SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN Centre for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia (MASSA)
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture/ Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Architecture) Project 1: CASE STUDY PAPER
NAME: LUCAS WONG KOK HOE STUDENT ID: 0309421 TUTOR: PN. NORHAYATI RAMLI
Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. SIGNIFICANT PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES USED TO ACHIEVE THERMAL COMFORT IN THE GANENDRA ART HOUSE, PETALING JAYA.
Table of Contents
Page
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………….2
1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..3-4
2.0 Daylighting Strategies………………………………………………………………5-6 2.1 Building Orientation………………………………………………………...6-8 2.2 Fenestration…………………………………………………………………8-11 2.3 Space Planning……………………………………………………………11-12
3.0 Shading Devices……………………………………………………………………12-15 3.1 Louvered Windows………………………………………………………..15-16 3.2 Roof Overhangs…………………………………………………………...17-18 3.3 Window Overhangs……………………………………………………….18-19
4.0 Passive Cooling Systems ……………………………………………………………19 4.1 Cross Ventilation…………………………………………………………19-21 4.2 Stack Ventilation………………………………………………………….21-22
5.0 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….23
6.0 References…………………………………………………………………………….24
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. Abstract This research paper describes the passive design strategies in the Ganendra House, Petaling Jaya to resolve heat gain in afternoon, poor ventilation in urban context and insufficient daylighting into the house. The main objectives of the paper is to identify and list the functions of the types of passive designs throughout the house, to study the level of indoor and outdoor daylighting and the effectiveness of passive design strategies to achieve an optimum level of thermal comfort. The research was further assisted with the help of on-site analysis and observation of passive designs, literature reviews on definitions and functions, precedent case studies of the house, and findings from research papers and books. This research paper describes the findings regarding the usage of passive ventilation systems, the types of sun shading devices and the daylighting strategies applied on the Ganendra House in relation with the site context. The Ganendra House uses simple passive ventilation systems which includes the wind tunnel, cross ventilations and stack ventilations which are crucial in cooling the building in an urban residential context. Furthermore, the types of sun shading devices used to control the penetration of sunlight towards the building are analysed and elaborated with the help of diagrams and photographs. The building orientation of the building is said to contribute most to the level of daylighting into the house. In this research paper, many benefits of the passive design strategies can be extracted and be used in future architecture designs.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 1.0 Introduction Nowadays, architectural designs without relying on mechanical systems are immensely integrated into buildings and houses to introduce the concept of zero energy, energy saving and green building design. What are passive designs? Passive designs are basic design elements of a building which maximizes the usage of the natural climate to cool, heat or light up the internal spaces of the building. Paul Adams, of Modus Architects defines that passive design is about creating a comfortable environment to live in and trying not to use mechanical means. It can make an enormous difference to the comfort of a home. “Passive designs can’t be underestimated, and people don’t understand that until they’ve lived in a house that works well, Passive design isn’t so much about architectural design, it’s about thermal comfort and enjoyment of the space.” (J. Farnan, 2012). Passive designs were created to counter the negative effects of the natural surroundings and convert them to benefit the thermal comfort of occupants and the building itself. The building envelope of a building helps to isolate the interior atmosphere from the exterior of the building. Passive designs generally involves many factors which can provide thermal comfort such as the building orientation, thermal mass, insulation, building materials, general sun shading, and fenestration. These factors are used to solve issues such as heat gain during the day, bad ventilation in the site context and insufficient daylighting into the interior building. Active users are required to activate some non-automated passive designs to control and maximize the usage of the passive design components. The passive designs of a building greatly impacts the comfort zone of occupants. Therefore, case studies of existing green building designs are analyzed to further improve the effects of an optimal thermal comfort zone of the building. A good passive design allows the occupants to greatly reduce the use of artificial heating and cooling mechanical systems and reduction in utility bills and carbon footprint of materials used. ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. Therefore, the passive designs of a building plays an important role in the daily activities of the occupants and impacts to the natural surroundings. The designated case study for this project is the Ganendra Art House located in Petaling Jaya. “The Ganendra Art House is a two storey building which requires low maintenance and will age gracefully due to features such as raw exterior finishes with creepers growing upwards to create pattern and texture.� (Ken Yeang, 2012). This research paper will investigate the significant passive design strategies used to achieve thermal comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya by responding to the following questions: Question 1: What are the daylighting strategies applied in the Ganendra Art House? Question 2: What are the types of shading devices used to control the penetration of sunlight? Question 3: What are the type of passive cooling strategies used to achieve thermal comfort for the occupants?
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 2.0 Daylighting Strategies Many buildings in Malaysia have been using natural daylighting as a renewable source of light and energy. According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), Malaysia naturally has abundant sunshine and thus solar radiation. However, it is extremely rare to have a full day with completely clear sky even in periods of severe drought. On the average, Malaysia receives about 6 hours of sunshine per day. Thus, this benefits architects by maximizing the abundant source of natural lighting into their passive design strategies. The main goal of utilizing natural daylighting is to reduce the usage of electrical lighting during the day because natural daylighting is a renewable resource which doesn’t require any aid from mechanical systems.
Figure 2.0.1: Sketched diagram showing 100 6W lamps would be required to produce the same amount of light as a (0.9mx1.5m) window.
However, overexposed to daylighting can reduce the thermal comfort of the occupants resulting dark shadows and glare effects. Therefore, daylighting strategies are introduced to reduce and prevent severe and direct sunlight from unprotected windows and skylights. Unlike electrical lighting, daylighting cannot just be added to the building. Daylighting design is part of the fundamental building design from the first
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. line drawn (N. Lechner, 2009, p. 394). In this research paper, the daylighting strategies that will be discussed are the Building Orientation, Fenestration and Space Planning.
2.1 Building Orientation
Figure 2.1.1: The building orientation of the Ganendra Art House.
According to Norbert Lechner (2009, p.394-395), the south orientation is usually the best for daylighting because it gets the most consistent sunlight throughout the day and the year. Therefore, more windows and openings would be found in the south façade of the building. The worst orientations are east and west. This is because these orientations only receive sunlight for half of each day. However, in the Ganendra Art House, the East of the building has the most fenestration. The architect of the Ganendra Art House, Ken Yeang (2012) mentioned, “The building’s configuration and orientation are based on the location’s solar path.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. The front and back of the house are aligned, while the west (hot) side faces the noisy main road. Meeting the clients’ requirements for organic interaction between the various spaces, the generally open layout and landscaped courtyard face east. The central courtyard, external patios and study room enjoy morning sun, while the bedrooms and bathrooms face south.”
Figure 2.1.2: Ganendra Art House Courtyard. In the Ganendra Art House, the sunlight penetration from the east façade was strongest during the day. This allowed the usage of the natural daylighting to be maximized and the use of electrical lighting to be reduced to a minimal state. The morning sunlight from the east only penetrates into the gallery directly from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. After that specific period of time, the length of the sunlight would gradually decrease out of the gallery to the courtyard. However, the Albedo effect on the concrete slab diffuses the indirect sunlight into the gallery illuminating the room. ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. During the evening, the sun penetration was filtered by the existing trees and retaining wall situated at the west of the building providing optimum indirect sunlight for the kitchen at the west.
2.2 Fenestration The Ganendra Art House has many fenestration which helped in providing optimum indirect sunlight into the rooms and gallery such as grilled doors, grilled sliding doors, grilled windows, and grilled openings. The fenestration were only filtered with insect nettings which allowed 80-90% of sunlight to penetrate into the interior. All the doors found on the building faรงades had no door leaves (Figure 2.2.1).
Figure 2.2.1: Grilled door with insect netting in Ganendra Art House.
According to Norbert Lechner (2012, p.397-399), the basic windows strategies should apply with the following strategies:
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 2.2.2: Sketch diagram of Daylight penetration in relation with window height. 1. Windows should be high on the wall, widely distributed, and of optimum area. Daylight penetration into a space will increase with the mounting height of the window.
Figure 2.2.3: Sketch diagram of Unilateral and Bilateral lighting.
2. If possible, place windows on more than one wall. Apply bilateral lighting instead of unilateral lighting for much better light distribution and glare reduction.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 2.2.4: Sketch diagram of light distribution 3. Place windows adjacent to interior walls. Interior walls adjacent to windows will act as a low brightness reflector to reduce overly strong directionality of daylight. Strong glare is also reduced because of the reduced brightness ratio between the window and its surrounding wall. 4. Filter daylight. Sunlight can be filtered by existing trees or screens to reduce direct glare problem.
Figure 2.2.2: Windows mounting high on interior walls in the gallery of
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. Ganendra Art House.
Figure 2.2.2 is an example of a successful basic window strategies applied in the Ganendra Art House. The windows are placed high up on the walls with windows placed on both walls adjacent to the interior walls. The sunlight penetrating into the gallery is also filtered by the louvered glass and mosquito netting to soften the direct glare.
2.3 Space Planning
Figure 2.3.1: Open Space Planning of Ganendra Art House with fenestration.
According to Norbert Lechner (2012, p397), open space planning can be very advantageous for bringing light into the interior of a building. The use of glass partitions or wide windows can furnish acoustical privacy without blocking visual and light. However, in the Ganendra Art House, the usage of wide glass panels or windows is ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. replaced with grilled openings to promote ventilation. This method greatly increases the intake of natural daylighting in the interior of the house.
3.0 Shading Devices With the East and West faรงade of the building having the most openings, the interior of the Ganendra Art House would surely be collecting unnecessary heat energy. "The windows account for the greatest amounts of heat entering the building and therefore shading them, offers the greatest protections." (Olgay, 1963, p72). Therefore, shading devices are the best and most optimum method to achieve thermal comfort. It is also important to protect the occupants from overexposing to the solar radiation of the sun. If a building is not well shaded, the heat built up in the building will cause the occupants to increase the usage of mechanical ventilation thus increasing the energy usage and utility bill.
Figure 3.0.1: Sketch diagram showing how solar radiation is reflected and directed. Figure 3.0.1 shows an unshaded example of a building. The building is not shaded from direct and reflected solar radiation. The reflected radiation from the concrete surface of the ground and reflective surfaces of existing buildings in the
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. surroundings can build up an enormous level of heat during the day. There are many types of fixed and movable shading devices which can help to fend off the direct and reflected solar radiation.
Figure 3.0.2: Examples of Fixed Shading Devices Source: Lechner, Norbert (2009) Example of Fixed Shading Devices, [table]. From Heating, Cooling, Lighting (p. 219), by Norbert Lechner, 2015, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 3.0.3: Examples of Movable Shading Devices Source: Lechner, Norbert (2009) Example of Movable Shading Devices, [table]. From Heating, Cooling, Lighting (p. 222), by Norbert Lechner, 2015, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. In this research paper, we would be discussing about the following types of shading devices in the Ganendra Art House: 1. Louvered Windows 2. Roof Overhangs. 3. Window Overhangs
3.1 Louvered Windows
Figure 3.1.1: Louvered window in the Ganendra Art House. Louvered window is a type of interior movable shading device which allows up to 50% of sunlight and visual into the interior space of the building.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 3.1.2: Sketch diagram of Louvered window system.
Figure 3.1.2 shows how a louvered window systems operate in preventing direct sunlight. Louvered windows are designed to be operated manually to allow occupants to control the amount of sunlight and heat to enter the building. However in the Ganendra house, many of the louvered windows are mounted high on the wall making it difficult to adjust but maybe during heavy rain situations. A louvered window not only functions to shade and filter the sunlight but also to prevent rain water from splashing into the building.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 3.2 Roof Overhangs
Figure 3.2.1: Roof Overhang Porch of the Ganendra Art House.
An overhang is an extended fixed shading device which is widely used in many architectures. The roof overhang is able to shade a large area. In the Ganendra Art House, a roof overhang porch is designed at the main entrance to allow visitors to linger at the entrance before entering the house. The roof overhang works most effectively around noon hours because it shades the outdoor 100% from direct exposure to solar radiation. Besides shading the entrance from the strong sunlight, a roof overhang porch also aids in preventing falling rain water from coming into the house from the entrance.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 3.3 Window Overhangs
Figure 3.3.1: Types of overhang. Source: http://www.tboake.com/carbon-aia/images/solar/49%20copy_resize.jpg
Figure 3.3.2: Extended Window Frame in Ganendra Art House. Figure 3.3.2 shows an extended window frame overhang in the Ganendra Art House. The overhang shades direct sunlight before entering through the window. This type of overhang is effective as it is positioned at the East faรงade of the building. Although it shades the room from direct sunlight, it also allows partial amount of sunlight into the room to illuminate the space. ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 4.0 Passive Cooling Systems Passive cooling systems have been used by many architects as an effective way to recycle and supply fresh air into the building for the occupants without the aid of mechanical ventilation systems. There are a few types of passive cooling systems incorporated into the architecture designs. However, two types of passive cooling systems found in the Ganendra Art House will be discussed: 1. Cross Ventilation 2. Stack Ventilation 4.1 Cross Ventilation
Figure 4.1.1: Cross Ventilation between opposite openings Cross Ventilation system is a passive design that has been used in our buildings for centuries. It occurs when there are inlet and outlet openings in a building. The best position for both the inlet and outlet openings are opposite each other. According to Norbert Lechner (2009), cross ventilation is so effective because air is both pushed and pulled through the building by a positive pressure on the windward side and by a negative pressure on the leeward side. Figure 4.1.1 shows a good example of how a good ventilation in a room should behave.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 4.1.2: Ground floor of the Ganendra Art House Gallery. The Ganendra Art House has many openings located on the facades of the building. This promotes natural cross ventilation in the building which doesn’t rely on mechanical ventilation. The grilled sliding door located on the ground floor of the Art House allows air to ventilate to the windows located opposite and adjacent to it. With the windows located high on the walls, the ventilated air from the sliding door opening will create a low air entry into the space and ventilates outwards through the louvered windows. With the similar design of the grilled sliding door, located right above the ground floor is the first floor gallery. The Gallery has a better cross ventilation effect due to its higher volume in space. The Cross Ventilation effect can be felt throughout the house thanks to the functioning fenestration which allows effective ventilation to occur during a breeze. The cross ventilation is very effective in this house because the wide openings are exposed to a courtyard which traps prevailing wind and the air entering the interior of the gallery is free from internal partitions which allows free air flow.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 4.1.3: Cross Ventilation Diagram on Rear Cross Section of the Ganendra Art House.
4.2 Stack Ventilation and Wind Chimney Architects have been using stack ventilation systems with the aid of cross ventilation in their building design for a very long time. According to G.Z. Brown and Mark DeKay (2001), when the wind is blowing and the outside temperature is below the inside temperature, cross ventilation can be an effective cooling strategy. The stack effect can be greatly enhanced by a wind or stack chimney designed at the top of the roof. When the warm air from the lower level rises and is expelled out of the building through the wind chimney, the expelled warm is replaced with cooler air entering low into the room. This method can dissipate heat much faster than cross ventilation because it does not require any prevailing wind to be present. Figure 4.2.1 shows the stack effect of the Ganendra Art House.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya.
Figure 4.2.1: Stack Effect of the Ganendra Art House.
Figure 4.2.2: Ganendra Art House’s Wind Chimney
The Ganendra Art House was designed with a wind chimney located near the entrance. The shaft of the wind chimney has a 360 degree opening which functions to catch wind from all directions and channel the air downward to the gallery below. According to the Manager of the Art House, the wind chimney provides a comfort and cooling effect to the gallery during the day and supplies fresh air throughout the day.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 5.0 Conclusion The Ganendra Art house is a very fascinating Green Building Index (G.B.I.) rated building which was designed with many interesting passive designs. The house itself truly utilizes all the functions of the passive design very well. The downside of the house was the location of it which was quite difficult to be located. As we know, passive design is a basic design element which helps to increase the comfort level of the occupants in a building. Without it, we would mainly rely on artificial systems to imitate and bring in the effects of the natural surrounding into our homes. By visiting the Art House, many functions of the passive designs have been thoroughly explained and analysed in this research paper. The integration of different passive design is proven to have function well with each other to provide an optimum level of comfort in a space. The benefits of the natural surrounding was definitely being exploited into the Ganendra Art House. To conclude, the Ganendra Art House is indeed a very good case study to explore and study the methods and functionality of the passive designs that we don’t usually see in houses these days. The Ganendra Art House would be an excellent precedent study for future zero energy home designs.
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Significant Passive Design Strategies used to achieve Thermal Comfort in the Ganendra Art House, Petaling Jaya. 6.0 References Brown, G., & DeKay, M. (2001). Sun, Wind & Light (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Guzowski, M. (2000). Daylighting for Sustainable Design. R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company J. Thomson, Knowing passive design | Green Lifestyle Magazine, the best of green. (2012). Retrieved June 2, 2015, from http://www.greenlifestylemag.com.au/features/2951/knowing-passive-design Lechner, N. (2009). Heating, Cooling, Lighting (3rd ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Malaysian Meteorological Department. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2015, from http://www.met.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=10 89&limit=1&limitstart=2 Passive Solar Design (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2015, from http://passivesolar.sustainablesources.com/#Define The Carbon Neutral Design Project | Society of Building Science Educators | American Institute of Architects - Carbon Neutral Design Strategies. (2012). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://www.tboake.com/carbon-aia/strategies1b.html What is passive design? (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2015, from http://www.build.com.au/what-passive-design
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