The buildings, as they are designed today, contribute serious environmental
problems in the country because of excessive consumption. The close connection between the energy use in buildings and environmental damage arises because we still look to energy – intensive solutions to meet our demands of heating, cooling and lighting in buildings. The term solar architecture refers to an approach to building design that is sensitive to Nature and takes advantage of climatic conditions to achieve human comfort rather than depending on artificial energy that is both costly and environmentally damaging.
It relies upon the design or architecture of the building itself to ensure climate control by way of natural thermal conduction, convection and radiation. The rudiments of solar passive design were developed and used through the centuries by many civilizations across the globe; in fact, many of these early civilizations built dwellings that were better suited to their climatic surroundings than those built today in most developed and developing countries.
Natural lighting and proper ventilation, shading of the walls and good insulation of the roof are important features for creating comfort zones within buildings. A house cooled/heated with solar passive architecture not only provides a comfortable environment through out of the year but also saves a lot in energy bills.
Best Implementation of solar passive architecture takes place at the design stage. Appropriate building technologies are an overall part of passive solar architecture.
Passive Solar Architecture – Heating
Passive Solar Heating the building through the use of solar energy involves the absorption and storage of incoming solar radiation, which is then used to meet the heating requirements of the space. The following methods can be used for that % • Incoming solar radiation is typically stored in thermal mass such as concrete, brick, rock, water or a material that changes phase according to temperature.
• Incoming sunlight is regulated by the use of overhangs, awnings and shades while insulating materials can help to reduce heat loss during the night or in the cold season.
• Vents and dampers are typically used to distribute warm or cool air from the system to the areas where it is needed.
The three most common solar passive systems are direct gain, indirect gain and isolated gain.
Solar passive systems:
1. DIRECT GAIN
A direct gain is the common, cheap, simple, and effective approach and is used in a cold climate. A direct gain system allows sunlight to windows into on occupied space where it is absorbed by the floor and walls. Sunlight is admitted to the space (by south facing glass) and virtually all of it is converted to thermal energy. The walls and floor are used for solar collection and thermal storage by absorbing radiation directly, or reflected or reradiated energy.
As long as the room temperature remains high in the interior space storage mass (walls, floors) will conduct heat to their cores. At night, when outside temperatures drop and the interior space cools, the heat flow into the storage masses is reversed and heat is given up to the interior space in order to reach equilibrium. Direct gain design is employ a wide variety of materials and combinations of ideas that will depend greatly upon the site and topography; building location and orientation; building shape (depth, length, and volume); and space use.
Direct gain design - A direct gain Direct gain interior - A direct gain design collects and stores heat during design with an interior water wall for the day. At night stored heat is radiated heat storage. Heat stored in the water into the living spaces. wall is radiated at night.
A direct gain design requires about one-half to two-thirds of the total interior surface area to be constructed of thermal storage materials. These can include floor, ceiling and wall elements, and the materials can range from masonry (concrete, adobe, brick, etc.) to water. Water contained within plastic or metal containment and placed in the direct path of the sun's rays has the advantage of heating more quickly and more evenly than masonry walls during the convection process. The convection process also prevents surface temperatures from becoming too extreme as they sometimes do when dark colored masonry surfaces receive direct sunlight.
The masonry heating problem can be
alleviated by using a glazing material that scatters sunlight so that it is more evenly distributed over walls, ceiling, and floor storage masses. This decreases the intensity of rays reaching any single surface but does not reduce the amount of solar energy entering the space. It may be noted that no curtains and carpets should be used to cover floors/walls which is used for storage purpose. Diffusing glazing materials.
A direct gain can be achieved by various forms of openings like clearstories, skylights, green houses or glass curtain walls etc.
The color of the interior wall also plays an important role in absorbing the radiations. Storage surface should be of medium color.
2. INDIRECT GAIN
In the indirect gain system, thermal storage materials (like walls) are placed between the interior habitable space and the sun (glazing) so there is no direct heating. This wall absorbs and stores heat, which is then transferred to the rest of the building by combination of conduction and convection or radiation. These walls are called Thermal storage wall Different type of Thermal storage wall are:
a. Trombe wall is made of very thick solid wall made of concrete, masonry or composites of bricks block and sand, is placed just behind a south facing glazing (windows). The wall is painted black to increase its absorptive capacity.
Sunlight enters through the glass and is immediately absorbed at the surface of the storage wall. Air in the space between the glazing and the wall gets heated up. Temperatures in this space can easily exceed 100°F.
This build up of heat can be utilized to warm a space by providing heat-distributing vents on the top and the bottom of the wall. The top and bottom vents continue to circulate air as long as the air entering the bottom vent is cooler than the air leaving the top vent. This is known as a natural convective loop.
At night the vents can be closed to keep cold air out and the interior space is then heated by the storage mass, which gives up its heat by radiation as the room cools. Figure Indirect gain Trombe wall stores heat during the day. Figure Indirect gain water wall Excess heat is vented to the collects and stores heat during interior space. At night Trombe the day. Heat stored in indirect wall vents are closed and the gain water wall is radiated into storage wall radiates heat into the living space at night. the interior space.
b. Water walls: They employ water as the thermal storage material. They need not be vented at top and bottom and can be constructed in many ways - even 55-gallon drums filled with water, or specially constructed plastic or sealed concrete containers.
Water wall can be made of water stacked up behind glazing. It is painted black externally to increase the absorption of radiation. The internal surface can be painted with any color. It can be contacted with the interior space directly or separated by a thin concrete wall or insulating layer. Heat transfer by water wall is much faster than that of trombe wall.
c. Greenhouse effect: A south facing "greenhouse space" is constructed in front of a
thermal storage wall exposed to the direct rays of the sun. The thermal wall absorbs heat at the same time the interior space of the greenhouse is being heated. The basic requirements of this building are: • A glazed south facing collector space attached, Yet distinct from the building. • Thermal storage link between the collector and living space for heat transfer.
If a vented masonry wall is used as storage, heat can also be released into the living space by convection. This combination also works with an unvented water wall. The advantage is that a tempered greenhouse condition can be maintained through days of no sun, with heating from both sides of the thermal storage wall. Thermal mass must be located where winter radiations can reach. Floor, walls, benches, rock bed or covered pools of water can be used to store heat. Glazing should be preferred be sloped at 45° in overcast and 60° in clear and sunny areas. The storage wall is generally wall the 200-450mm thick. For rock storage walls the th. 0.75-1.25 m3 per sq. meter for the glazing area.
Attached greenhouse with vented storage
wall. Heat is stored in the wall during the day Attached greenhouse with water storage - excess heat is vented to the interior space. wall. At night the wall vents are closed and stored heat is radiated to both the greenhouse and the interior space. Thermal pond: An indirect gain design which provides both heating and cooling is the thermal pond approach, which uses water encased in ultraviolet ray inhibiting plastic beds underlined with a dark color, that are placed on a roof. In warm and temperate climates with low precipitation, the flat roof structure also serves directly as a ceiling for the living spaces below, thereby facilitating direct transfer of heating and cooling for the spaces below.
In colder climes, where heating is more desirable, attic
ponds under pitched roof glazing are effective. Winter heating occurs when sunlight heats the water, which then radiates energy into the living space as well as absorbs heat within the water thermal mass for night time distribution.
During the summer, a reverse process, occurs. For best
effect, roof ponds must be insulated, so that heat will not radiate and be lost to the outside. One of the major advantages of this approach is that it allows all rooms to have their own radiant energy source with little concern about the orientation of the structure or optimal building form.
Heating cycle - Roof pond collects and stores heat during the day. At night roof ponds are covered and stored heat is radiated into the space below.
3. ISOLATED GAIN
In an isolated gain system, solar energy is absorbed in a separate area such as
greenhouse or solarium, and distributed to the living space by ducts. The incorporation of insulation in passive systems can be effective in conserving additional energy. The basic requirements for this system are:
• A collector, • A storage mass, • A mechanism to distribute heat storage mass.
The slop of the collector is generally equal to the latitude of the place. Its area may range from 20 to 40% of the floor area of the living space.
Water or air convection loop
If air is used as the transfer medium in a convection loop, heated air coming from the collector is usually directed into a rock (or other masonry mass material) bin where heat is absorbed by the rocks from the air. As the air passes its heat to the rocks it cools, falls to the bottom of the bin and is returned to the collector completing the cycle. At night the interior space of the structure is heated by convection of the collected radiant energy from the rock bin. If water is the transfer medium, the process works in much the same way except that heat is stored in a tank, and as hot water is introduced, cooler water is circulated to the collector. In naturally occurring convection systems (non-mechanically assisted) collectors must be lower than storage units, which must be lower than the spaces to be heated (RT).
PASSIVE SOLAR Techniqes:
• Site considerations • Building form • Plan form • Building envelope SITE CONSIDERATIONS The performance of any solar energy building is strongly impacted by the site and the sitting of the building in relation to its surroundings. Sitting can help to save considerable amount of energy and also provide s fairly satisfactory indoor environment throughout of the year. It envolves: • Macroclimate • Microclimate
Macroclimate: it includes the climate zone.
Microclimate: The conditions of the wind, sun, radiations, temperature, and humidity experienced at particular locations around a building. Microclimate effects by the following:
a. Land form b. Vegetation c. Water bodies d. Street width and orientation e. Open spaces and built form
Building form It is the location of the building with respect to the cardinal direction. Buildings oriented along an east-west axis are more efficient for both winter heating and summer cooling (RT). This orientation allows for maximum solar glazing (windows) to the south for solar capture for heating. Different building shapes and orientations can be designed to perform efficiently by combining effective glazing, solar exposure, and shading into the building form
Plan form The plan form of the building affects the amount of solar radiation eceived by the building and the airflow around it. Building envelope It determines the amount of radiation and wind that will enter inside. It consists: a. roof, b. walls, c. fenestration, d. shading, e. External color and texture.
The envelope controls heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. Its performance in modifying or filtering climatic extremes is greatly improved by passive design. Well designed envelopes maximise cooling air movement and exclude sun in summer. In winter, they trap and store heat from the sun and minimise heat loss to the external environment. The fundamental principles of passive design, explained above are relatively simple but they must be applied to a vast range of climates, house types and construction systems in Australia. Bikalpa Shakti Bhaban . a Study on Energy Efficiency The idea of studying the energy efficiency of the BSB is to establish the fact that architecture can be made sustainable through appropriate use of materials, landscaping and technology which will create an eco-friendly environment. The office building of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA ) has been named as Bikalpa Shakti Bhavan (BSB), which when translated means ‘a building for alternative power’. The building is located on a plot of land within Electronics Complex of Salt Lake City, West Bengal.The office building of WBREDA is four storied having floor space of 511.5 m2 in each floor on a corner plot having south and east side open. The initial design concept evolved from the following basic SPA principle: (i) East, west and south sides, must be protected from unwanted solar radiations while south sun must warm up the building in winter season. (ii) Optimum utilization of on-site sources like natural ventilation and illumination to enhance comfort for the occupants. (iii) Natural vegetation and water body must further enhance the indoor thermal comfort.
The basic design of the building to maximize utilization of natural resources has been conceived by adopting the following strategies and systems. These are: • due to high water table and poor soil condition underground construction could not be undertaken but the thermal inertia of ground by earth embankment upto window sill level has been adopted in west and north faces, • The form of building plan is conceived as a rectangle with orientation of shorter sides, (least exposed faces) on west and east, to reduce heat gain. • Longer faces of the building are in south and north and are exposed to direct wind direction. • The air conditioned areas are kept on northern side of the building. • The walls on the west face are kept devoid of fenestration to eliminate the problem of heat gains due to low positions of sun in this direction during afternoon. • The areas which are not used frequently like store, staircase and toilets are placed on the eastern and western sides as buffer against direct solar heat. • While entering the premises the hot breeze is made to transverse through 6 m high evergreen trees by which most of the radiation of heat getting absorbed. • A water body is created between the building in the south and south-west location to have the direct wind trapped, cooled naturally and vented through the non air-conditioned area of the building. A narrow opening above the water body connects to a solar chimney, which runs vertically upwards through the middle of first, second and third floors, • The high pillars surrounding the water body, facilitate circulation of cool breeze within the building through different entry points and hence helps the inside environment of building to remain cool. • It saves the high cost of running air conditioning machines saving use of at least 20 kW of electricity daily. • There is no window on the west side of the building and a cavity wall has been constructed on that side to prevent heat radiation inside. • direct ventilation in ground floor area to enhance naturally cooled air circulation by providing suitably situated windows, • Since the entry of day light has been prevented by not providing window on the west side, a portion of roof has been provided with low energy content poly-carbonate sheets to allow light to pass through. Heating and Ventilation Strategy Building orientation has been selected carefully to minimize heat gain and maximize utilization of natural ventilation and day-light. Some are: • Non air conditioned areas are located on the Southern side to take advantage from the prevailing wind during hot and humid period. • For better cross-ventilation, portion of the roof has been raised and used as solar chimney. • Overhangs have protected southern face of the wall. These overhangs on the windows have been designed for shadowing as well as to function as light shelves for even distribution of day-light. • Large air ducts are provided by way of long tunnel shape corridors with opening under shade for adequate heat radiation. • The building is virtually divided into two parts, north and south blocks serviced by a corridor in between. • The raised roof covered by low E-glass acts as a solar chimney and creates draft for the ventilation of the spaces.
Day Lighting Proper day light distribution within building is very efficient means of minimizing electrical energy used for artificial lighting during the day specially for office buildings. Provision of direct daylight in most spaces has been made possible through windows provided while designing the building. • The sizes of the shading devices in the form of fixed louver (overhangs, side fins) have been optimized on the basis of solar geometry. The windows in the north facade are large to admit day light, while the southern windows are splitted horizontally to form light shelves, which reflect sunlight to the ceiling and increase the overall illumination in office spaces. • The entry of daylight into the work areas is enhanced by the light shelves in the south windows. • This indirect light provides a very cool, comfortable and glazed free illumination at working table level after re-reflection from the ceiling. • The circulation spaces like the corridors, stairs, lobby areas etc are naturally lighted by way of innovated raised roofing. • Air conditioned areas are strategically located on north side to have maximum Utilization of north light, Energy Efficiency
The total annual average electrical load of the building according to the installed appliances like lights, fans, air conditioners and miscelleneous equipments works out to 38.8 kW. The study of the consumption of electricity as reflected in the electric bills show that the average usage of the appliances amounts only to 56% of the installed electrical load. (Estimated load in use=21.4 kw) The load of 21.4 kW is close to the output from the solar PV plant of capacity 25 kW installed on the roof of Bikalpa Shakti Bhaban and it operates in the grid connected mode supplying the required power to the building. Hence, the net energy demand on an annual basis for BSB is expected to be negligible if the consumption pattern remains unaltered.
CONCLUSION The BSB office as an example indicates that, through appropriate architectural planning and detailing using SPA concept, the energy budget of a building could substantialy be reduced effecting saving in the energy use. The example also demonstrate how architecture could be made sustainable through appropriate use of materials, landscaping and technology which will support eco-friendly environment without compromising the needs of its present users.
REFERENCES 1.”Steps Towards Green Power”. Report of Activities 1998-2000 of WBREDA. 2. Performance Evaluation of BSB. 3. IREDA NEWS. vol 14, no 4, October-December 2003. 4. “Preliminary Project Report on BSB.” Gherzi Eastern Limited, Kolkata. 5. "Bikalpa Shakti Bhaban-a Study on Energy Efficiency” vol 85, October 2004
