Case Study: Proposing Passive building design strategies

Introduction 

Basic building design does not require mechanical heating or cooling. Buildings that are passively designed take advantage of natural climate to maintain thermal comfort.

Incorporating the principles of basic building design in building:

• Significantly improves comfort
• Reduces or eliminates heating and cooling bills
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and lighting.

Building envelope is a term used to describe the roof, walls, windows, floors and internal walls of a building. In a tropical climate, the envelope should controls heat gain and exclusion of rainwater. Well-designed envelopes maximize cooling through air movement and exclude the solar radiation. The fundamental principles of basic building design are relatively simple and can be applied to various climate zones, house types and construction systems.

Objectives  

The objectives of this project are:

• To identify and define the principles of heat transfer in relation to building and people
• To understand what is thermal comfort and discuss factors relating to thermal comfort
• To analyze the effect of thermal comfort factors in a person and in a space
• To be able to criticize design of the space in terms of thermal comfort by referring to MS1525 , UBBL, GBI standards.

Learning Outcomes  

Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Identify environmental conditions related to site conditions, climate, etc.
2. Explain the effects of the sun on the thermal performance of buildings
3. Explain the effect of insulation, thermal mass and air movement on thermal performance of buildings.

Reflections:

1. Able to put theories into practice

2. Communicate appropriately in various settings and modes

3. Understand team dynamics and mobilise the power of team.