The north side of the site is bound by the train tracks and the highway as the elevation drops. On the south side, just across Boylston St., a long string of commercial buildings cast shadows affecting the site the most during the late afternoon. This seems to be most prominent from December through June due to the azimuth angle of the sun at this time. (See Sun Shading Chart) If taking advantage of the sun’s radiation is a strat
egy in the design, building higher up would be advisable.The temperature in Boston varies with the change of season, although it does not change to an extreme. It is fairly constant, with a year’s average temp. of 52° F. In Winter the temperature ranges between 25° and 45° F. In Spring the range is 40° to 60° F. In Summer the temperature stays comfortable at 65° to 75° F. In Autumn the temperature begins to drop again at 45° to 65° F.
The total precipitation for the average year is around 42.9” with the highest amount peaking in November at 4.4” and the lowest amount in July at 2.8”. This again is a fairly constant climatic influence, there does not seem to be any extreme variance. This is also true with the wind in this area. The average wind speed is 13 MPH, with a high of 16 MPH in January through March, and a low of 11 MPH in July and August. According to the wind charts the prevailin
g winds come from the northwest, with the least amount of wind coming from the southeast. The attached chart clearly depicts this occurrence.
4 comments:
Good start. Be careful about listing only the climate means. Boston is definitely a place of extremes too--many +90deg.humid & 0deg. snowy days. Boston is also quite windy--like Chicago. I would also recommend you giving us a sketched diagram section with winter & summer solstice angles to help with the design of sun shading, etc. We'll also need more wind info.--I would suggest morning, afternoon & night predominant speed & direction for the four seasons. Finally, take a minute to sum up the general weather character in Boston--seasonal, nice leaves in fall, etc.
Another factor in the environment and its impact on any building placed on the site, is the extreme openness of the site. In a city as dense as Boston, our site is really only bounded by the row of buildings across Boylston. The Interstate and Commuter train do a lot to create an exposed face to the North-Northwest. In the winter this will have a large impact on our building.
Just a note on Boston weather: It never seems to be what it is supposed to be. Take for example the fact it's in the 60's and 50's this week. Boston seems to be unpredictable. I know I've only lived here a year but it always surprises me! It's great that you were able to include the data from the Climate Consultant. That's just another thing I love about this program. Everything we learn can relate to other things we are learning.
I agree with Eric's thought on seeing how the sun during the different seasons effects the site. It would help to know how much sun we are going to get.
Post a Comment