Energy Elective

Passive Strategies
 Fundamentals of Climate Responsive Buildings
Types of passive strategies
Building Orientation
• Building orientation
• The building orientation determines the amount of
solar radiation it receives.
• Plan form • With respect to air patterns , orientation affects the
amount of natural ventilation possible.
• Design elements

• Roof form

• Fenestration – Arrangement
,Configuration , orientation.

• Roof and wall Materials

• Vegetation
 Fundamentals of Climate Responsive Buildings
Plan Forms

• The plan form of the building affects the airflow around & through it. It could
either aid or hinder natural ventilation.
• The perimeter to area ratio of a building is an important indicator of heat
loss and heat gain.
• Knowing the direction of air movement , the plan form can be determined
also as to create high pressure and low-pressure areas . Building openings
connecting high pressure to low pressure areas would cause effective
natural ventilation.
• The perimeter of the area ratio(P/A) is an important factor in controlling heat
gain and losses. Greater the ratio the greater radiative heat gain during the
day and the greater heat loss at night. Smaller the ratio the lesser will be
heat gain during the day and heat loss during the night.
• In hot and cold climates, the P/A ratio should be minimum to ensure minimal
heat gains and heat loss respectively.
• For warm-humid climates, minimum P/A ratio can help to maximize air
movement.
Design Elements
• Waterbodies – they are effective means of evaporative cooling as water having a high specific heat can absorb a
comparatively large quantity of radiation and conversely it can be used as a heat storage material when enclosed by a
glazing . Although they can increase humidity for warm – humid climates.
• Vegetation – Vegetation can absorb radiation and affect cooling. These can humidity and affect daylight or cause glare.
• Courtyards & Verandas : as shaded elements these are quite effective as reservoirs of cooler air in hot climate as cool air
tends to collect in the court.
• For HOT climate – integrating vegetation as gardens , roof gardens , planters is desirable into the building to reduce heat
gain. Shaded courtyards would lower air temperatures.
• For COLD climate – Greenhouses and glass boxes are effective heat traps to enhance heat gain. Waterbodies can be
useful in these heat traps.
• For HUMID climate – Courtyards and verandahs aid in ventilation, wind catchers may be employed only if there are
strong and cool breezes.
Roof Form
Fenestration – Arrangement & Configuration
• Fenestration pattern and configuration involve area, shape , location and relative positioning of the windows and effects the air
movement , daylight and glare indoors.
• Area of the opening affects the amount of light and breeze entering inside . Location of the opening affects ventilation and
distribution of light indoors.
• Varying opening sizes and shapes i.e narrow strip window or regular square windows would affect internal air speed & light
distribution indoors.
• Windows for HOT climates – appropriately shaded , smaller area , high opening or ventilators as effective heat vents.
• Windows for WARM humid climates – appropriately sized to facilitate ventilation accompanied by appropriate shading device.
• Windows for COLD Climates – large sized and unshaded but air- tight.
• Windows for COMPOSITE climates – adequate design of shading device to cut off summer sun, allow winter sun & facilitate
ventilation.
• Windows as a combition of high windows with baffle , low windows accompanied with baffles as well as light & reflective interior
finishing can help distribute light inside a room uniformly.
• To enhance air movement , windows should be staggered, partitions should not be kept near windows & windows on adjacent
walls should be preferably not placed to avoid disruption to air-flow. The sizing of inlet and outlet windows can increase or
decrease air speeds.
Fenestration – Orientation
• Fenestration orientation determines the amount of radiation incident on the opening and can increase or decrease natural
ventilation with respect to the air pattern.
• To obtain a good distribution of air flow and circulation , the wind direction and inlet to outlet direction should not be the
same.
• For hot- dry climate , fenestration should be facing north and for cold climates it should be facing south. For humid climates,
fenestration should be within 45 deg of the perpendicular to direction of air flow and inlet and outlet should be staggered to
maximise airflow.
Fenestration- Controls
• Shades – both vertical and horizontal shades control radiative heat gain. The projection can be adjusted to cut-off the
sun by using solar azimuth and altitude for overheated and underheated periods.
• Light shelves – these horizontal projections functioning as a horizontal shade, have an upper reflective surface that
can bring more light into the room. These can be placed can be inside , outside or partly inside or outside over a
window.
• Fly wire nets – these reduce the velocity of air coming indoors as well as a control device for insects.
• For hot climates , windows and glazing would need to be shaded from the sun. For cold climates, window shades
need not to be necessary but light shelves can be very effective in utilizing the low sin angle.
• For composite climate, shades would be needed to cut- off the sun in the summer yet allow the sun in the winters.
The window section should enhance air velocity.
 Wall Materials
• Walls receive incident radiation , so wall materials are a major
factor to consider heat flow studies.
• Wall constructions like cavity walls with air spaces between the two
layers reduce heat transmission.
• Wall materials should be low U-Value in hot climates.
• Thermal mass in the form of Trombe walls can be used for
effective means of heat gain in cold climates.

Roof Materials
• Roof materials determine the amount of heat transfer taking
inwards through the roof or outwards as well as time taken for this
heat transfer to take place.
• The key component for selecting roof materials is the amount of het
absorbed by the material and transmitted and the time taken for this
transmission.
• In hot & Cold climates, the roof should have a low transmittance
value (U- value) to ensure maximum heat gain and heat loss
respectively. Insulation would minimize the heat stored by the roof.
Vegetation
Passive Heating strategies

• Elements that contribute to passive solar heating the

following:
• Orientation
• Building shape
• Buffer spaces and double facades
• Space planning
• High – performance windows (Clear , low- e)
• Mixed mode heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
• Low window to wall area ration (N/E)
• High window to wall ration (S/W)
• Operable external shading
• High – performance insulation
• Thermal mass
• Minimized infiltration
Passive Cooling

• Elements that contribute to cooling include the

following :
• Fixable /operable external shading
• Thermal mass
• Low window to wall area ratio (S/W)
• Passive ventilation
• Nocturnal cooling
• Stacked windows
• Passive evaporative cooling
• Earth tempering ducts.
Passive Ventilation
• The passive elements that contribute to natural
ventilation include the following:
• Operable windows
• Buffer spaces and double facades
• Building shape
• Space planning
• Orientation
• Strategic architectural features
• Openings to corridors and between otherwise
separated spaces
• Central atria and lobbies.
• Wind towers.
Day lighting

• The features which contribute to a

daylighting strategy include:
• Space planning
• High ceilings paired with tall windows
• Window size and placement ( window to
wall area ratio)
• Interior surface colors and finishes
• Strategic architectural features.
• Light shelves
• Skylights and light tubes
• Clerestories.
ADVANCED PASSIVE DESIGN STARTEGIES
Types of advanced passive design strategies
• Thermal insulation
• Thermal mass
• Cool – roofs
• Courtyard effect
• Wind tower
• Evaporative cooling
• Passive down – draught cooling
• Roof sprays
• Earth Air - Tunnels
Thermal insulation

• A process to help achieve thermal comfort for the occupants by reducing unwanted heat loss or gain, decreasing energy
demand of heating and cooling systems.
• Most building insulation materials like glass – wool , cellulose , polystyrene foam use the principle of trapping air into
small cells that cannot transfer heat effectively by natural convection.
• An insulated building is energy efficient , provides more uniform temperatures throughout the space , has minimal
recurring expense for maintenance.
Thermal mass
• Thermal mass is the capacity of a material to absorb , store and release the
sun’s energy.
• The material’s density and levels of conductivity help to keep the temperature of
a building stable.
• They can store and release the sun’s heat energy. Example of materials include
brick , stone , concrete , water.
• Thermal mass can be used for its heating capacity to absorb heat from sunlight
and release the energy throughout the evening or night.
• Thermal mass can be used for its capacity to keep a structure cool during the
hotter summer months.

Cool Roofs
• A technique that uses highly reflective and emissive materials for roofing that
can remain approximately 28-33 deg C than traditional materials during peak
summer weather.
• Cool roofing materials have high albedo as well a proportionate thermal
emittance to maintain surface temperatures and heat transfer.
• A cool roof transfers less heat to the interiors of the building, keeping the
building cooler and comfortable and uses less energy for cooling , which can
contribute to reduction in emissions of pollutants.
Courtyard Effect
• Due to incident solar radiation in a courtyard the air gets warmer and rises.
• Cool air from the ground level flows through the louvered openings of room
surrounding a courtyard, thus producing air flow.
• At night, the warm roof surfaces get cooled by convection and radiation.
• In this heat exchange reduces roof surface temperature to wet bulb temperature
of air, condensation of atmospheric moisture occurs on the roof and the gain
due to condensation limits further cooling.
Wind Towers

• In a wind tower , the hot air enters the tower through the openings in the tower, gets cooled and thus becomes heavier and
sinks down . The inlet and outlet of rooms induce cool air movement.
• In the presence of wind , air is cooled more effectively and flows faster down the tower and into the living area. After a
whole day of air exchanges, the tower becomes warm in the evenings.
• During the night , cooler ambient air comes in contact with the bottom of the tower through the rooms.
Evaporative Cooling
• Evaporative cooling lowers indoor air temperature by evaporating water . It is effective in hot and dry climate where
the atmospheric humidity is low.
• In evaporative cooling , the sensible heat of air is used to evaporate water , thereby cooling the air , which in turn
cools the living space of the building.
• Increase in contact between water and air increases the rate of evaporation.
• The presence of a water body such as a pond , lake and sea near the building or a fountain in a courtyard can
provide a cooling effect,

• WALMI Bhopal section showing

implementation of evaporative cooling
• 1. Ground cover
• 2. Water sprinkler
• 3. Insulated roof
• 4. Shading trees
• 5. Watertrogh
Passive Down – Draught Cooling

• In this system , wind catchers guide outside air over water filled pots , inducting evaporation and causing a
significant drop in temperature before the air enters the interior.
• Such wind catchers become primary elements of the architecture form also.
• Passive down draught evaporative cooling is particularly effective in hot and dry climates.

Passive Down – Draught Cooling has been used to effectively cool the Torrent Research Centre in Ahmedabad.
Roof Sprays
Earth Air tunnels

• Daily and annual temperature fluctuations decrease with the increase in depth below the ground surface.
• At a depth of about 4 m below ground, the temperature inside the earth remains nearly constant round the year and
is nearly equal to the annual average temperature of the place.
• A tunnel in the form of a pipe or otherwise embedded at a depth of about 4 m below the ground will acquire the same
temperature as the surrounding earth at its surface.
• Therefore, the ambient air ventilated through this tunnel will get cooled in summer and warmed in winter and this air
can be used for cooling in summer and heating in winter.