The new School of Architecture’s Embodied Computation Laboratory at Princeton University was built with the purpose of carrying out research, not only inside the building, but also on the building itself, under the direction of Prof. Meggers.
The Laboratory was officially inaugurated in February 2017.
The innovative concept for the Arch Lab’s HVAC design was inspired by the principles of low-exergy communities, capturing waste energy from the Frick Chemistry Laboratory next door. The use of steam for energy supply in the chemistry building produces condensate water which is exploited to heat up the fluid circulating in the Arch Lab radiant floor.
The CHAOS team is monitoring system operation and the Arch Lab space condition. Based on collected data, a calibrated energy model will be built for studying and optimizing the behavior of such an innovative system in different scenarios. The model will also be used for supporting the optimal set up of further experimental activities, such as the integration of a geothermal system, or the use of innovative glass materials on the facades.
Click & Check out our interactive data plot of temperature stratification in the Lab space and the conditions of the condensate coming from Frick!