Environment Design Factor

General environment conditions related to building design differ

greatly from one part of the country to another.
• Specific conditions may also vary significantly within a
geographical area.
• These include building –
• site characteristics,
• density requirements,
• energy sources,
• ecological problems and
• special occupants’ need.
• The designer must therefore carefully study and use these
factors to ensure the development of fully functional
architectural plans.
• They must also do the utmost to protect and indeed improve
the environment in the process.
Energy Orientation and Solar Planning

• Throughout the history, the environment has been used in

conjunction with the need for shelter.
• Local resources and climatic conditions have always affected
heating, cooling, and lighting needs.
• For example, early Native
American Indians built
adobe houses under
overhang cliffs. The cliffs
provide shade and
protection from the sun’s
rays during the day. At
night, the material used in
these houses released heat
accumulated during the day
and warmed the area.
• Carefully designed, constructed and sited building can use
the power of the sun with or without devices to provide
environmental control.
• When only the feature and orientation of a building are used
to gain and control the sun’s energy, the designer is using the
power of the sun passively.
• When mechanical or electrical devices are added to collect,
store, distribute and control the sun’s energy, the designer is
actually capturing the power of the sun.

• Thus, there are two types of solar design for buildings:

passive and active.
• Humans can capture solar energy directly from the sun
through passive and active solarenergy systems.
• Ancient people used passive solar energy systems by building
their houses out of stone or clay, which absorbed the sun’s
heat during the day and stayed warm after dark, providing
heat throughout the night. Builders today use similar methods
for passively capturing solar energy.
• For example, they construct houses with large double- or
triple-paned windows that get direct sunlight to capture and
magnify the sun’s warmth.
• The effect is similar to but more powerful than what happens
to your car on a sunny day: The air inside becomes much
warmer than the air outside because the windows let in the
sun’s energy and trap it, gradually raising the temperature.
• Other effective methods of passive solar energy capture
include using stone flooring and walls with thick insulation to
keep the energy in buildings.
• With carefully placed windows and other architectural
techniques, passive solar energy systems can be an effective
way to heat buildings.
Active solar energy systems use the same principles as passive
systems except that they use a fluid (such as water) to absorb the
heat. A solar collector positioned on the roofs of buildings heats
the fluid and then pumps it through a system of pipes to heat the
whole building.

Photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, are slightly more involved than

passive or active solar energy systems. They convert sunlight to
electricity by using thin sheets of silicon. These thin sheets are
inexpensive and can be added to roof tiles. People in remote
areas such as mountain tops and islands often use photovoltaic
cells to generate electricity in their homes and businesses.
The process of solar heating or cooling of a building is based on
the four steps:

i. collecting
ii. storing
iii. distributing and
iv. controlling.

The four systems occur in both systems, active or passive.

However, the equipment, materials and other devices used differ
greatly among systems.
The Passive Solar Principles

The Greenhouse Effect - A car parked in direct sunlight with

windows closed illustrates the greenhouse effect. The interior of
the car becomes heated because sunlight enters through the
windows. The heat is observed by the interior surfaces of the car
and is trapped inside the car as stored heat.
The interior of the car becomes heated because
sunlight enters through the windows. The heat is
observed by the interior surfaces of the car and is
trapped inside the car as stored heat.
In the similar manner the sun enters a building through
windows and is stored in thermal mass (ex. mattresses,
blankets etc. in the rooms during winter) so that the heat can
be used later when the sun’s heat is not available. A thermal
mass is any materials that absorbs heat from the sun and later
radiate the heat back into the air.
The sun enters a building through windows and is stored
in thermal mass (ex. mattresses, blankets etc. in the
rooms during winter) so that the heat can be used later
when the sun’s heat is not available.
In passive solar systems the thermal mass functions as both
the storage and the distribution system. Storing and using or
dissipating, the trapped heat to either lower or raise the
temperature of a building is one of the most important
features of passive solar design.
The Natural Law of Rising Warm Air - Heated air will always
rise until trapped. Therefore, recirculating heated air from
warm areas to cooler areas helps heat a building living levels.
Likewise, expelling warm air that accumulates and would
otherwise gradually move downward will help reduce living-
level temperature. The placement of windows provides
natural convection and ventilation to both circulate and
exhaust warm air.
ORIENTATION

The orientation of a building is the relationship of a building

to its environment.
To take full advantage of the principles of passive solar
design, a building must be positioned to maximize the
desirable features and minimize the negative aspects of the
environment.
This is accomplished through effective orientation.
In determining the most appropriate orientation of a
building on a site, the following factors must be carefully
considered.
• Orientation the position of a building with respect
to the sun, a concept in building design

• Orientation of the building generally used to refer

to solar orientation which is the placing of building
with respect to solar access

• The fact the sun is lower in the sky in Winter than in

Summer allows us to plan and construct buildings
that capture that free heat in Winter and reject the
heat in Summer. The orientation of the whole
building plays an important part in ensuring such a
'passive' process works.
Solar Orientation

• The first step in effective solar planning is the correct

orientation of the building to the sun.
• It is usually desirable to collect the maximum amount of
sun’s heat in the winter and also provide protection from the
sun in the summer. Ideally, a building should be oriented to
absorb southern heat in winter and to repel the excessive
heat in summer.
• Effective solar orientation should not only provide the
greatest heating or cooling effect but should also be planned
to provide the greatest amount of natural sunlight where
needed.