filled and how many buildings can be supplied. With that, we also get the loads of the water tanks that also have to be supported and redirected into columns. These, in the end, have to also be given into the ground, and we need to be able to tell if the ground can withstand such loads. To make choices about the energy, we need to assume how much energy is needed. Then, we can determine using the flow rate how much energy can be produced by the dam and how much energy can be saved by the shading devices.
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References
[1] “Water System Planning: Estimating Water Needs.” Accessed: Feb. 02, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://extension.psu.edu/water-system-planning-estimating-water-needs
[2] S. M. White, “HUD Occupancy Standards: A Complete Breakdown For Landlords,” RentPrep. Accessed: Feb. 02, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://rentprep.com/blog/tenant-screening-news/hud-occupancy-standards/
[3] Wedia, “Despite the housing crisis, homes in Germany are getting bigger and bigger,” IamExpat. Accessed: Feb. 02, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.iamexpat.de/housing/real-estate-news/despite-housing-crisis-homes-germany-are-getting-bigger-and-bigger
[4] https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/water/farm-water-solutions/how-much-water-is-in-my-dam