A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum

A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Asian Architecture

A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

NAME:

Chin Jovi

STUDENT ID:

0317924

LECTURER:

Ms. Alia Ahmad

SUBMISSION DATE:

24 Nov 2015

ARC60403102830 Asian Architecture

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Table of Contents

Page

Abstract

2

1.0

Introduction

3

2.0

Overview

4

3.0

Modern Vernacular Design Strategies

5-6

4.0

Greenhouse Glazing

7-8

5.0

Cast In-Situ

9-10

6.0

Low-E Glass

11-12

7.0

Spatial Arrangement

13-14

8.0

Conclusion

15

9.0

Reference

15-16

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Abstract The motive of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of modern vernacular architecture construction in creating a thermally comfortable design. Modern vernacular architecture is the core element of this research which covers the spatial organizations, fenestrations, roof as well as material choice. This in depth analysis is carried out based upon literature review of different sources from primary, secondary as well as tertiary sources regarding the effects of modern vernacular methods on thermal comfort.

Miho Museum of Shiga, Japan was selected as case study due to its rich modern vernacular influence such as the roof space frame as well as other elements. The construction of roof structure is heavily influenced by the traditional Japanese roof design called the Minka with combination of space frame and glazing as the modern feature.

Integration of modern construction methods with vernacular architecture

methods enhances the design in terms of thermal comfort level. Therefore it can be deduced that the modern vernacular architecture methods of Miho Museum are in fact more effective with the combination of modern and vernacular traditional methods while still pertaining the traditional aesthetics.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

1.0 Introduction Modern building developments in Japan have seen to go through recent rapid abandonment of adhering to energy saving principles as adopted in the vernacular architecture of the region. "Japan lost its way decades ago," says architect Tetsuo Furuichi in his Tokyo studio. "Nearly all of our great native architecture has vanished.

What people want now is European-American style," he adds. (The Telegraph, 2007).

This misfortune happened in spite of the steady success of these types of buildings in providing thermal comport in the past, by natural as well as passive means for many hundreds of years, in the changing seasons of the region.

The result of this abandonment has rooted the rapid increase in electricitygenerating capacity to match commercial demand. Major parts of these electricity loads represent unnecessary financial expenditure. This study concentrates on how the modern vernacular architecture of Miho Museum, has in the past utilized successfully ambient-energy sources for achieving thermally comfortable artificial environments. Lessons have been drawn from the performances of the various vernacular buildings in these regions: if implemented correctly the result should aid lower the energy consumptions as well as carbon footprints of modern buildings exposed to such climates in maintaining thermal comfort.

This research paper will investigate on the efficiency of Miho Museum in Kyoto in terms of its thermal comfortability with its modern vernacular design strategies by responding to the questions below:

1)

What are the modern vernacular designs adapted in Miho museum?

2)

How does the greenhouse glazing of Miho museum work as a roof?

3)

How does cast in situ provide thermal comfort?

4)

How does glass work as an substitution to traditional material?

5)

How does the spatial arrangement affect thermal comfort?

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

2.0 An Overview of Thermal Comfort in Miho Museum Thermal comfort for a person as “that condition of mind which expressed satisfaction with the thermal environment” (Ashrae, 2015). Human thermal comfort is the state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment There are six parameters i.e. activity, clothing, air temperature, humidity, air velocity and radiation that govern the thermal comfort. Study on Miho Museum’s thermal comfortability will be based upon its response against air temperature, humidity, air velocity and radiation are the properties of the environment.

Miho museum reflects the architect’s innovative endeavors to break new ground.

The challenge was to meld tradition with modernity to create a structure that was rooted in Japan’s cultural history and yet incorporate the latest building technology to further improve the building quality. This paper will be an in depth study of the modern methods utilized in Miho museum in providing thermal comfort.

Figure 1: Miho Museum, Kyoto (Source: Archdaily, 2015)

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

3.0 Modern Vernacular Design Strategies

One of the challenges faced by architect I.M. Pei was to meld 'tradition with modernity', creating a building that was rooted in Japan's cultural history. He drew inspiration from large farmhouses of the Edo period - while rendering it a stable, luminous and spacious space, using steel and glass.

The greenhouse glazing of Miho Museum is inspired by traditional roof of the vernacular Minka house of the Edo period. The Gassho-zukuri style Minka have vast roofs that are a large form of the Sasu structural system.

Figure 2: Greenhouse glazing

Figure 3: Gassho-zukuri Minka

(Source: Central Japan)

(Source: Jaanus)

The construction of the roof takes inspiration from the vernacular style by incorporating space framing to maximize internal space paired with highly insulated, air sealed and watertight greenhouse glazing roof systems became a common feature among modern building as well as Miho Museum.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Majority of the structure consist of concrete. Concrete is the embodiment of the Japanese philosophy of aesthetics, wabi-sabi which is defined as the beauty of rawness earthiness, weathered surfaces. The contemporary use of in-situ concrete also has advantages associated with thermal comfort, such as thermal mass, temperature and resilience.

.

Figure 4: Load bearing wall with tile finish (Source: NMOC, 2015)

A new material introduced is the use of glass. Glass technologies allow the building to be energy efficient that make the most of natural daylight while protecting the environment and the climate and conserving energy.

Figure 5: Glass faรงade (Source: NMOC, 2015)

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

4.0

Greenhouse Glazing

The greenhouse glazing is made from extruded aluminum sections with no thermal break since high thermal insulation is not required. Glazed sheets are held in place on their sides by supporting them on the glazing bars and securing them in place with continuous aluminum clips that snaps onto the glazing bar.

Figure 6: Construction details of the greenhouse glazing (Source: Watts, 2010)

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Ventilation in greenhouse glazing is provided at the eaves and at the ridge, while opening lights are used for more closely controlled ventilation

Figure 7: Greenhouse glazing (Source: Brodie Karel, 2013)

Figure 8: Solar Heat Gain in Double Glazing (Source: Glazing, 2007)

The insulating layer of double glazing helps keeps the temperatures on the outside from affecting the climate on the inside. Resulting in a warmer winter and a colder summer. Miho Museum uses glass with improved thermal properties (such as Low-E glass) and argon filled units, the reduction in heat loss through windows can be greater than 70%.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

5.0

Cast In-Situ

This method forms the material on site using formwork that is set up specially or the casting. Thus this method is used to create large scale concrete structure or walls.

Insulation (2.5 inch EPS) is added on the inside face of the wall which prevent the thermal mass of concrete wall from being used to regulate the air temperature within the building as well as the concrete surface from being seen inside the building.

Figure 9: Section Diagram of Concrete Wall (Source: Ridge, 2014)

Setting thermal insulation the wall allows the thermal mass of concrete to contribute to night time cooling as part of an environment design strategy to providing thermal comfort.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Heat is transferred by radiation, transmission (conduction), air movement (convection). Transmission is affected by the thermal insulation or the conductivity of building material. Ventilation governs the air movement. Buildings tend to be airtight to prevent infiltration due to unwanted air leaks and unplanned flows. Majority of the glazed parts of the buildings will be affected by radiation and it will vary from elevation to another based upon latitude and orientation. The shifting climate of the world will affect the indoor thermal environment. It is even more alarming to date as climate change is getting more evident day by day, (Arup & Bill Dunster Architects, 2004).

Concrete products are the solution to the harsh and varying climate condition, now and in the near future. Depending on the external as well as internal climatic environment, the size and even the direction of energy transmittance will vary day to day, throughout the year and even from site to site taking into account the presence of people and equipment. The feature of thermal mass that store and transfer energy significantly improves the energy performance in a building by using natural ventilation.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

6.0

Low-E Glass

Windows have a major impact on the heating and cooling loads of a building.

Approximately up to 40% of a home’s heating energy can be lost and up to 87% of its heat gained through windows. (McGar, 2015)

The Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient (SHGC) for windows measures how heat from direct sunlight flows through a window system. The lower the window’s SHGC value, the less solar heat it will transmit. In temperate and cool temperate climate country such as Japan should have a high SHGC as they are the primary solar collectors of the building. In order to control space heating costs and rein in the rapid growth of space cooling costs, the solution is to: improve the thermal performance of window glass. This is where low-emissivity glazing in Miho Museum comes into play

Low-E glass is designed to prevent heat escaping through windows to the cold outdoors. Low-e glass has an invisible coating which dramatically reduces heat transfer and reflects interior heat back into the interior.

For cooling-dominated climates in Kyoto, Japan, low-solar-gain (LSG) low-E coatings are best. Typically made with sputtered low-E coatings consisting of either two or three layers of silver, they have the ability to reduce solar heat gain while retaining high visible transmittance.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Figure 10: Glass with LSG (Source: Sourceable, 2015)

In a recent study, solar gain hit its highest point and outdoor temperatures their low during winter months, those in the LSG building reported improved thermal comfort.

Same goes to spring period. However those in HSG (High Solar Gain) building reported periods of discomfort. This study concluded that LSG low-e coated glass with sunny exposure is best for improving thermal comfort in spring while having benefits in autumn and winter. (McGar, 2015)

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

7.0

Spatial Arrangement

Figure 11: Miho Museum floor plan. (Source: Sina, 2012)

Design for climate requires that structure be designed or modified to ensure that the occupants remain thermally comfortable with minimal auxiliary heating or cooling in the climate where they are built. Kyoto, Japan is generally temperate, with four very distinct seasons: Winter, is quite dry and sunny along the Pacific coast and the temperatures rarely drop below 0 째C.

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

Buildings in these climates use substantially more energy to achieve thermal comfort due to its climate condition. It is therefore imperative to use design strategies that reduce cooling energy use to achieve similar carbon reductions. Design considerations includes orientation of the building to take full advantage of cooling breezes, and position landscaping and outbuildings to funnel breezes over, under and through the building.

Figure 12 Site Plan (Source: Kawasaki, 1998)

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

8.0

Conclusion

In conclusion, I.M. Pei successfully incorporated the vernacular elements into the modern construction of Miho Museum thus giving birth to a new identity that embraces both different typologies of different times. Most of the features of Miho Museum resonates a strong sense of Japanese vernacular architecture. It resulted in a new modern tectonic that sits harmoniously with the mountainous site as the traditional Japanese architecture would intend to do.

These modern constructions as well as design considerations successfully improve the building’s quality in terms of serving thermal comfort by taking inspiration from the timeless traditional vernacular method and further improving it.

9.0

Reference list

Fitzpatrick, M. (2005, March 12). Turning Japanese, why aren't we turning Japanese?

Retrieved November 21, 2015, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/3340081/Turning-Japanese-why-arent-weturning-Japanese.html

Glass, R. (n.d.). Double glazing benefits. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from http://www.richmondglass.co.nz/benefits-double-glazing

Go! Central Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://en.gocentraljapan.jp/

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A Study on Modern Vernacular Design Strategies of Miho Museum Achieves Thermal Comfort

JAANUS: Terminology of Japanese Architecture & Art History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/

McGar, J. (2015, August 1). The Effects of Low-E Glazing on Comfort and Performance.

Retrieved November 16, 2015, from https://sourceable.net/effects-low-e-glazingcomfort-performance/#

Miho Museum / I.M. Pei. (2015, June 4). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.archdaily.com/639108/miho-museum-i-m-pei

Watts, A. (2010). Roofs. In Modern Construction Handbook (2nd ed., pp. 226-229).

London, England: Springer Wien New York.

Watts, A. (2010). Walls. In Modern Construction Handbook (2nd ed., pp. 152-155).

London, England: Springer Wien New York.

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