Objetivo
1. To demonstrate that a passive solar system can be incorporated into a low energy office building with few construction problems.
2. To establish the design procedures that should be followed to achieve a successful passive solar design.
3. To demonstrate that significant energy savings can be realised by a passive solar design approach involving daylighting.
4. To establish the success of the design for stack driven naturally ventilated speculative office buildings.
5. To confirm, by the measurement of user response, the amenity benefits of the passive solar system for the building occupants.
The proposed Office Building provides 3,000 m2 of floor area on two floors in a compact form (length only 1.5 times width), with attendant benefits for circulation, and hence provides relatively deep plan space. However, it is not air conditioned and indeed is designed to be climate responsive. The key innovation which enables such incompatible features to be reconciled is a wide central lightwell, fully open to the surrounding office space and penetrating the full height of the building. The lightwell permits direct or diffuse solar radiation to reach directly (without reflection off the building surfaces) about 85% of the total office floor area.
Other innovative features are the shading devices, which are necessary to prevent summertime overheating: the rooflight over the lightwell is shaded on the south, east and west facing sides by a combination of fixed and ajustable external louvres designed to exclude high summer sun, but admit winter solar gains and diffuse radiation from the zenith which enhance the daylight levels. The exposed windows are shaded by individual integrated external overhangs, which reject intrusive summer run. Internal light shelf assemblies protect occupants near the windows from the thermal discomfort that would be caused by the incidence of direct solar radiation. They also improve the exploitation of daylighting by reducing solar glare near the windows and reflecting direct radiation to the rear of the space, thereby improving the daylight uniformity.
The third key innovation is the scheme for natural ventilation, which includes low level opening windows on the external facades for local ventilation, high level opening windows for cross ventilation, large openings onto the lightwell and an aerodynamically profiled rotating wind tower to enhance the stack driven and wind induced natural ventilation air flow from the top of the lightwell.
Programa(s)
Tema(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Data not availableRégimen de financiación
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinador
OX14 4RY Abingdon
Reino Unido