NATURAL VENTILATION

Natural ventilation is an efficient method of reducing energy consumption and the cost associate with it. It
helps in providing acceptable indoor environment and maintaining a comfortable indoor climate. Also it
acts as an alternative to air conditioners which can save between 10% to 30% of the total power
consumption. Natural ventilation rely on natural forces of wind and buoyancy to push or deliver fresh air
into the building.

DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

Design of natural ventilation systems is dependent on the type of building as well as on the local climate.
Furthermore, the internal spaces should be carefully designed and the size and position of openings should
be considered for proper ventilation.

Two separate openings should be provided in each room (supply opening and exhaust opening).
The exhaust opening should be located at a higher elevation than the supply opening for the purpose
of maximizing stack effect.
Window openings should be such that they can be used by the occupants.
Provide adequate internal airflow.
Flow of air between rooms of the building is important. The design of interior doors is a way to
encourage ventilation through the whole building.
Use of vented skylights which will provide a way for stale air to escape from the building. Skylight
also provides solar energy to increase the flow of air. Windows in the basement should be
considered to ensure a complete ventilation system.

PARKING LOT DESIGN STANDARDS

(As per the University of Houston Campus Design Guidelines and Standards).
PARKING LOT DESIGN

The objective of a parking lot is to maximize the number of parking spaces in the available space. The
following points should be considered:

Continuous flow of traffic should be provided through the lot.

Movement of pedestrians from the parking to the building should be made safe.
Appropriate landscaping should be provided alongside with adequate lighting.

PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR CIRCULATION

The proposed building and the site facilities should be easily accessible to people with disabilities.
Circulation systems should be designed such that conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles are minimized.
Locations where vehicular routes crosses pedestrian circulation, more emphasis should be put on improving
the visibility of the conflict point for safety reasons. The visibility can be increased by the following
methods:

(i) Speed bumps

(ii) Signage
(iii) A crosswalk with yellow striping in plastic

The design of the parking lot should consider access requirements for emergency service vehicles like fire
brigades.

PARKING LOT LAYOUT

Different configurations of the parking layout and widths of the parking lot aisle or access drive is shown
below.
Figure 1: Parking layout [Source: University of Houston Design Standards]
DIMENSIONS

As per the University of Houston Design Guidelines and Standards, the parking dimensions with reference
to Figure 2 is given in Table 1.

Figure 2: Dimensions of parking

Table 1: Minimum standard dimensions for parking

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Parking for persons with disabilities should conform with the guidelines found in the Texas
Accessibility Standards (TAS).
These parking should be located as close as possible to any main entrances of the building so that
these persons can access the building via the shortest route.
An accessible route should be provided from the accessible parking to the entrance of the building.
This route is without curbs and stairs and should be at least 3 feet wide with slope not exceeding
1:12 in the direction of travel.

LAYOUT FOR ACCESSIBLE PARKING

For cars:

8 feet wide parking

5 feet wide adjacent access aisle

For vans:

11 feet wide parking

5 feet wide adjacent access aisle

However, one access aisle can be shared by two accessible parking as shown in figure below.
Figure 3: Access aisle shared by two accessible parking

NUMBER OF SPACES

The number of parking provided for persons with disabilities should be in accordance with table below.

Table 2: Number of accessible parking

PARKING LOT ACCESS RAMPS

Ramps must be at least of a width of 1.2 m with slope not exceeding 1:12. Furthermore, handrails
conforming with the latest requirements should be provided for safety reasons.

GREEN BUILDINGS

Buildings are responsible for about 40% of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere (Jeetah
n.d). Being concerned with the global warming problems, the construction industry has introduced the
concept of green building. A green building is defined as a building that meet the standards set in the
USGBC (US Green Building Council).

As per the USGBC, green buildings incorporate design and construction practices which reduce the
negative impact of buildings on the environment. Five broad areas are considered and these are as follows:

Sustainable site planning

Safeguarding water
Energy efficiency
Materials and resources conservation
Indoor environmental quality

The benefits of green buildings are as follows:

(i) Reduced energy consumption

(ii) Increased market value
(iii) Reduced health liability risks
RAMPS IN CAR PARKS

TYPES OF RAMPS

Many types of ramps exist and they are used in different situations (FAQs car park ramps) . The two main
types of ramps are:

(i) Connecting ramps

These are commonly used in multi-storey car parks. The vertically separated parking decks
are linked by connecting ramps.

(ii) Parking ramps

They are commonly used in helical or spiral car parks whereby they combine the function of
circulation and storage.

SLOPES FOR STRAIGHT RAMPS

The recommended slope for straight ramps vary according to the situations where they are used:

Slope = 1:6 when vertical separation between parking decks is less than 1.5 m.
Slope is not less than 1:10 when vertical difference is greater than 1.5 m.
In situations where the ramps are curved, the recommended slope is 1:10 or 1:12 depending on the
separation.

GRADIENT FOR PEDESTRIANS

In a car park whereby people are likely to use ramps, the slope should not be steeper than 1:10 otherwise
this will result in a problematic situation.

Also, for people with disabilities, the slope should not be steeper than 1:12 since these persons may
experience difficulties in moving especially if they are in a wheelchair.
RAMP WIDTH

The recommended width of a one way ramp is 3.0 m with a side clearance to the structure of 0.3 m. For
the entry section of a turning approach, the recommended width of the ramps is 3.5 m.

REFERENCES

Article 13. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.parkingconsultantsltd.com/rampfaqs.htm

[Accessed 11 February 2016]

Natural ventilation | Whole building design guide. [ONLINE] Available at:

https://www.wbdg.org/resources/naturalventilation.php

[Accessed 11 February 2016]

Green buildings | We love Mauritius. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.welovemauritius.org/node/34

[Accessed 11 February 2016]