LING YUAN MING
ARCHITECTURE E-PORTFOLIO
Building Science 1
(BLD60803)
Project 1 (Case Study: Analysing passive design strategies)
Passive design does not require mechanical heating or cooling. Buildings that are passively designed take advantage of natural climate to maintain thermal comfort. Incorporating the principles of passive design in building:
1. Significantly improves comfort • Reduces or eliminates heating and cooling bills
2. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and lighting.
Building envelope is a term used to describe the roof, walls, windows, floors and internal walls of a building. In a tropical climate, the envelope should controls heat gain and exclusion of rainwater. Well-designed envelopes maximize cooling through air movement and exclude the solar radiation. The fundamental principles of passive design are relatively simple and can be applied to various climate zones, house types and construction systems.
The building that was chosen is Point 92, which is located in Damansara, Malaysia. This is because it is one of the certified green buildings by the Green Building Index (GBI) of Malaysia. The two passive designs that are significant are the shading devices and and natural ventilations.
This project allowed and brought us outside the university zone and towards public. It was an awesome experience to be able to venture this green building as it really opened our eyes. Much thing were learnt from the moment we gathered information and data to presenting them. Computer softwares like Revit and Vasari is necessary to generate the required advanced information. Although I was not given the oppourtunity to use the applications, I've seen how it's done and will be trying them in my free time.
From this project, we've learnt a lot regarding passive designs and that is very useful in future designs. Not only does green buildings can achive the wonderous aesthetic but they do save the environment at the same time.