BUILDING SCIENCE 1 (bld 60803)
This module is an introduction to the factors that affect the thermal performance of buildings. Its aim is to facilitate students to create acceptable designs which are sustainable (minimizing the use of mechanical cooling systems) and comfortable. The emphasis is on creating acceptable indoor thermal conditions thus minimizing the use of space heating and cooling. Students will also be introduced to MS1525 which provides guidelines to creating a more sustainable design in Malaysia.
The objectives of this module Create awareness and understanding of designing buildings that respond to local climatic conditions that reduce the energy load of mechanical air-conditioning systems. It also introduce thermal mechanisms such as solar radiation, heat conduction, heat resistance and heat convection that determine indoor temperatures, including how building elements respond to thermal mechanisms as well as various design strategies to reduce heat gain of interior spaces through control of variables.
The project requires students to choose a space in Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus and to propose passive designs ad strategies for the roof to achieve thermal comfort in chosen space. Existing conditions and environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, sun path and wind flow should be collected and analyzed.
In groups of 8, my group chose to do the open space outside the library. Below are some site condition pictures. The submission requirement is to produce 2 A3 presentation boards to illustrate our understanding of passive building design strategies.
PROJECT BRIEF
PRESENTATION BOARDS
REFLECTION :
Through this module, i have learnt sustainable design techniques and in terms of conducting and executing professional site analysis which is very important knowledge to have to protect the building occupants as well as the environment as we know building construction industries contribute most stress on the surrounding environment. I learnt to analyze and read sun path chart, wind rose diagram, temperature, psychometric charts and relative humidity diagrams to understand how to maximize thermal comfort. Passive design is especially important as we are using natural energy resources to provide a thermal comfortable environment and also save up on electrical cost used on cooling or heating the space.
Besides that, I have also learnt to use Revit to create sun path diagram in order to determine the sun path at critical dates and times, and also determine how much natural light enters the building. The usage of sun path and shadows allowed me to determine the effectiveness of my sun shading device as I ca see which part of the day the building is exposed to direct sunlight and where it is shaded. I incorporated the knowledge in my design studio and it gives me a better understanding to how my visitor center is going to affect the visitors. I have implemented louvered and vertical shading devices for my studio final project, to avoid the severe solar heat gain. Louvered roof and openings were used to encourage maximum ventilation throughout the building, increasing building energy efficiency and at the same time allowing more air motion to flow across the body and reaching thermal comfort in a site where there is less vegetation.
All in all, with the knowledge of these strategies and the understanding through climatic data of our site has helped me learn to respond our building design for sustainable use.