Passive building design

'Passive design uses layout, fabric and form to reduce or

remove
mechanical cooling, heating, ventilation and lighting dema
nd. Examples of passive design include
optimising spatial planning and orientation to control solar
gains and maximise daylighting, manipulating
the building form and fabric to facilitate natural
ventilation strategies and making effective use of thermal
mass to help reduce peak internal temperatures.'

Ref Home Quality Mark One, Technical Manual

SD239, England, Scotland & Wales, published by BRE in
2018. http://www.homequalitymark.com/standard

Designers tune the thermal characteristics of buildings so that they moderate

external environmental conditions and maintain internal conditions using the minimum resources
of materials and fuel.

Passive design maximises the use of 'natural' sources of heating, cooling and ventilation to create
comfortable conditions inside buildings. It harness environmental conditions such as solar
radiation, cool night air and air pressure differences to drive the internal environment.
Passive measures do not involve mechanical or electrical systems.

This is as opposed to 'active' design which makes use of active building services systems to
create comfortable conditions, such as boilers and chillers, mechanical ventilation, electric
lighting, and so on. Buildings will generally include both active and passive measures.

Hybrid systems use active systems to assist passive measures, for example; heat recovery
ventilation, solar thermal systems, ground source heat pumps, and so on. Very broadly, where it
is possible to do so, designers will aim to maximise the potential of passive measures, before
introducing hybrid systems or active systems. This can reduce capital costs and should reduce
the energy consumed by the building.

However, whilst passive design should create buildings that consume less energy, they do not
always produce buildings that might be considered 'sustainable' as sustainability is dependent on
a range of criteria, only one of which is energy usage.

Passive design can include:

 Passive cooling.

 Passive heating.

 Passive ventilation (or natural ventilation).

NB: Passive solar design is an aspect of passive building design that focusses on maximising the
use of heat energy from solar radiation.

Passive design can include consideration of:

 Location.

 Landscape.

 Orientation.

 Massing.
  Shading.

 Material selection.

 Thermal mass.

 Insulation.

 Internal layout.

 The positioning of openings to allow the penetration of solar radiation, visible light and
for ventilation.

In its simplest form, a shallow building orientated perpendicular to the prevailing wind with
openings on both sides, will allow sunlight to penetrate into the middle of the building and will
enable cross ventilation. This should reduce the need for artificial lighting and may mean
that cooling systems and mechanical ventilation are not necessary. In taller buildings, stack
ventilation can be used to draw fresh air through a building, and in deeper buildings atriums or
courtyards can be introduced to allow light into the centre of the floor plan.

However, difficulties arise, for example; when buildings have cellular spaces that block the
passage of solar radiation and air, or where site constraints create complex massing or mean
that windows cannot be opened because of noise or air quality issues. This can lead to the
introduction of more complex passive measures, such as trombe walls, solar
chimneys (or thermal chimneys), solar stacks, acoustic louvres, thermal labyrinths, and so on.

The situation is complicated further by different climates, changing seasons, and the transition
from day to night, so that passive design may have to allow different modes of operation,
sometimes rejecting external inputs and expelling the build up of internal conditions, whilst at
other times, capturing external inputs and retaining internal conditions.

Typically, these variations can be dealt with through measures such as shading, shutters,
overhangs and louvres that allow low-level winter sun to penetrate into the building, but blockthe
higher summer sun. Thermal mass can be used to store peak conditions during the day and then
to vent them to the outside at night. Even deciduous trees can be beneficial, their leaves
shading buildings from summer sun, but then allowing the solar radiation to penetrate through
their bare branches during the winter.

Additional complexities can be introduced by internal heat loads such as people

and ICTequipment and by occupancy patterns. In a 9-to-5 office with a moderate amount
of installedequipment, it may be possible to use thermal mass to store heat loads during the day
and then to vent these and cool the thermal mass when the building is unoccupied at night. This
may not be possible with a building such as a hospital that is continuously occupied.

Considering all these issues early in the design process, so that they can be incorporated into the
fundamental design of the building, requires close working across the entire design team. The
historic model, where the architect designed a building and then a structural engineermade it
stand up and then last of all a services engineer made it comfortable, is unlikely to achieve a
satisfactory result.

Passive design measures can require occupant involvement, for example to open windows, turn
out lights, adjust louvres, and so on. This requires education so that occupants are able to
understand the building and to operate it efficiently. Occupant behaviour is often cited as one of
the prime causes of the 'performance gap', that is, the difference between the expected and
actual energy consumption of completed buildings.

As well as reducing energy consumption, adopting passive design strategies can

help buildingratings across standards such as PassivHaus, BREEAM, the Code for Sustainable
Homes and LEED.

NB: The urban heat island effect, is an effect found in urban environments where the
predominance of hard, heat absorbing surfaces results in a higher ambient temperature than
in rural environments. It has been found that simply selecting lighter coloured materials that
reflect solar radiation rather than absorbing it can significantly reduce urban temperatures and so
the need for active systems to provide cooling.

Source: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Passive_building_design
Key features of passive design

The key elements of passive design are: building location and orientation on the site; building
layout; window design; insulation (including window insulation); thermal mass; shading; and
ventilation. Each of these elements works with others to achieve comfortable temperatures and
good indoor air quality.

The first step is to achieve the right amount of solar access – enough to provide warmth during
cooler months but prevent overheating in summer. This is done through a combination of
location and orientation, room layout, window design and shading.

Insulation and thermal mass help to maintain even temperatures, while ventilation provides
passive cooling as well as improving indoor air quality.

All of these elements work alongside each other and therefore should be considered holistically.
For example, large windows that admit high levels of natural light might also result in excessive
heat gain, especially if they cast light on an area of thermal mass. Similarly, opening windows
that provide ventilation will also let in noise.

Alongside passive design features, designers should also consider other factors such as views,
covenants and local authority restrictions, and building owners’ preferences.

Source: http://www.level.org.nz/passive-design/
What are common Passive Building Design Measures?

Some passive design measures are as follows:

1. Designing for the climate: It is important to understand the micro-climate of the region
the building is placed in. A building might be placed in a hot and dry climate, some are
located close to the ocean might want to take advantage of the sea breeze while those in
the city might avoid letting the hot air, noise and pollution infiltrate into the building.

2. Building Orientation and Shading: A north oriented building takes full advantage of
the sun for solar heat gain during the winter and daylighting. In the summer, keeping the
angle of sun into consideration, appropriate shading can help keep the harsh summer sun
out.

3. Glazing and Window Type: A perfect orientation, building massing and building
envelope can completely fail if the glazing is not optimised. Glazing can be chosen for
passive heating, passive cooling or both. By balancing out the U-value and SHGC, the
glazing can aid and retention of heat gain as well as keeping the heat out through the
values or the treatment of the window (low-e, reflective etc.). The window type also
plays an instrumental role in the heat gain/rejection due to the way the window is framed
but also determines the efficiency of natural ventilation due to its size, placement and
opening mechanism which can greatly improve thermal comfort for warmer climates.

4. Thermal Mass: Thermal mass can effectively be used for solar gain by retaining the heat
and absorbing it in the winter from a warm interior (in the case of reverse veneer wall).
Like all passive design strategies, this has to be done keeping the climate in mind and the
overall target of the building.

5. Building Envelope and Insulation: Choosing the correct building materials is crucial
for maintaining a building envelope that has a good thermal performance. Factors like
thermal mass, behaviour of certain materials, placement of windows, type of flooring all
determine the heat exchange which will occur between the external environment and the
interior. It is key to use insulation as it acts like a barrier to the heat flow by increasing
the thermal resistance of the building. The selection of insulation depends on the climate
 while the efficiency of the insulation depends on the efficacy with which it is installed.
Having a well-insulated and sealed building envelope ensures that all passive heating
and/or cooling methods are fully effective as a constant internal temperature can be
maintained.

For more information on how you can maximise solar passive benefits in your home or next
upcoming project contact Energy Rating Perth today! Energy Rating Perth are your local 6 star,
DTS, Green Star and Part J specialists.

Source:http://www.energyratingperth.com.au/what-are-common-passive-building-design-
measures/