IV.

CurtainWallDesignAnalysis
Introduction
Thebuildingsfaadeisprimarilyaglazedaluminumcurtainwallwiththeexceptionofsomeareas
aroundtheparkinggarage.Thecurtainwalltiesintothecastinplaceconcretestructurethroughsteel
anchorplates.Onthewestelevation,thecurtainwallisslopedoutwardat5.63oallthewayfromlobby
flooruptotheroofofthebuilding.TheslopeofthecurtainwallcanbeseeninFigure4.1outlinedby
thearrowinthebox.

Figure4.1:SouthElevation

ProblemStatement
Thisdesignaddstothecomplexityofconstructingthecurtainwall.Thecomplexitycomesfromhaving
toinstalldifferentshapedpiecesofglassatdifferentangles.Figure4.2showstheslopedwalljoiningthe
verticalwallwhereuniquecurtainwallpanelswillbenecessary.Thedifferentshapedpiecesofglass
necessarywilladdtothecostsincethiseliminatestheopportunitytoorderinamassquantity.This
curtainwalldesignalsoeliminatessomefloorareaofthebuildingonthelowerlevels.Iftheslopeis
eliminatedandmoresquarefootageisprovided,theownercouldincreasethecosttoitstenants
becauseheisprovidingmoreleasablearea.

Figure4.2:WestElevation
DeLuca21

AnalysisGoal
Thegoalofthisanalysisistounderstandwhattheimplicationsareofeliminatingtheslopeinthecurtain
wall.Eliminatingtheslopewillbedonebyextendingtheshorterhorizontaldistancetolineupinthe
sameplaneasthelongerhorizontaldistanceatthetopofthebuilding.ThiscanbeseeninFigure4.3.
Thiswouldprovidemoresquarefootagetothebuildingsleasingarea.Addingmoresquarefootage
requiresaddingmoreconcreteslabareatothefloorplan.Thiswillchangethedemandsofthestructure,
specificallythecolumnslocatednearthecurtainwall.Changingtheslopeofthecurtainwallwillaffect
howthesunshinesthroughtheglazing.Ifthenewsunanglesonthefaadechangesinawaythat
increasessolargainthroughthewindowsignificantly,itcouldheightentheenergydemandsofthe
coolingsystemduringthesummermonths.

Figure4.3:CurtainWallExtension

AnalysisMethods
Thefirstsectionofthisanalysiswillconsidertheareagainedwithanexpandedfloorplan.Floorplans
areprovidedtoobtainaclearerpictureoftheadvantageswithextendingthefloorplan.Atableis
includedthatprovidestheamountofextrasquarefootageaddedtothefloorplans.Finally,withthe
additionalfloorarea,theextramoneytheownercanobtainfromthisnewleasableareaissuggested.
Thesecondsectionanalyzesthenewdemandsofthestructuretosupportthecurtainwallverticaltothe
ground.Itwillbenecessarytoaddanycolumns,beamsorjoiststosupporttheadditionalconcreteslab.
Afterthenecessarystructuralelementsareimplemented,theconstructioncostsoftheseitemsare
calculated.
Thethirdsectioninvolvesanalyzingthesolargainthroughthecurtainwall.Thelocationoftheproposed
curtainwallrevisionisonthewestelevation.Thesunanglesduringthelaterportionofthedaywillhave
themostimpactonthecurtainwall.Ifthesolargainisconsiderable,itmightchangetheenergy
demandsofthecoolingsystemduringthesummermonths.

DeLuca22

AdditionalAreaAnalysis
Byeliminatingtheslopeofthecurtainwallandextendingthewall,thefloorplanincreasesthesquare
footageavailable.Startingwiththeninthfloor,whichisthefirstofficelevel,themostareaisgainedand
theincrementsofareaobtainedslowlydeclinesasthewallextendstotherooflevel.Theareasgainedin
thefloorplanscanbeseeninFigure4.4.Aredboxoutlinesthenewareasobtained.Alsoindicatedin
Figure4.4isaredcircle,whichshowswherethefloorplancannotbeutilizedeffectively.Thetenant
mightfinditdifficulttolocateanofficearoundthecolumnneartheredcircle.Ifthefloorplanis
extended,theareacanbeutilizedmoreefficiently.

Figure4.4OfficeFloorPlans

DeLuca23


OfficeFloor

Length

Width

AdditionalArea

9
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
18
Total

12105/8
115
106
88
737/8
5113/8
46
32
19

416
416
416
416
416
416
416
416
416

535ft2
475ft2
435ft2
362ft2
304ft2
247ft2
190ft2
133ft2
75ft2
2756ft2

Table4.1:AdditionalAreaProvidedperFloor
Eliminatingtheslopeinthecurtainwallandextendingthefloorplanprovidesanadditional2756ft2to
thebuilding.Table4.1showstheadditionalareaprovidedbyeachfloor.Thisallowstheownerto
chargemoretothetenantsforthemtoleasethespace.Byobservingrentcoststhatotherownersare
charging,itcanbeestimatedthattherent/ft2/yearforMain&Gervaisisaround$21.00/ft2/year.At
$21.00/ft2/yeartheownercouldchargeanadditional$57,876.00eachyeartoitstenants.Afterten
years,thatamountwouldreachoverhalfamilliondollars.Thisisaconsiderableamountofmoneyto
convincetheownertoconsidertheoptionofeliminatingtheslope.
(ft2) (rent/ft2/year)

(rent/year)

(tenyears)

2756 $21.00 $57,876.00 $578,760.00

StructuralLoadAnalysis(StructuralBreadth)
Theproposedmethodofaddingareatothebuildingsfootprintrequiresastructuralanalysisto
determinewhethertheadditionisacceptable.Mostlikely,additionalsupportisnecessarytomaintain
structuralintegrity.Thisisdonebyaddinganadditionalcolumnandjoisttoeachflooroftheoffice
tower.Also,thebeamthatislocatedontheperimeterbetweentheproposedcolumnandexisting
columnneedstoberesized.Thefollowinganalysisprovidesthestructuraladjustmentnecessaryto
allowthecurtainwallextension.
Thefirstsectionofthisanalysisdisplaysthelocationofthenewcolumnsinthebuildingandthe
calculationstoverifytheapplication.Thesecondsectionindicateswhichbeamneedsreplacementto
supporttheadditionalloads.Thethirdsectionprovidestheadditionalcoststhataccompanytheextra
joists,columns,andslabs.
TheprogrampcaColumnwasutilizedforthecolumnanalysis.RAMConceptwasusedtoanalyzethe
beamtoreplacetheexistingbeambecauseeliminatethebeamisposttensioned.Handcalculations
wereperformedwherenecessary.
DeLuca24

ColumnAdditionCalculation
Thecornerofthebuildingwherethereisoriginallynothingwillnowrequireacolumntosupportthe
additionalloadplacedonthelargerconcreteslabitsupports.Thenewcolumnplacementcanbeseenin
Figure4.5.Thenecessityofthiscolumnisbasedontheassumptionofsymmetry.Atthetopleftofthe
floorplan,thereisacolumnlocatedinthecorner.Thespanisthesameasinthelowerlefthandcorner;
thereforeacolumnisnecessarytomaintainthestructuralintegrityofthebuilding.

Figure4.5:ColumnPlacement
Thisplacementofthecolumniscontinuousonalltheofficefloors.Therearenineofficefloors;
thereforeitisnecessarytoaddninecolumns(oneforeachfloor).Sincethecolumnloadsdecreaseas
thelevelsgethigher,implementingasmallersecondcolumnispossible.Asecondcolumnwithdifferent
propertiesisplacedonfloorsfifteenthrougheighteeninthenorthwestcorner.Thissamedesignis
appliedtothesouthwestcorner.Thefirstcolumn(columnA)proposedisacircularcolumn.Itsdiameter
is30andstands13tall.Thereare(16)#9verticalbarswith#[email protected]
upofconcretewithacompressionstrengthof7000psi.Thesecondcolumn(columnB)proposedisa
circularcolumnwiththesamedimensionsbuttheconcretepropertiesarechanged.Thecompression
strengthoftheconcretecansustainareductionto5000psi.
DeLuca25


Severalcalculationsarenecessarytoverifythatthecolumncansupportitsloads.Itisnecessaryto
considerthedeadloadandliveload.Thewindloadisnotconsideredinthesecalculationsasthedead
loadandliveloadarefactoredtocompensate.Theaxialloadiscalculatedafterthefactoredloadsare
determined.EnteringthepropertiesofthecolumnsintopcaColumnprovidethemaxloadsthecolumns
canwithstand.Ifthecalculatedaxialloadsareunderthismax,thenthecolumnisstrongenough.
StructuralLoads
LiveLoad(psf) DeadLoad(psf) Column(lb/ft3)
120
63
150
Table4.3:StructuralLoads

Load

Factor

FactoredLoad

Live
Dead
Column

120
63
9572

1.6
192
1.2
75.6
1.2
11486
Table4.4:FactoredLoads

Units
psf
psf
pounds

Table4.3providesthestructuralloadsandTable4.4showstheseloadsfactoredtocalculatetheaxial
loadingonthecolumn.Thefactoredloadsarecalculatedasfollows.

LiveLoadCalculation:

100
20

DeadLoadCalculation(floorslab):

150

120

9572

ColumnLoadCalculation:
o

150

13

9572

Column Floor n At(ft2) TotalLoad(ksf) ColumnLoad(kips) AxialLoad(kips)

9
15

9
4

225
225

0.268
11.5
0.268
11.5
Table4.5:AxialLoads

634
275

DeLuca26


Table4.5displaystheaxialloadsoncolumnAandcolumnB.ColumnAisthestrongercolumnbecause
itissupportingmoreloadsaboveit.Anyfloorsaboveitwilltakefewerloadsthanthecolumnbelowit;
thereforeitisredundanttocalculatefloorstenthroughfourteen.ColumnBsupportslessthereforeit
usesconcretewithlesscompressivestrength.Theaxialloadsarecalculatedasfollows.

ColumnA(floor9):
o
9 225

634

ColumnB(floor15):
o
4 225
275

0.268

1 11.5

0.268

1 11.5

Figure4.6:pcaColumnDiagram(ColumnB)

Figure4.7:pcaColumnDiagram(ColumnA)

Figure4.6and4.7arediagramsthatdisplaythegraphsobtainedfrompcaColumn.Thesearejustthe
graphs;thewholesheetsarelocatedinAppendixE.Asseeninthefiguresindicatedbytheredcircle,
thecalculatedaxialloadsfallwellwithintheallowableload.Thelineisextendedtotherightto
determinethemaxmomentthecolumnscanwithstand.Thisshowsthatthecolumnisstrongenoughto
resistthelateralloads(windloads).Thesecolumnsaresufficientenoughtosupportthestructuralloads.
DeLuca27

BeamReplacementCalculation
Extendingthefloorplanwillincreasethespandistancebetweenthecolumns.Thisresultrequires
resizingthebeamtosupportthenewloadappliedtotheslab.Thisassumptionisbasedonsymmetry.
Theothersideofthebuilding,ortheothersideofthereddashedlineinFigure4.8,showsthatalarger
beamisnecessarytosupporttheloadgiventhelargerarea.Figure4.8alsodisplayswheretheexisting
beamisandthenewbeamslocationforlevelnine.

Figure4.8:BeamReplacement
Theexistingbeamis23inchesinwidthand21inchesdeepandisoutlinedaboveinreddashmarks.
Thereplacementbeamis36incheswideand21inchesindepth.Thereinforcementforeachofthe
beamschangesaswell.ThesechangesaredisplayedinTable4.6.Theexistingbeamisidentifiedby
WB26,thesecondrow.AndtheproposedbeamisidentifiedbyWB3,locatedinthefirstrow.

DeLuca28

Table4.6:ReinforcementProperties
AllthisinformationpresentedinthefiguresandtablesisnecessarytoutilizeRAMConcept.Thestrip
wizardinRAMConceptissimpleenoughforthisapplication.ThemodeldrawninRAMisshownin
Figure4.9.Thebeamintheleftportionofthefigureisthebeamofinterest.Main&Gervaisisapost
tensionedcastinconcretestructure,meaningthatthestructuralintegrityofonebeamisdependenton
thesurroundingstructuralelements.Becauseofthis,thebeamsalongthesamecolumnlinewere
consideredtoo.

Figure4.9:ModelPlanfromRAMConcept
Toestablishthismodel,thefollowingpropertieswereinputtedintotheprogram.Theloadsappliedto
thestructurearethesameaspresentedinTable4.3.Concretepropertiesare5000psifortheslabsand
beamsand6000psiforthecolumns.RebarandposttensioningpropertiesaretakenfromTable4.6.All
otherinputsarelocatedinAppendixF.

Figure4.10:StatusPlanfromRAMConcept
AsshowninFigure4.10,thebeamisstructurallystrongenoughtosupporttheloadsappliedtoit.Thisis
justfortowerfloorlevelnine.Thereareeightmorefloorsofofficeabovethisfloorthatrequireresizing
ofthesamebeams.Itisassumedthattheproposedbeamwillsufficeintherestofthefloors.Thisis
becausethescenarioissimilarforeachofthefloors.

JoistAdditionAssumption
Itisassumedthatadditionaljoistsarenecessaryfortheproposedfloorplan.ByobservingFigure4.11,it
isshownbysymmetrythatthejoistinthetopleftportionofthefloorplanisnecessaryinthelowerleft
handcornerifthefloorplanisextended.Additionalcalculationsarenotnecessaryasitwillbe
redundantconsideringtheprevioussection,BeamReplacementCalculation.Thissectionconsideredthe
loadimplicationsforthefloorareaabovethereplacementbeam,whicharesimilartothatwhichthe
loadsthejoistsaresupporting.Basedonthesymmetryofthedesignandtheverificationfromthe
calculationsintheprevioussection,the14wideand21deepjoistintheupperleftareaissufficientto
DeLuca29


supporttheadditionalfloorarea.Thisassumptionisappliedtoalltheofficelevels.Thisrequiresan
additionalninejoiststobridgethegapbetweenthebeams,oneforeachfloor.

Figure4.11:JoistPlacement

ConstructionCosts
Theadditionalcolumns,joists,andslabswillrequireadditionalmaterial.Themainmaterialsrequired
areconcreteandreinforcementbarssinceeachoftheadditionalitemsarecastinplaceconcrete.The
castinplaceconcreteisdesignedforposttensioningexceptforthecolumns.Itisassumedthatthereis
noadditionalformworkcostsbecauseeachoftheitemsexistsonthedrawings.Inthiscase,the
formworkisalreadypurchased.Thedifferenceforconstructioncostsinthereplacementbeamsandthe
existingisminimalandnotconsideredinTable4.7.
Item

Description

Concrete

5000psi(elevatedslabs)

Count

Unit

Material

40

CY

6000psi(joists)

40

8000psi(columns)

36

Rebar

Joists,#8to#18

1.89

Labor

Cost/Unit

Total

$109.00

$109.00

$4,360.00

CY

$124.00

$124.00

$4,960.00

CY

$203.00

$203.00

$7,308.00

tons

$980.00

$1,500.00

$2,835.00

$520.00

Equip.

DeLuca30

Columns,#8to#18

0.76

tons

$980.00

$600.00

$1,580.00

$1,200.80

ElevatedSlabs,#4to#7

0.86

tons

$1,020.00

$480.00

$1,500.00

$1,290.00

Placement

Joists,crane&bucket

40

CY

$52.50

$26.50 $79.00

$3,160.00

Columns,"

36

CY

$23.50

$11.90 $35.40

$1,274.40

ElevatedSlabs,"

40

CY

$21.50

$10.80 $32.30

$1,292.00

Prestressing

PT,50'span,300kip

$1,860.00

$80.00 $3,760.00

$3,147.87

Total

0.84

tons

1820

$30,828.07

Table4.7:ConstructionCosts
AsshowninTable4.7,thetotaladditionalcostofextendingthecurtainwallamountsto$30,828.07.

SolarHeatGainAnalysis(MechanicalBreadth)
Theoriginaldesignforthecurtainwallisslopedonthewestfaade.Thewaythesunshinesinonsloped
glazingdiffersfromthewayitshinesinonverticalglazing.Theangleofincidenceofthesunchangesfor
thetiltintheglazing.Therefore,thereflectivityoftheglassisgoingtochangeatadifferentangle.The
followinganalysisobservesthecurrentdesignofthecurtainwallandcomparesittotheproposed
method.
Thefirsttwosectionsprovidecalculationsandtheirrespectiveresultsforthetotalsolarradiationonthe
glazing.ThethirdsectionprovidesameansofmeasuringwindowheatgainforMain&Gervais.Thelast
sectioncomparesthecurrentstateofMain&Gervaisandtheproposeddesignforthecurtainwallon
thewestelevationintermsofenergyexpenses.
CalculationmethodsandsolardatawereobtainedfromHeating,Ventilating,andAirConditioning,6th
EditionbyMcQuiston,Parker,andSpitler.SunangleswereobtainedbySustainablebyDesignat
www.susdesign.com/sunposition.InformationwasobtainedfromtheASHRAEHandbook,2005aswell.

SlopedFaadeSolarRadiationCalculation
Toobtainthesolarradiationforthewestfaade,itisnecessarytocalculatethedirectradiation,diffuse
radiation,andreflectedradiation.Thesummationofthesevalueswillprovidethetotalradiationona
slopedsurface,specificallythewestfaadeofMain&Gervais.Thissectionprovidesthemeansof
obtainingthesevalues.Thefirstsubsectionincludesthecalculationsnecessaryandthenthefollowing
subsectionappliesthesecalculationstoMain&Gervais.
CalculationSteps
Thefollowingstepsincludethecalculationsnecessarytoobtaintheamountoftotalsolarradiationon
theslopedcurtainwallfaade.
Step1

Calculatenormaldirectirradiation,GND(btu/hrft2)
DeLuca31

o
o
o
o

A=apparentsolarirradiationatairmassequaltozero(btu/hrft2)
B=atmosphericextinctioncoefficient
=solaraltitudeangle
CN=clearnessnumber

Step2

Calculatedirectradiation,GD(btu/hrft2)

cos
o GND=normaldirectionirradiation
o =angleofincidence
cos
cos cos sin
sin cos
=solaraltitudeangle
=surfacesolarazimuth
=angleoftiltforanarbitrarysurface(inFigure4.12)
Figure4.12displaystheseangles

Figure4.12:SolarAnglesforVerticalandHorizontalSurfaces
Step3

Calculatediffuseirradiation,Gd(btu/hrft2)

o C=dimensionlessfactor
o GND=normaldirectionirradiation
o Fws=fractionoftheenergythatleavesthesurfaceandstrikestheskydirectly
DeLuca32

Step4

Calculatereflectedirradiation,GR(btu/hrft2)

o GtH=rateatwhichthetotalradiation(directplusdiffuse)strikesthehorizontalsurface
orgroundinfrontofthewall(btu/hrft2)
o g=reflectanceofgroundorhorizontalsurface
o Fwg=configurationoranglefactorfromwalltoground,definedasthefractionofthe
radiationleavingthewallofinterestthatstrikesthehorizontalsurfaceorground
directly

=angleoftiltforanarbitrarysurface

Step5

CalculateGt,totalsolarradiation,bysummingGD(Step2),Gd(Step3),GR(Step4)

cos
sin

ApplicationtoMain&Gervais
Nowthatthestepstocalculatethetotalsolarradiationonaslopedsurfacehavebeenoutlined,itis
necessarytoapplythemtoMain&Gervaisinitscurrentstate.Theapplicationbelowissetfor3:00pm
onMay21,2009,at34latitude,whichiswhereColumbia,SouthCarolina,islocated.Table4.8provides
theinformationnecessarytocompletethestepslistedintheprevioussection.Thissectionwillprovide
asimpleversionofthecalculation.ThewrittencalculationscanbefoundinAppendixG.
SolarData
2

A=350.6btu/hrft
B=0.177
C=0.130
CN=0.94

SolarAngles

SurfaceProperties

=64.12
=255
z=64.51
=40.5
=95.63

g =0.32(concrete)

Table4.8:InformationforMay21,2009inColumbia,SouthCarolina

cos

.
.

0.94
.

270.71

cos 64.12 cos 40.5 sin 95.63

sin 64.12 cos 95.63


cos

0.242

0.451

0.549

0.242

0.13 0.451
124.22

0.32 0.549 sin 64.12

0.13 270

ThetotalsolarradiationonMain&Gervaisslopedcurtainwallonthewestelevationat3:00pmMay
21,2009,is124.22btu/hrft2.AppendixHprovidesacomprehensivelistofvaluesforthe21stofMay,
June,July,andAugust.Thevalueslistedinthetableareonlyforthetimesinwhichthesunisshining
downonthewestfaade.Allotherpointsofthedayareirrelevantforthisanalysis.

VerticalFaadeSolarRadiationCalculation
CalculationSteps
Thefollowingstepsincludethecalculationsnecessarytoobtaintheamounttotalsolarradiationonthe
proposedverticalcurtainwallfaade.
Step1

Calculatenormaldirectirradiation,GND(btu/hrft2)

o
o
o
o

A=apparentsolarirradiationatairmassequaltozero(btu/hrft2)
B=atmosphericextinctioncoefficient
=solaraltitudeangle
CN=clearnessnumber

Step2

Calculatedirectradiation,GD(btu/hrft2)

cos
o GND=normaldirectionirradiation
o =angleofincidence
cos
cos cos
=solaraltitudeangle
=surfacesolarazimuth
DeLuca34


Step3

Calculatediffuseirradiation,Gd(btu/hrft2)

0.55

0.437 cos

0.313 cos

C=dimensionlessfactor
GND=normaldirectionirradiation

o
o
Step4

Calculatereflectedirradiation,GR(btu/hrft2)

o GtH=rateatwhichthetotalradiation(directplusdiffuse)strikesthehorizontalsurface
orgroundinfrontofthewall(btu/hrft2)
o g=reflectanceofgroundorhorizontalsurface
o Fwg=configurationoranglefactorfromwalltoground,definedasthefractionofthe
radiationleavingthewallofinterestthatstrikesthehorizontalsurfaceorground
directly

=angleoftiltforanarbitrarysurface

Step5

CalculateGt,totalsolarradiation,bysummingGD(Step2),Gd(Step3),GR(Step4)

ApplicationtoMain&Gervais
Nowthatthestepstocalculatethetotalsolarradiationonaverticalsurfacehavebeenoutlined,itis
necessarytoapplythemtotheproposedcurtainwalldesignforMain&Gervais.Theapplicationbelow
issetfor3:00pmonMay21,2009,at34latitude.Table4.8providestheinformationnecessaryto
computethecalculations.Thissectionwillprovideasimpleversionofthecalculation.Thewritten
calculationscanbefoundinAppendixG.

.
.

0.94
.

270.71

cos 64.12 cos 40.5

cos

DeLuca35

0.55

0.437 0.242

0.313 0.242

0.73

0.5

0.242
o

0.242 0.73
154.58

0.32 0.5 sin 64.12

0.13 270

ThetotalsolarradiationonMain&Gervaisverticalcurtainwallonthewestelevationat3:00pmMay
21,2009,is154.58btu/hrft2.AppendixIprovidesalistofvaluesforthe21stofMay,June,July,and
August.Thevalueslistedinthetableareonlyforthetimesinwhichthesunisshiningdownonthewest
faade.Allotherpointsofthedayareirrelevantforthisanalysis.

WindowHeatGainCalculation
Thetwoprevioussectionsprovidedthetotalsolarradiationonthebuildingataspecifictime.Nowitis
importanttonotehowthatsolarradiationwillimpactthecurtainwall.Thisanalysisfocusesstrictlyon
theofficeportionofthebuilding.ThetypicalglazingfortheofficetowerisSolarscreenRadiantLowE
(VRE)InsulatingGlassVRE146manufacturedbyViracon.

Figure4.12:CurtainWallGlazingProperties
Thesolarfactor(SHGC)forthisproductis0.278.Thisvaluemultipliedbythetotalsolarradiation,which
ishighlightedineachofthetwoprevioussections,willobtainthewindowheatgainat3:00pmonMay
21,2009.AppendixIprovidesalistofvaluesforwindowheatgainforthe21stofMay,June,July,and
August.

DeLuca36

124.22 0.278
34.53

154.58 0.278

43.06

Theleftcolumndisplaysthecalculationsfortheslopedcurtainwallandtherightcolumndisplaysthe
calculationsfortheverticalcurtainwall.Thereisa25%increaseinheatgainforthisparticularhour.

EnergyLoadComparison
Theprevioussectionsanalyzedoneparticularhourforonedayforthepurposeofunderstandingthe
calculations.Thefollowingtable,Table4.9,providestheincreaseinwindowheatgainoverthecourse
offourmonths:May,June,July,andAugust.Thisprovidesalegitimatemeansofcomparingtheenergy
costsbetweenthetwodifferentdesigns.

Month

Sloped

May
June
July
August

279
281
273
244

Day(btu/ft2/day)
Vertical
qi Inc.
333
337
327
292

54.29
55.92
54.53
48.90

%Inc.

Sloped

19%
20%
20%
20%

8364
8437
8189
7322

Month(btu/ft2/month)
Vertical
qiInc.
9993
10115
9825
8789

%Inc.

1628
1677
1636
1466

19%
20%
20%
20%

Table4.9:EnergyComparison
AsshowninTable4.9,theenergydemandincreasesby20%.Thiswillincreasetheenergybilleach
monthfortheownerofthebuilding.TheaverageutilityrateduringNovember2008forcommercial
buildingsinSouthCarolinais8.76cents/kwh.ThisvaluewasobtainedfromtheEnergyInformation
Administration.Table4.10providestheconvertednumberstobecapableofcalculatingtheenergy
costs.Table4.11providestheenergycostsfortheselectmonthsandtheincreaseincostforthechange
indesign.
(btu/ft2/hr)

Month
May
June
July
August

Sloped
39.83
40.18
39.00
34.87

(btu/hr)

Vertical
47.58
48.17
46.79
41.85

Sloped
52692
53156
51593
46130

Vertical
62953
63725
61899
55371

(kwh)
Sloped
15.44
15.57
15.12
13.52

Vertical
18.45
18.67
18.14
16.22

Table4.10:EnergyUnitConversion

Month
May
June
July
August

($/day)
Sloped
Vertical
$387.79
$324.58
$327.44
$392.54
$381.30
$317.81
$284.16
$341.09

($/month)
Sloped
$9,737.39
$9,823.14
$9,534.31
$8,524.81

Vertical
$11,633.73
$11,776.29
$11,438.95
$10,232.61

$Inc.
Sloped
$1,896.34
$1,953.15
$1,904.64
$1,707.80

%Inc.
Vertical
19%
20%
20%
20%

Table4.11:EnergyCosts
DeLuca37


Theenergyconsumptioninbtu/hriscalculatedinTable4.10giventhattheareaofcurtainwallunder
considerationis4,536ft2.AsseeninTable4.11,thepriceforenergycostsincreasesby20%.The
amountexpressedunder($/day)isbasedonsevenhoursofthedaythattheenergyistransmitting
throughthewindow.Thesemonthsunderconsiderationareassumedtobewhentheairconditioning
systemwillberunning.Thetotalincreaseinpriceduringthistimeperiodis$7,461.94.Thisamountis
minimalconsideringthisportionisafractionofthetotalfootprintofthebuilding.

Conclusion
Theimplementationofthenewcurtainwalldesignrequiresseveralconsiderations.These
considerationsincludeexaminingthebenefitsofthenewcurtainwalldesign,inputtingnewstructural
elementsandverifyingtheintegrity,andcalculatingtheincreasesinenergydemandduetowindow
heatgain.Thefollowingconclusionscanbeobtainedfromthisanalysis.
AdditionalArea
Extendingthecurtainwallprovidesadditionalareatothefloorplanforeachlevelofofficespace.This
extraareaamountsto2756ft2.Theownercancharge$21.00/ft2/yearforthisspace,whichwillamount
toanadditional$57,876.00.
StructuralLoadAnalysis
Addingextrafloorareawillrequireadditionalcolumns,joists,andbeamstosupporttheextendedslab.
Theconstructioncostsforaddingtheseelementswillcost$30,828.07.
SolarHeatGainAnalysis
Changingtheslopeofthecurtainwallwillchangetheamountofsolarenergythattransmitsthrough.
Theamountofwindowheatgainincreasesby20%withtheproposeddesign.Thiswillresultinan
additional$7,461.94fortheenergybilleachyear.
FinalComments
Implementingthenewdesignwillputmoremoneyintheownerspocketovertime.Thereisanupfront
costof$30,828.07forconstructionofthenewstructuralelements.Also,eachyeartheownerwill
expectanincreaseintheenergybudgetof$7,461.94toruntheairconditioningunitstocompensatefor
thewindowheatgain.Thefirstyear,theownercanexpectanadditional$19,585.99inrevenue.Years
following,theownercanexpecttobringanadditional$50,414.06.ThiscanbeseeninTable4.12.

ConstructionCost

EnergyCost

RentIncome

Difference

$7,461.94

$57,876.00

$19,585.99

Year2 $ $7,461.94

$57,876.00

$50,414.06

Year3 $ $7,461.94

$57,876.00

$50,414.06

Year1 $30,828.07

Table4.12:Profit

DeLuca38