AAR 504 – ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT II

MUHAMMAD SYAHMIZZAT BIN MURAD

2019309881

25 / 6 / 2020

The application of Passive Design Strategies in Buildings in the Tropics with Reference to Natural Lighting and
Natural Ventilation.
INTRODUCTION
This 2 books is choosen due to the
continuations of assignment 1, but this
assignment is more focusing on the quality
of the buildings in terms of the applications
of passive design strategies in the buildings
or how the designer manipulate the natural
resources in the buildings .

• The most important passive design strategy in the tropics is to open up

houses as much as possible, even during the heat of the day, to achieve
maximum cross ventilation and convective air flow.
 Precedent study 1
Travertine Dream
House , Singapore

•Designer background detail :

• Robin Tan and Cecil Chee as
founder of Wallflower architecture
+ Design firm is responsible on the
design of the house and their firm
base is also in Singapore.
• Wallflower believes that beauty
and cleverness are inseparable in
excellent design, the value of
which enhances the environment
in which we work and live and
ultimately, enriches the human
experience and spirit.
Designer design
intention
• The house is designed to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, save water and energy and reduce waste
during construction and the house’s lifetime.
• To accommodate as much green and ‘blue’ space as
possible, the gardens and water bodies are spread
throughout the house.
• Maximize usable area and to incorporate greenery. 
• Multiple levels of gardens and water bodies ensure that
the house remains cool in the tropical environment, well
ventilated and washed in soft daylight. The three
dimensional composition of voids, layers and solids
creates spaces for both quiet reflection and family
interaction, something for each mood and moment.
 Book describtion
• Singapore is prosporous, forward-looking
that is pioneering innovative solutions
for full range of environmental
,economic ,social and achieving
sustainable luxury design that have
passive design to achieve the natural
ecosystem and towards ecogreen .
• The house illustrate how smart
manipulation of air flows , shade ,water
and landscaping sustains higher level of
comfort without resorting to air
conditioned boxes .
• They are not using any new things to
achieve the sustainable design but
redesign the traditional design into
luxury and still using the same
understanding concept .
Passive design strategies
and ecological approach

•From the images we can see that natural lighting is

Natural light plays on the comfort, health and mood
of the human, but it varies depending on where we
are. In architecture, it is integral to the design of a
building, it using skylight from the upper roof of
building and entered to the house and relected thru
the house interior .
•For the shading device of the house to reduce the
sun from direct entered the house , the uses of tree
surrounded around the house Is implemented as
shading devices .
•Sunshading is also used for some part of the house ,
to reduce the light and heat to entered the house and
also for the purpose of façade beauty .
 •Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a
building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce
energy use.
The nature skylight •Boosts wellbeing in homes and schools where is daylighting
have demonstrated reduced absentee rates, increased
productivity, reduced fatigue, and improved occupant health
•Ground floor is using the
concept of open air , but to
reduces the sunlight from
direct entered thru the
house many trees are
surrounded around the
spaces to replaces the
sunshading
•Pool is also used as the
passive cooling system
which is the water
evaporation of wet surfaces
is used to cool inside area of
the building directly or
indirectly.
•The roof design is also
design to reflect the sunlight
from entered the buildings .
•The natural cooling system in
this house also from the fish
pond and from the roof top
garden of the house which is
plant can absorb the heat from
the sun and can make the cool
during night .
•The void draws in natural light
and create natural ventilations
and generate cross ventilations .
•The roof top garden naturally
cooldown the space under it
which the bedroom
•The uses of concept solid ,void
and textures is to provide the
feel of intimidate privacy and to
balance the blue and green .
Construction drawing

• From the section drawing for the basement

the cooling system came from the
surrounded wall and also the japaneese
garden.
• The first and second floor the pool and koi
pond reduce the heat of the level and
there is trees surrounded around house to
represent as shading devices of the house
• For the upper level which master bedroom
is using roof top garden as their natural
cooling system
Summary
•This house achieved the luxury and aethethic value of
nature by using the natural environmental system and have
a great sustainable design which from the image we can
feel the comfort of the house .

•The arrival experience is orchestrated by several layers of

travertine wall that suggest a tenuous threshold between
the outside and the inside. The detailing is deliberately
minimal and precise to enhance the simplicity of the
massing and the juxtaposition of solidity and transparency.
The narrow blocks that house the living area, the thick
stone cladding, multiple levels of gardens and water bodies
ensure that the house remains cool in the tropical
environment, well ventilated and washed in soft daylight.
Precedent study 2
Sundridge house ,
Singapore

•Designer Background detail:

• Mr Rene tan as an architect is responsible
of design this building which from RT+Q
ARCHITECTS firm , which the base is in
Singapore .
• Mr Rena tan is actually from Malaysia
and already graduate his master in
architecture at Princeton .
• Design in this book is focusing on the
humid tropics .
• The combinations of the social, cultural
and climatic imperatives of architecture.
 Book describtion

• The house that constructed in this book

are work of 3 generations of architect .
• Designing with climate .
• Show a good grasp of the principles of
designing with climate.
• They are concerned with orientation in
relation to the sun path and to wind.
• Sustainability, ecological design,
bioclimatic performance and green
credentials are now much higher on the
agenda of prospective house owners,
• The sun path and the direction of the
monsoon winds are always givens. What
is changing is the fl ow of ideas about
how to live in the twenty-fi rst century –
changing cultural responses and greater
awareness of environmental issues.
• Natural lighting and natural ventilation is
implemented into the design of the
houses to reduces the carbon emission
and lead to green house.
 Designer design intention

• house in the tropics is about living in

close proximity to the natural world, and
therefore no substantial trees should be
destroyed on the site.
• The house in the tropics is designed with
the minimal use of glass, while other
attributes include the use of gardens
and non-reflective surfaces to reduce
radiated heat
• Wide overhanging eaves to provide
shade, in-between spaces in the
form of verandahs, terraces and shaded
balconies.
• Tall rooms to create thermal air mass
and provide thermal insulation,
permeable walls facing prevailing winds
to give natural ventilation.
• Plans that are one room deep with
openings on opposite sides capable of
being adjusted to promote natural
ventilation by the ‘venturi’ effect, and
the omission of gutters .
Passive design
strategies and
ecological approach

•This is using many shading

devices as to reduce the heat .
•There is also the uses of
louvers to have the beauty
façade of the house
•The concept of the is eco and
dynamic .
•The sunshading is also uses
for the outdoor restplace at
the courtyard .
•The courtyard is surrounded
by tree to reduces the heat
and also as sunhading
devices .
• To reduce the uses of artificial lighting there is solid and void on the
buiding to make sure there is natural lighting entered the buildings.
• There is many large windows in the buildings but every large windows in
the buildings it have a sunshading materials.
• The natural lighting on the building came from the skylight that built at
the ceiling of the house .
• Beyond is the kitchen and maid’s room. Terminating the entrance axis is
an exquisite open-to-sky powder room.
Courtyard effect as natural ventilation
• Courtyard with louvers and openings is used for the cross ventilations and help to reduces the heat of
the house .
• The water in the pool will evaporate and humidify the house surrounding .
• Cool air from the ground level flow thru the louvers openings of room surooundings the courtyard ,
thus producing air flow .
• The house is integrated with swimming
pool which is one of the way to reduce
the house temperature .
• Passive cooling system is adapt in this
sustainable house .
• The open air ground living room are
using the cross ventilations ,which is on
the other side it have windows that also
have a sunshading
• At second-storey level, the master
bedroom and threebother bedrooms,
including a nursery for the owners’ first
child, look north and are linked by a
wide, north-facing corridor.
• Details such as the recessed lights in the
timber floor attest to the architect’s and
the lighting consultant’s attention to
nuances.
• It is also uses the overhang roof so that
they can shade windows when solar heat
gain is undesirable; and they can help
keep basements and crawl spaces dry.
• Sun Shading Devices improve internal
environment in order to provide greater
comfort for occupants. To reduce the heat
gains during summer and promote heat
gain during winter, reduce the HVAC loads
and therefore minimize energy costs. Use
of shading device can improve building
energy performance.
Construction
drawing
•Far left First storey plan.
Left The open-to-sky powder
room.
Below The elevations are a finely
detailed orthogonal composition.
Right The entrance lobby gives
access to a linear spine along the
east side of the house.
Below right Section through the
living room and the pool.
Summary
•Well-designed sun control and shading
devices can dramatically reduce building
peak heat gain and cooling requirements
and improve the natural lighting quality of
building interiors.
•The uses sunshading give a great façade
beauty on the building
•A good overhang will also allow more
winter light to penetrate a building than
summer light, thereby allowing light and
heat in during the cooler months, which
again saves in energy and electricity costs.
•Lastly , this passive design that uses
natural resources also can give us healty
and comfort thru out the day . As there is
not side effect .
 Refrences
BOOK 1
Author : Robert Powell
Year of publication : 2009
Book Title : Singapore Houses
Publisher : Tuttle publishing
Place of publication : Singapore

BOOK 2
Author : Paul McGillick
Year of publication : 2014
Book Title : Sustainable luxury
Publisher : Tuttle publishing
Place of publication : Singapore