2/15/2023

Building Science II

L e c t u r e 3
Ventilation in Building

Objectives of Ventilation
 Examination of airflow
patterns around
buildings and how
apertures can be
designed for natural
ventilation.
 Fundamentals of
controlling velocity
and direction of air
streams in rooms as
well as buoyancy,
evaporation and other
thermosiphon related
effects.

1
 2/15/2023

Vent Blocks

2
 2/15/2023

Biomimetic Responsive Surface Structures

Source: http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=5655

LIVING Architecture

Building that breathe:

Thermo-bimetals

Buildings That Breathe _ Doris Sung's Living Architecture.wmv

3
 2/15/2023

Purposes of Ventilation

1. continuous oxygen supply

2. remove contaminants
• Water vapor
• Heat and smells from cooking
• Gases and vapors from industrial
processes

Purpose of Natural Ventilation

 saves substantial energy,
cutting down mechanical
cooling load
 improves indoor air quality,
provided that dust outside
doesn’t cause air problems
 increases productivity,
people can open windows and
control air flow in their
workspaces

4
 2/15/2023

Definition: Natural Ventilation

 Process where fresh air is introduced and

contaminated air is removed from a space.

 Ventilation driven by natural forces:

 Wind
 Buoyancy- temperature differences ‘stack effect’
 Temperature difference of 5°C across a
doorway 2m high will give a flow of 0.1ms-1

X 10

Breathing & general fresh air requires

10 liters s-1

10

5
 2/15/2023

Understanding IAQ & IEQ

IAQ Indoor air quality

Concerned only
with air quality
IAQ IEQ
Ventilation Lighting
Chemical & Gases Dayligthing
Microbial Thermal Comfort
Contamination Biophilia
IEQ Indoor environmental quality Particulates
Smoke
EMF

Looks at factors bear

occupants’well-being

11

IAQ: Ventilation
Measures how often air in a space is
exchanged with fresh air.
Rate : Air changes per hour (ACH)
‘Stale air’ creates health problems

Toxic materials + Bacteria/dust Chemical

(Under ventilated space) Cocktail

12

6
 2/15/2023

Achieving Natural Ventilation

 Factors affecting natural air movement

around buildings :
1. Landscaping, site (topographic factors),
microclimate
2. Building form and envelope design
3. Internal planning and room design

13

Landscaping Influences
 Water feature engenders sense of coolness
 Vegetation modify external wind direction to
enhance ventilation
 Fragrant species - to perfume air flowing
through building

14

7
 2/15/2023

Air Purifying Landscape

AIR Filtration
NASA (National Aeronautic & Space Admin)
Indoor landscaping can purify air
and remove indoor contaminants

15

Plants & IEQ (NASA research)

Air purification- Plants (remove formaldehyde, Benzene & Carbon monoxide)
1. Bamboo Palm
1 2 3
2. Chinese Evergreen
3. English Ivy
4. Gerbera Daisy
5. Janet Craig
6. Marginata
7. Mass Cane 4 5 6
8. Mother-inlaw tongue
9. Pot mum
10. Peach Lily
11. Warneckii

7 8 9 10 11

16

8
 2/15/2023

BIOPHILIA: The ACROS Fukuoka, Japan

17

BIOPHILIA: Green hospital (Guardian Angel)

Incorporates planted courtyard to speed up
patients recovery.

18

9
 2/15/2023

BIOPHILIA: Back-to-Nature
Effects of Biophilia
Dogs can calm people who have nervous conditions

Bedridden hospital patients with window views of

natural scene recover faster. (break barrier between inside & outside)

19

BIOPHILIA
Environments rich in views
and imagery of nature can
reduce stress and increase
focus and concentration.

20

10
 2/15/2023

What is Microclimate?
Climate of a small scale area,
confined spaces such as caves or houses.

21

Site Topographic Factors

Topographic factors influencing microclimate around

a building and its cooling energy requirement.

1. Altitude
2. Terrain
3. Water Feature
4. Natural Cover
5. Cities

22

11
 2/15/2023

Altitude
Temperature in the atmosphere decreases with increasing altitude by
approximately 1 degree centigrade per 180 meters in the tropics and
summer in the temperate regions and 1 degree centigrade per 220
meters in winter conditions

23

Terrain
valley
is a low area between hills,
often with a river running
through it

plateau
is an area of highland, usually
consisting of relatively flat terrain

Tibetan plateau

24

12
 2/15/2023

Water Feature
Water having higher specific heat
than land, normally warmer in
winter and cooler in summer,
usually cooler during the day
and warmer at night than land.

In the diurnal temperature

variations, when the land is
warmer than the water, low cool
air moves over the land to replace
the updraft. During the day, such
offshore breeze may have a
cooling effect of about 5 degree
centigrade. At night the direction is
reversed.

25

Tibetan Plateau

26

13
 2/15/2023

cool air cool air

Thermal Belt

‘Cool island’ to form in valleys

TERRAIN :
Cool air is heavier than warm air, and at night the outgoing radiation causes a cool air
layer to form near the ground surface. This “flow of cool air” causes “cool island” or
“cool air puddles” to form in valleys.

On the valley slopes, a series of small circulations mix with the neighboring warm air,
causing intermediate temperature conditions. Accordingly, the temperature at the
plateaus will be cool, at the valley floors very cool, but the high sides of the slopes will
remain warm. This area often indicated by the difference in vegetation, is referred to as
warm air slope (thermal belt).

27

Natural Cover
Natural cover of terrain tends to moderate temperatures and stabilize conditions
through the reflective qualities of various surfaces. Plants and grassy cover
reduce temperatures by absorption of insulation, and cool by evaporation.
Temperatures over grassy surfaces are 5 - 7 centigrade degrees cooler than
those of exposed soil.

*man-made surfaces tend to elevate temperatures, as the materials used

are usually absorptive in character. Asphalt surfaces can reach 51 deg.C
in 37 deg.C air temperatures.

28

14
 2/15/2023

Form + Envelope Design

 oriented to maximize exposure to wind direction

and designed with narrow plan form to facilitate
passage of air through building

(cross ventilation)

29

Internal Planning + Room Layout

 large openings for passage

of air and reducing number
of rooms, more voids for
air to pass through

30

15
 2/15/2023

Ventilation Concepts
 Single Sided Ventilation:
 Rooms with windows on one side only.
 Cold air will stream in, and warm air will stream
out again through the same window. Only
useful up to a certain room depth.
 Air flows in from the lower part of the opening
and out from the upper part.

31

Ventilation Concepts

32

16
 2/15/2023

Ventilation Concepts
 Single Sided Double Opening
 Air flow in from the bottom opening and out via
the top.

33

Ventilation Concepts
 Eave and Floor vents
 Vents located in joist and beam
spaces or between studs under
roof overhangs are economical
perimeter ventilation.
 Floor vents allow intake of cooler
ground air and are a natural
complement to eave vents as they
provide the inlet to a ventilation
cycle.

34

17
 2/15/2023

Breathable floor

35

Indoor temperature concrete house

Davis, et al, 2005

36

18
 2/15/2023

Cool Roof

37

Ventilated roof approach

Air Movement for traditional Malay house

38

19
 2/15/2023

Ventilated roof approach

Condition of air movement with and without Stack effect

39

Ventilated roof approach

Bernoulli principle usually occurs on low
slope roof. Extract trapped heat in attic.

Leeward
Windward - pressure,
+ pressure, Suction takes

Air flow in and out through windward and leeward openings.

Source: US Department of Energy, 2011.

40

20
 2/15/2023

Ventilated roof approach

provide opening on the roof surface (ridge vent)

41

Turbine ventilator
Vanes W ind D riven Effect:The am bientw ind from outside
the building created energy to turns the ventilator
w hen passes by the vanes hence form ing a
centrifugalsuction to the airinside the building.

Stack Effect:D ifference in tem perature betw een the

outdoor air and indoor air created pressure
differences resulting positive buoyancy force. This
force w illturn the ventilatorw hen passes the vanes.

Source: www.faventilation.com/439745647

Airgrilles

42

21
 2/15/2023

Operable Skylights

 Effective ventilations and

also allow natural
illumination.
 Seal well when closed,
keeping moisture out and
minimize infiltration.
 Use double-glazed types
for increased insulation.

43

Cross Ventilation

44

22
 2/15/2023

Cross Ventilation
 Provide equal area of operable openings on
windward and leeward side
 Ensure windward side is well shaded to
provide cool air intake
 Flow goes from highest pressure to the
lowest

+pressure on windward - pressure on

leeward side and
side (High pressure) roof (Low pressure)

45

Cross Ventilation
 Strategies rely on movement of air through space to
equalize pressure. When wind blows against a building,
it is deflected around and above the building.
 Air pressure on the windward side rises, creating a high
pressure zone. The pressure on the leeward side drops,
creating pressure stratification across the building.
 To equalize pressure, outdoor air will enter through
available openings on the windward side and
eventually be exhausted through the leeward.

46

23
 2/15/2023

Cross Ventilation rules of thumb

 Codes allow a zone to be considered
“ natural ventilated” if within 6m of an operable window

-ve

47

Cross Ventilation
 The pressure difference between any two points on
building envelope determines the potential for
ventilation if openings were provided at these two
points.
 The air flow is directly proportional to the effective
area of inlet openings, wind speed and wind
direction.

48

24
 2/15/2023

Cross Ventilation

 Cross ventilation depends mainly on two

factors that may change continuously:

1. wind availability
2. wind direction

49

Cross Ventilation (Design Phase)

 An open building plan with plenty of surface area
exposed to the outside works well for cross
ventilation.
 Architectural elements like fins, wing walls, parapets
and balconies enhance wind speeds and should be
an integral part of cross ventilation

50

25
 2/15/2023

Cross Ventilation (Cost & Benefits)

 Low-cost design.
 Natural ventilation has higher initial costs because
operable windows typically cost 5% to 10% more
than fixed glazing, but the savings from not using air
conditioning will offset this added cost.

51

Cross Ventilation (Design Parameter)

Effective cross ventilation starts with:

 limiting space sizes to facilitate inward flow of air

from one face and outward flow from the other.
Architectural elements can be used to harness
prevailing winds.

52

26
 2/15/2023

Cross Ventilation (Design Parameter)

Effective cross ventilation starts with:
 Orient the building to maximize surface exposure to
prevailing winds.
 Provide the inlets on the windward side (pressure zone)
and the outlets on the leeward size ( suction zone).
Intakes should be at least 0.15m above the terrain. In
areas with traffic the intake should be at least 5m above
the terrain.
 Use wing walls and parapets to create positive and
negative pressure areas to induce cross ventilation.

53

Cross Ventilation (Design Parameter)

Effective cross ventilation starts with:

 Use shading devices like overhangs, awnings and

fins to control solar gain.
 Use good site planning, landscaping and planting
strategies to cool the incoming air. If water feature is
planned for the site, place it on windward side to
pre-cool the incoming air through evaporative
cooling.

54

27
 2/15/2023

Cross Ventilation (Design Parameter)

Effective cross ventilation starts with:
 Planting tall deciduous trees on the windward side
will lower the temperature of the inflow and shade
the openings. Avoid locating large asphalt parking
lots that get heating up on the upwind side of
naturally ventilated buildings.
 Use features like overhangs, awning windows, eaves
and porches to protect the openings from rain.
 Casement windows provide maximum airflow in both
perpendicular and oblique wind conditions.

55

Convection Ventilation

Core Ventilation & Stack Effects

(Source: Hajee Mohammad Danesh ,2017)

56

28
 2/15/2023

Fenestration

 The placement, size and type of window openings govern

the effectiveness of this fenestration.
 UBBL codes require opening size at dwellings of
minimum 10% of the total floor area.
 Window types should be oriented to catch or slow down
prevailing breezes.
 Casement windows can open to catch or buffer wind.
 Louvered openings permit uninhibited air flow.
 Hopper windows allow free, upward motion.

57

Cross Ventilation Plan

58

29
 2/15/2023

Stack Ventilation
 Stack ventilation utilizes air density differences to
provide air movement across a space. The warmer,
less dense air inside is displaced by the cooler
denser air from outside.
 Warmed by internal loads (people and equipment),
the indoor air rises. If an opening is available near
the ceiling, the warmer air at the upper levels will
escape as the cool outside air is drawn through
lower opening.

*cold air is
denser than Stack Effect Demo on Engineering Connections.mp4

warm air
Stack Effect Demonstration.mp4

59

Stack Ventilation
 To obtain cooling, the incoming air must be cooler
than ambient internal temperature. The cool air may
be drawn from a shaded or landscape space or from
water body. Stack ventilation works best in spaces
with high ceilings and where cross ventilation is not
feasible.

60

30
 2/15/2023

Stack Ventilation

61

Stack Ventilation

62

31
 2/15/2023

Stack Ventilation

63

Stack Ventilation

64

32
 2/15/2023

Stack Ventilation

 Efficiency of stacks can be improved:

1. Increasing stack height.
2. Increasing temperature difference
between bottom and top of the stack.
3. Minimizing air flow resistance through the
stack by minimizing number of bends.

65

Stack Ventilation (Cost & Benefits)

 Benefits of stack ventilation :

1. Low cost.
2. Effectively removes contaminants and
pollutants from a space.
3. Compared to cross ventilation, stack
ventilation openings are secure from
intruders and less susceptible to noise
and dust.

66

33
 2/15/2023

Stack Ventilation (Design Parameter)

 Provide equal inlet and outlet areas to maximise

air flow.
 The width to height ratio of openings should be more
than 1, as far as possible ( in other words, orient the
openings horizontally ). Wider Openings
 Allow for at least a 5 ft / 1.5 m ( center to center )
height difference between the inlet and outlet.
 Increasing the height differential further will produce
better air flow

67

Stack Ventilation (Design Parameter)

 Provide adequate openings in stairwells or

other continuous vertical elements so that
they can work as stack wells.
 Carefully control and minimize solar gain.
 Operable roof for better stack effect.

68

34
 2/15/2023

Stack Ventilation(Operation & Maintenance)

 Operable inlet and outlet should be well

maintained and clean.
 Clean windowsills and louvers for healthy
air intake for the space periodically.
 Openings remain must be shut when the
mechanical system is operating.

69

Building as Thermal Flue - Solar Chimney

 A building can act as a flue for ventilating by the chimney effect. The
building can be shaped to optimize natural convective ventilation.
 The challenge with ventilation is to provide sufficient fresh air during
extreme climate conditions – effectively and comfortably.
 Solar chimneys are a method of enhancing stack ventilation.
Additional height and well designed air passage increase the air
pressure differential. Chimney should be constructed to capture solar
radiation to increase the heat of the air at the top and increase the
difference in temperature between incoming and out flowing air. The
increase in natural convection that occurs from these measures
enhances the draw of air through the building
.

70

35
 2/15/2023

Ceiling Fans
 Minimum ceiling height of 9 ft/ 2.75 m must be
provided to accommodate a fan so that its blades
are at least 8 ft/ 2.4 m from the floor and 1 ft /
300mm from the ceiling.

71

Direct Evaporative Cooling

72

36
 2/15/2023

Indirect Evaporative Cooling

73

Indirect Evaporative Cooling

Roof pond: Losing heat by radiating to the Night sky

74

37
 2/15/2023

Roof Evaporation
 In hot-dry climates, water/water bodies can be used
both for evaporative cooling as well as minimizing
heat gain.
 Taking into account wind patterns and vegetation
they can be used to direct cool breeze into the
house.
 A roof pond minimizes heat gain through the roof. In
cold climates, water bodies are beneficial only if their
heat gain and loss can be controlled.

75

76

38
 2/15/2023

77

78

39
 2/15/2023

Double roofing

79

80

40
 2/15/2023

Night-Sky Radiant Cooling

radiation to the night sky as a heat sink to reduce space
cooling. Radiative cooling to the night sky is about heat loss by
long-wave radiation from one surface to another body at a lower
temperature.

the cooled surfaces are those of the building shell and the heat
sink is the sky since the sky temperature is lower than the
temperature of most earth bound objects.

81

Wind Catchers
 Wind- strongest at 6 to 12 m above ground
 The moving air as it is funneled downward depends on
the velocity of prevailing wind and associated pressure to
move through the building.
 To have even distribution throughout various rooms,
properly proportioned and located exhaust vents with
ducts are necessary.

82

41
 2/15/2023

Traditional Wind Catchers in Middle East

Adapted from: A.R.Dehghani-sanji, M.Soltani & K.Raahemifar, 2015.

83

Vernacular Architecture
one-sided wind catchers in Meybod city, Yazd province, Iran

Source: A.R.Dehghani-sanji, M.Soltani & K.Raahemifar, 2015.

84

42
 2/15/2023

Solar Chimney vs Trombe Wall

Glass
Assignment
1. Explain the phenomenon of the both diagram,
how will solar chimney function during the summer
season
2. How trombe wall design perform during winter
season?

85

Solar Chimney

Assignment
2. The diagrams above show that solar chimney could
also function during winter period.
Explain how it works base on your own understanding.

86

43
 2/15/2023

Trombe Wall

87

44