The Passive House:

Issues of Cooling: Form, shading,ventilation.

Greg Keeffe
Head of Design
Manchester School of Architecture, Manchester UK
g.keeffe@mmu.ac.uk
Living (bioclimatic) architecture

Climate derives form

Uruguay Climate: Hot Humid
Uruguay Climate: Hot Humid
Passive Design

Building and equipment is system to provide

occupant comfort
Key issues
Form
Orientation
Mass (inside and out)
Façade design – fenestration / shading in particular
Fabric Solar Gain
Ventilation control
Incidental and ambient gains
Building and equipment a single system

Resource/Material loop
Passive Design

Form - The Passive zone.

It is crucial all rooms are within the passive zone

The passive zone is typically 7metres from the building edge

Sometimes this can be extended

Passive Design

Form - Surface area to volume ratio

Compact versus rambling

Passive Design

Form - Self shading

Passive Design

Form - the Courtyard

Offers self shading with microclimate

Fathy Houses
Tunis
Alberto Campo Baeza, Caspar House
Passive Design

Form - Minimise West façade

The West façade is the most difficult to shade

Passive Design

Form - Layering
Passive Design

Orientation

Re sun and wind

Glenn Murcutt
Passive Design

Issues of thermal Mass

Heavy or light??

Tropical light, arid heavy.

Bedouin tent - Alhrambra

Passive Design

Façade design

Nouvel

Corderch
Passive Design

Fabric design

Mass, Insulation, fenestration

Passive Design

Ventilation Control
Passive Design

Incidental and ambient gain

Passive Design

Building and equipment as single system

Rogers MVRDV Future Systems

IN WARM WEATHER

1. MINIMIZE HEAT GAINS.

2. AVOID OVERHEATING.

3. OPTIMISE COOL AIR VENTILATION AND OTHER

NATURAL COOLING METHODS.

Shigeru Ban
 THE NEED FOR COOLING

Givoni’s bioclimatic chart

COOLING STRATEGIES

1. SOLAR CONTROL

• To prevent the sun’s rays from reaching and

entering the building.
COOLING STRATEGIES
2. EXTERNAL GAINS

• To prevent increases in heat due to

conduction through the building skin or by the
infiltration of external hot air.
COOLING STRATEGIES

3. INTERNAL GAINS

• To prevent unwanted heat from occupants

and equipment raising internal temperatures.
COOLING STRATEGIES

4. VENTILATION

• Unwanted hot air may be expelled and

replaced by fresh external air at a suitable
temperature.
COOLING STRATEGIES

5. NATURAL COOLING

• To transfer excess heat from the building to

ambient heat sinks.
COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL

• External essential.

• examples are overhangs, awnings, movable

blinds/louvres and planted screens.
COOLING STRATEGIES
SOLAR CONTROL (SHADING)

• The degree and type of shade necessary depends

on the position of the sun and the position and
geometry of the part of the building being shaded.
Solar Geometry and shading
COOLING STRATEGIES

Orientation

• Long axis East-West

• Shading of North fenestration simple

• East and West facing windows, are more difficult
to shade
 COOLING STRATEGIES
Hostel for Youth Education Institute,
Windberg, Thomas Herzog
COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (FIXED SHADING)

• South facing windows can be shaded by an

fixed overhang above the glazed element.

• The depth of the overhang should take into

account not only its distance above the
window but also the aperture height.

• The length of the overhang is determined by

the window width.
COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (ADJUSTABLE SHADING)

• The effectiveness of fixed screens varies according to

the seasonal changes in the position of the sun.
Discarded music cassettes, Pavilion of Christ, Volkenroda.
Transparent Insulation Material (extruded honeycomb).
House, Amsterdam, Heren 5
Administration Building, Wiesbaden, Herzog + Partners
 Overcast day Clear sky

Curved sunscreen and light-deflecting elements in south facing

Intelligent façade allow differentiated natural lighting on overcast and
clear days.
Bioclimatic Skyscraper proposed for
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Foliage used as solar filter at Tokyo-Nara tower,

Japan, Exhibition Tower, Ken Yeang
Learning Resource Centre, Jubilee campus, Nottingham, Hopkins Architects

Audi Mobile Museum, Ingolstadt, Munich, Germany,

Design-Agency KMS

Heliotropic solar shading, Siemens Pavilion, Expo

’92 Seville, by Siemens Architecture Dept.
Albert Camus School,
Frejus, France
Foster+Partners
Single family House,
Wohnhaus, Vaise, France
Jourda & Perraudin
COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (ADJUSTABLE SHADING)

• Outside the building envelope

• Daylighting important too

COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (Double Skins)

• Consists of outer single glazing - shading - double

glazing

• Interstitial space acts as solar chimney to increase

ventilation.
Business Promotion Centre, Duisberg, Germany,
Foster & Partners
COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL The roof

Extending the eaves offers shading potential

COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (SPECIAL GLAZING)

For windows which are difficult to shade,

• Absorbing glass
• Reflecting glass
Reflecting glass & clear glass Absorbing glass & clear glass
COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (SPECIAL GLAZING)

• Photochromic, thermochromic, and electrochromic

glasses modify the incoming rays of the sun so that
the optical properties of the glass change i.e. the glass
darkens.
High-transmission State (Clear) Low-transmission State (Coloured)

Schematic diagram of a five-layer electrochromic coating system.

A reversible low voltage charge forces ions to migrate between an
active electrochromic layer and a passive counterelectrode layer
causing the active layer to darken. When the voltage is reversed and
the ions are removed, the electrochromic layer returns to its clear state.
 COOLING STRATEGIES

SOLAR CONTROL (PLANTING )

• Shading can also be provided by vegetation.

• If deciduous, the branches are bare in winter allowing

solar penetration, from spring onwards as the leaves
grow shade increases.
COOLING STRATEGIES
Minimise EXTERNAL GAINS

• Walls and roofs heated by the sun and by the

warm outside air produce uncomfortable
conditions inside.
• INSULATION
• THERMAL INERTIA
• REFLECTION.
COOLING STRATEGIES

EXTERNAL GAINS (INSULATION)

Can be used to prevent overheating by

conduction in summer.
COOLING STRATEGIES

EXTERNAL GAINS (THERMAL INERTIA)

there is a time delay due to the thermal inertia of
the walls and roof, etc., in the flow of heat
through the building envelope which can be
exploited in a heavyweight building for cooling
purposes.
COOLING STRATEGIES
EXTERNAL GAINS (THERMAL INERTIA)

Turf roofs offer transpiration cooling

And insulation
COOLING STRATEGIES

EXTERNAL GAINS (THERMAL INERTIA)

• When solar radiation strikes an opaque surface

such as a wall or a roof the exterior surface
absorbs part of the radiation and converts it to
heat.

• Part of the heat is directly re-emitted to the

outside.

• The remainder is conducted through the wall or

roof at a rate which depends on the thermal
properties of the material.
Concrete has a delay of 20mins per 10mm
COOLING STRATEGIES

STORAGE OF COLD (REMOTE MASS)

• Rock beds located away from the occupied space

can be used to increase the amount of heat and
cold that can be effectively stored.
Summer Cooling strategy Day/Night

Princeton Professional Park, Princeton, New Jersey, Harrison Fraker

COOLING STRATEGIES

EXTERNAL GAINS (REFLECTION)

• Light colours

• In an air-filled cavity wall or roof space radiation is

key thermal transport, so add foil.
COOLING STRATEGIES

Minimise INTERNAL GAINS

Artificial lighting, appliances and

the tasks of occupants all lead to
internal heat gains.

This can be reduced by natural

daylighting and by:

• Accurate control.
• Choosing efficient appliances.
• Expelling the heat generated.
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION

• Usually buildings are warmer inside than out.

• Thus increasing ventilation using cooler fresh air

gives relief
Stack effect
Solar chimneys use the sun to warm-up the internal surface of
the chimney. Buoyancy forces due to temperature difference
help induce an upward flow along the plate.
Osuna Housing Seville
Sotomayer, Dominguez Lopez
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION (STACK EFFECT)

• The same effect can be used to create cross ventilation.

Am Lindenwaldle, Freiburg, Germany
Dominic Michaelis Associates

Summer operation –
Ventilation and air circulation
La Salut, Barcelona, Spain
C. Parant

Cooling mode:

Cool air is drawn up from the

north face of the house to be
exhausted through the skylights.
Office Building, Dresden, LOG ID
1. Cavity between concrete and steel roof promotes cooling of concrete.
2. Stale air exits the classrooms at the highest point, preventing the formation of a
warm static air layer.
3. Cross ventilation through classrooms.
4. Entry of fresh air at a low height enhances air circulation in the classrooms.
5. Perforated steel louvres shade from direct sunlight.
6. Stale, warm air exits through the open louvres.
7. Ventilation enhanced by Stack/chimney effect.
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION (WIND PRESSURE EFFECT)

• When wind strikes a building a high pressure on the

exposed side and a low pressure on the opposite,
sheltered face results.
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION (WIND PRESSURE EFFECT)

• The movement of air across a site is from high

pressure zones to low pressure zones, through
openings in the building envelope.

• The best distribution of fresh air throughout the

building is achieved when the openings are
diagonally opposite each other and air flow is not
hindered excessively by partitions and furniture,
etc.
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION (WIND PRESSURE EFFECT)

• Maximum ventilation should be provided during

the day in occupied areas of the building at
head height.

• In addition, there should always be a good flow

of fresh air along the building’s most massive
elements so that as much heat as possible is
dissipated from them.
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION (THE VENTURI EFFECT)

• Used to induce circulation of air in a particular

direction.

• The air is encouraged to flow through a constricted

part of the building. At this position, its speed
increases and the pressure decreases accordingly.

• The reduced pressure creates an air flow which can

be used to drive hot air from the building and thus
cause ventilation.
The Venturi tube illustrates the ‘Bernoulli effect’: as the
Velocity of air increases its static pressure decreases.
A Venturi tube used as a roof ventilator
Kanak Centre, New Calendonia, Renzo Piano
Kanak Centre, New Calendonia, Renzo Piano

Passive ventilation: light breezes Strong Winds

Cyclone Reverse Winds

COOLING STRATEGIES

Night cooling using (CROSS

VENTILATION)

It is a necessary complement to heat

storage.

NIGHT-TIME VENTILATION air is

preferentially circulated past
high thermal inertia masses to
remove the heat they have
accumulated during the day.
COOLING STRATEGIES - Night purging
COOLING STRATEGIES
NIGHT-TIME VENTILATION AIR

Room temperatures
dependant on outside
temperature (Summer day)

Operation of Night Cooling:

06:00 to 19:00hrs.
COOLING STRATEGIES

VENTILATION (WIND TOWERS)

• Wind towers draw upon the force of the wind to

generate air movement within the building.

• The inlet of a Wind Scoop are oriented toward the

windward side to capture the wind and drive air
down a chimney.

• Alternatively, a chimney cap is designed to create a

low pressure region at the top of the tower, and the
resultant drop in air pressure causes air to flow up
the chimney.
SCOOP CAP

Ventilation using Wind Towers

Windcatchers - vernacular

Iran Hydrabad
COOLING STRATEGIES

WIND TOWERS - modern

• Both these principles may be combined in a
single tower providing both admittance and
exhaust of air.
• A self-contained system is thus created.
View of wind cowl, Jubilee Campus, Nottingham University, Michael Hopkins
COOLING STRATEGIES

NATURAL COOLING

• EVAPORATION.

• GROUND COOLING.

• RADIATIVE HEAT LOSS to

the sky and by CROSS
VENTILATION.
COOLING STRATEGIES

COOLING OF INFILTRATION AIR

(EVAPORATIVE COOLING)

• To change its state from liquid to vapour, water

requires a certain amount of heat known as the LATENT
HEAT OF VAPORIZATION.

• When this heat is supplied by hot air there is a drop in

air temperature.
Passively cooled house, Arizona
Stanford University CA, Ecology Centre
Esherick Homsey Dodge & Davis
COOLING STRATEGIES Future Systems

GROUND COOLING
3 methods

Ground coupling
Air systems
Water systems
Hope House, Bill Dunster
COOLING STRATEGIES

RADIATIVE HEAT LOSS TO THE SKY

• Radiative transfer of heat always occurs between two

adjacent masses at different temperatures.

• clear night skies are (even in the warm season) cold so

exposed surfaces cool appreciatively

Indirect direct direct

In roof ponds the heat accumulated in a building during the day
is trapped and stored in the roof pond,
which is protected on the outside by movable insulation.

•At night, the insulation is removed to allow

•the stored heat to be radiated to the sky.

Skytherm House 1973

REFERENCES

Brown, G.Z. and Dekay, M. Sun, Wind and Light: Architectural Design
Strategies (John Wiley & Sons Inc. 2000).

Santamouris, M. Advances in Passive Cooling (Buildings, Energy and Solar

Technology) (EarthScan books 2007).

Herzog, Thomas. Solar energy in architecture and urban planning (Munich:

Prestel 1996).

Givoni, Baruch The Passive Cooling of Buildings (Architecture) (Wiley 1994).

Goulding, J.R., Lewis, J.O., and Steemers, T.C. Energy in Architecture: The
European Passive Solar Handbook (Batsford Ltd. 1993).

Goulding, J.R., Lewis, J.O., and Steemers, T.C. (eds.) Energy Conscious
Design: A Primer for Architects.

Melet, Ed. Sustainable Architecture: Towards A Diverse Built Environment

(Rotterdam: NAI Publishers 1999).