Research
Research within Creative Work
Scholarly and Professional Application
Jörg Rügemer’s scholarly field of inquiry is the creative scholarship to application, in which a holistic approach to architecture leads to carefully designed and award-winning, yet highly energy-efficient, resilient, and cost-effective architecture, where design is informed and high performance is achieved through research-based process. Within this process, AJR focuses on the integrated passive energy design of buildings, their construction, Post-Occupancy monitoring and energy/cost analysis, which leads to cost-effective buildings that perform near to or at net-zero, operating as independent from fossil forms of energy as possible. AJR analyzed traditional design and construction processes and observed a lack of communication and understanding between architects, engineers, contractors, and other players involved in these processes. The avoidance of this conceptual split, which also occurs when applying a solely creative or purely scholarly approach to design and construction, allows AJR to fully apply research findings towards well-designed, high performance buildings, which then, in return, inform AJR's future research and design agenda.
Building-Integrated Photovoltaic System BIPV Application at High Elevation
Being challenged with a snow load at high mountain elevations that does not allow for any roof-mounted PV systems any more, AJR teamed up with Avancis GmbH in Germany to make their facade-integrated product available on the US market. AJR will be the first to utilize and thereafter thoroughly test and monitor the product in the US on the 127 Haus, to later report back about installation challenges when a highly precise material meets Utah framing practices, about general feasibility as well as performance when mounted on all four orientations of a building. If successful, the beautiful panels that do not identify as a PC panel anymore will be available for other architects and contractors on the market place.
Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Contemporegional Architecture along the Wasatch Front
With the Barn House in Holladay, Utah, AJR realizes its first site Zero Net Energy building in Utah. The building was designed to AJR’s Passive-to-Active House strategy, employing mainly passive means of design and construction to make the building about 80% efficient over the code-standard building. Similar to the 125 Haus, this includes an optimized building mass, highly insulated walls and high-performance windows and a Passive House air infiltration rate of less than 0.6 ACH50. Heating, cooling and DHW energy is produced through an electric closed-loop geothermal heat-pump system; an ERV system ensures a comfortable, healthy indoor air quality level at all times. Off the remaining small amount of energy needed to operate the building, up to 110% of the building’s electric energy consumption will be produced by a 6.5 kWh photovoltaic system.
ACTIVE BUILDING COMPACT CORE ABCC
This project is about the design and development of a prototypical, modular system for an ABCC (Active Building Compact Core). ABCC is a prefabricated, technologically optimized and spatially minimized modular space-conditioning HVAC core for high-performance houses and condos of sizes between 1,000 to 4,000 square feet (and possibly beyond). Most high-efficiency houses in the U.S. are constructed within these size perimeters, with the numbers of such buildings growing due to an increased interest in these highly energy-efficient, yet cost-effective buildings. Technologically, high-efficiency houses present one common challenge: their HVAC and control systems are usually a more or less complex accumulation of different and highly customized systems that are designed as individual prototypes for each distinct building. This project is about the product development of an ABCC - to develop, assemble, test and evaluate a simple, yet flexible modular system that is solely based on market-ready products, to be installed and maintained by standard trades within standard building processes. This system shall be easily understood and used by the end consumer. The core is utilized and tested in various configurations in the units of the Field of Dreams Eco-Community project, in parts in the Barn House in Holladay, as well as in the Kunga ADU within the Design+Build Salt Lake program.
POST-OCCUPANCY MONITORING
This project aimed at a comprehensive Post-Occupancy monitoring data set of first Field of Dreams affordable, high-performance units that were completed in spring 2019. The research includes the design and assembly of a State of the Art energy monitoring system, as well as an Owner’s Manual and an educational session for future homeowners of the Field of Dreams and other units, such as the Kunga ADU within the Design+Build Salt Lake program. Ongoing since 2017.
DESIGN+BUILD SALT LAKE
This funded project aims towards an intensive, immersive learning experience for students of the School of Architecture, College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Utah, as well as shared ambitions for ongoing collaboration between the school and different community partners. Goal is the development and long-term success of a Design Build Salt Lake program and Housing Innovation Lab to support Salt Lake and Wasatch Front communities in meeting critical affordable housing needs. The program was founded, developed and lead by director Jörg Rügemer from 2016 - 2020.
125 HAUS
Award-winning 125 Haus became AJR's core research project in 2010/11, in which the findings and experiences from several years of work in Utah culminated in this highly energy-efficient, yet extremely cost-effective building. 125 Haus was an interdisciplinary and integral project to design, develop, and build a high performance residential case study at market rate cost for the northern Utah cold climate zone, to evaluate and document the energy saving potential and return on investment ROI of the building. Its process relied on the understanding and conduct of design as research and vice versa. 125 Haus delivered a successful, context-based and regionally rooted architecture well below market rate cost in the Park City area of Utah. It is about 80% more efficient than the built-to code benchmark house, strictly following a passive design strategy with lean technology application. Without using any renewable energy sources, and based on a 27-months Post-Occupancy monitoring phase, average monthly energy cost for heating and cooling is less than $22 at 7,000' elevation! With an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and market-transferability through application of regional construction methods, materials, components and work forces, this case study research project helped to move part of the residential market along the Wasatch Front towards higher performing energy-efficient buildings.
GIRL SCOUTS OF UTAH INTERLOCKING CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER CABINS
is an award-winning project in which, similar to the 125 Haus process, [material] research guided the design process. Utilizing local, Intermountain West beetle-kill solid ICLT (Interlocking Cross Laminated Timber) prefab construction, the cabins were designed to high sustainable material standards.
FIELD OF DREAMS ECOCOMMUNITY
The Field of Dreams EcoCommunity demonstrates that highly energy-efficient and Passive-to-Active buildings can be built at affordable cost, using about 60% less energy for heating, cooling and DHW, which is well reflected in the monthly utility cost for its low-income building owners. Aiming at full market-transferability, it is expected that the project will have a considerable impact on residential design processes and the future housing along the Wasatch Front and beyond. In ongoing outreach activities, the project and its research results are presented to professional as well as academic communities, which include peer-reviewed publications, lectures, presentations, building tours and open houses, and academic classes at the School of Architecture. 2014-2019
DEMONSTRATION LAB HOUSE - THE DENVER SUPER-EFFICIENT HOUSING CHALLENGE
This project represented a collaborative effort between the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Denver Pilot Superefficient Housing Challenge, DOE’s Home Innovation Research Lab, Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper (funding) and an integrated architectural design studio at the School of Architecture, University of Utah. Demonstration Lab House’s long-term project goal is to create affordable, cost-effective high-performance passive homes. These will be used as best practice examples for the building industry, to teach and educate students, building professionals, architects, developers, owners and clients, to broadly implement those strategies and ‘lessons learned’ in the future housing market in Utah and beyond. The initial project in Denver included research and design of one row-house unit, and lead to the design, development, construction and Post-Occupancy monitoring of the Field of Dreams with 20, 1,500 SF Demonstration Lab Houses for Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity.