excess of 100F. Minimum temperatures in winter average a little more than 440F. The

average number of days per year when temperatures are freezing or below is 18. Record

lows occur in the teens. Low temperatures are a consequence of cold winds from the

north or nighttime radiational cooling of the ground in contact with rather calm air.

Rainfall is appreciable in every month but is most abundant from showers and

thunderstorms in summer. The average number of thunderstorm hours yearly is

approximately 160. In winter, large-scale cyclone and frontal activity is responsible for

some of the precipitation. Monthly average values range from about 2 inches in

November to about 8 inches in August. Snowfall is practically unknown" (NCDC 2005).

 Another indication of climatic factors on design is the calculation of degree days.

Although used more-often for residential design, degree-day data can also be used to help

qualify the impact of the Gainesville climate on the following study. Degree day

calculations are quite simple to understand. The base idea is that any time the outside

temperature is above or below a base-line temperature (in this case, 65 F), the building

must be heated or cooled to maintain a comfortable interior environment. Varying

methods for calculating the total number of degree days exist, with some considering a 24

hour period above or below the baseline to be 1 degree day, and others counting that

same period as 24. This study will consider 24 hours above or below the threshold to be

24 degree days. Gainesville FL averages 1081 degree days (heating) per year. This means

that buildings may need to be heated for approximately 1081 hours in a given year

depending on interior comfort needs of occupants. In comparison, cooler climates such as

Washington DC average over 4,000 degree days annually, and mountain climates such as

Colorado Springs average nearly 7,000. In the hot summer months in Gainesville Florida,