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ARCH 373: ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 2
Grondzik | Fall 2011

Click [|here] for a pdf version of the Case Study assignment


 * Team 1 wiki: Gessinger/Ross/Roth/Sublette
 * Team 2 wiki: Galbreath/Martin/Shermani
 * Team 3 wiki: Graves/Hosfeld/Hunt/Peterson
 * Team 4 wiki: Coverstone/Ferry/Gastineau/Martinelli
 * Team 5 wiki: Beerman/Schmalzel
 * Team 6 wiki: Culp/Peyton/Timmons/Yu
 * Team 7 wiki: Hoch/Shifflett/Urbanowich
 * Team 8 wiki: Crosley/Pontius
 * Team 9 wiki: Desmond/Hodge/Lecea
 * Team 10 wiki: Martiny/Price/Yi


 * Description **

The objective of this assignment—a semester-long, case-study-based, team project—is to learn and skillfully convey as much insightful information about a specific real-building condition as is reasonably possible given the context of the assignment. The study must be related to the topics addressed in this course or in ARCH 273—namely, active or passive climate control, fire protection, electric lighting or daylighting, mechanized circulation, acoustics, sanitation systems, or energy efficiency/green design. The topic selected for study should be relatively restricted in scope to accommodate the time constraints of the project. You are encouraged to focus on depth-of-understanding versus breadth-of-scope. It is expected that you will work on this project regularly throughout the semester, will prepare required interim drafts, and will seek individualized assistance for your team as required. This assignment is intended to serve as an immersive learning experience. Interim review dates have been established as a means of providing feedback on the appropriateness of your efforts and of ensuring that this is truly a semester-long study.

This is a team project. Teams may consist of from two to four members. The same quality and depth of work will be expected of all teams; thus, larger teams will be expected to address a somewhat broader scope or deal with an issue in greater depth. Each team will individually select the focus of its investigation.

It is //strongly recommended// that the topic selected for study be a condition (a system outcome or result); for example the thermal conditions in a specific space or lighting usage patterns in a room. This type of focus is typical of a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) and //allows exploration of the link between cause and effect (design moves and resulting environment).// A space with the potential for thermal, visual, or acoustical “delight” might be a wonderful subject for study (see, for example, //Thermal Delight in Architecture//; //Fire and Memory//; //Invisible Cities//). A condition that links this assignment with ongoing design studio work could also provide for an intriguing project (providing the investigating team with a studio-precedent-in-depth).

The system or condition (the topic site) should be on or near the Ball State campus (unless a compelling argument can be made for another location). It should be readily accessible for observation and/or measurements. It should be something that will provide for an interesting case study. Appropriate means of investigation will vary with the topic selected. Some studies may lend themselves to on-site measurements with portable equipment (such as the thermal conditions of a room or the performance of lighting fixture occupancy sensors); other topics may be best explored via interviews or questionnaires (such as satisfaction with an elevator system or perceptions of bathroom comfort). Some level of conventional (book, catalog, Internet) research is expected no matter what the case study topic—//but the heart of the study __must__ involve original analysis of a unique system or condition __in the field__.//

The work completed during the course of the case study project will be documented via a technical report—developed as a wiki. The case studies you develop will be available for viewing by the public—ensure that they are of high quality.

Any material presented in a case study report that is copied directly from a printed or electronic resource must be clearly identified as such—using quotation marks or another accepted means of notation, and must be cited by noting the specific source and page(s) where the material was found. Cited extracts should be used where appropriate, but must constitute only a small part of the final report. The same citation rules apply to any non-original images or illustrations. For information on appropriate citation practices, see: “Citing Your Sources,” University of California Berkeley Library: []

It is critical that you obtain permission to use a space for your case study before you begin the study. This is clearly true for private spaces (such as a business), but even seemingly public spaces on campus have someone with some degree of “ownership” for the space who will not be at all happy to see the space being used in an unexpected manner. Pre-clearance is especially important in today’s high-security atmosphere. Because any questionnaire or survey that is implemented becomes a public artifact of the College/Department, all such documents must be approved prior to implementation.


 * Schedule and Review Requirements **

Late submissions of interim components of the case study will be accepted under the same late penalty conditions that apply to course assignments. Late submissions of the final report and presentation materials will NOT be accepted.

**29 Aug 2011**: A brief “status report” indicating who is a member of your team, clearly identifying the specific focus for your study, and giving a 10-word maximum "name" for your study. Submit this information via an e-mail message to wtgzik@gmail.com (Subject: 373-Team-nnn; where nnn is the last name of the person sending the message.) Failure to submit this basic information will result in a 10-point deduction from the overall case study grade.

**7 Sep 2011**: A clear statement of your investigative hypothesis (or hypotheses). Most studies should lend themselves to a hypothesis—but some may not; in that exceptional case a precise statement of what is hoped to be found through the study is expected. This information will be reviewed by accessing your team's wiki page—take this opportunity to establish the look and feel of your page and set up title and header information. Failure to submit a hypothesis statement will result in a 10-point deduction from the overall case study grade.

**16 Sep 2011**: A __detailed__ description of the methodology proposed for the study—addressing approach, instrumentation, surveys, schedule, permission to use the space/building, and the like—with enough specifics to permit informed review and feedback. //Reminder: surveys __must__ be reviewed before being used.//This information will be reviewed by accessing your team's wiki page (and looking for a section titled Methodology). Failure to submit appropriate information on your methods will result in a 10-point deduction from the overall case study grade.

**28 Sep 2011**: A well-developed partial draft of the final technical report—including Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, and a few sample References. “Well-developed” means that the team has gone through no fewer than two iterations of the draft before submitting it and has used spell- and grammar-check. This draft will be reviewed directly from your wiki page; no changes to the page should be made until comments have been released. Failure to adequately address this interim requirement will result in a 10-point deduction from the overall case study grade.

**14 Nov 2011**: A //complete// and final draft of the technical report—as a well-developed wiki page. “Final draft” means that the team has gone through no fewer than two iterations of the __entire__ report and has used spell- and grammar-check. The final draft will be reviewed directly from your wiki page; no changes to the page should be made until comments have been received. Failure to adequately provide this interim requirement will result in a 10-point deduction from the overall case study grade.

**9 Dec 2011**: The due date for the final technical report—as a completed wiki page. The final report will be evaluated primarily with respect to content (clarity of the study, completeness, accuracy, logic, care), but the quality of grammar and incorporated graphics will also be considered. Failure to submit a final report will have a substantial impact on the overall case study grade.

**14 Dec 2011**: Presentations of the case studies will be made during the scheduled final exam time for the course. Each team will have a 9-minute maximum time slot. Presentations must include visual images (consisting of no more than a dozen “screens”) and an accompanying narrative. Submit your presentation images via e-mail to wtgzik@gmail.com not later than 8:00 am ET. (Subject: 373-Present-nnn). Failure to participate in your team's presentation will result in a 20-point deduction from the overall case study grade.


 * Examples of Case Studies **

Links to case studies produced in various settings are available on the “Resources” page of the course WWW site. The //Hall of Fame// studies found via this link were done in a course similar to ARCH 373—and were selected for inclusion in the //Hall// as the best-of-the-best from a field of many studies. //Pay particular attention to the creative ways in which data are presented in many of these student studies.//


 * Writing Support **

The Writing Center at Ball State offers free one-to-one writing feedback to all students in all classes. For a face-to-face or online appointment, students should sign up on the Writing Center website. On the website, students can also chat with a tutor, find writing resources, and discover information about other services offered by the Writing Center.

[] | e-mail: writing@bsu.edu phone: 765-285-8387 | room: Robert Bell 291

// Stay Curious. // PBS

// If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. // Bok