The analytical approach to the principles of designing with the forces of nature, climate, in a deliberate and empirical way can be said to be a seminal and critical design research method, especially in architectural theory. The aim being sustainable design as a matter of necessity and socio-economically responsible agenda in design practices. Some researchers opined that the need to have adequate and sufficient weather and solar house component operating data is a prerequisite in any attempt to evaluate solar house design performance. In this similar vein, it has been highlighted that climate, socio-lifestyle (use), and architectural design affordances of form and function, and economical low-energy building operation systems are strategic parameters.
‘WHAT’ parameters can be added or reduce? ‘HOW’ can these parameters contribute in the (Re)Search for appropriate architectural design paradigms? For instances, Can we reduce the process of 'design research' by omitting some steps, such as on-site survey and measurements? In other words, the design research is essentially proposing a quantum proportion passive solar house modules base on climate, optimum design elements, and most energy efficient lifestyle operations.
The key to design a passive solar building is to best take advantage of the local climate performing an accurate site analysis. Elements to be considered include window placement and size, and glazing type, thermal insulation, thermal mass, and shading.
see:
Article THE USE OF SOLAR DESIGN DAYS IN A PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSE CONCEP...
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/old/17229.pdf
Lotfabadi, Pooya (2015). "Solar considerations in high-rise buildings". Energy and Buildings. 89: 183–195.
Wong, Irene; Baldwin, Andrew N. (2016-02-15). "Investigating the potential of applying vertical green walls to high-rise residential buildings for energy-saving in sub-tropical region". Building and Environment. 97: 34–39. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.11.028.
"Introductory Passive Solar Energy Technology Overview". U.S. DOE – ORNL Passive Solar Workshop. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
"Passive Solar Design". New Mexico Solar Association. Archived from the original on 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
Norton, Brian (2014). Harnessing Solar Heat. Springer. ISBN 978-94-007-7275-5.
In addition to previous answers--which truly address environmental aspects--one should pay attention to economic and social dimensions as well. A passive design or any other type of design can become sustainably successful if all the three pillars of sustainability are integrally studied and considered during the whole life-cycle processes of pre-design, design, construction, operational phase as well as demolition, reusing and recycling.
Resource efficiency in its all dimensions (e.g., material, energy, monetary and human resources) plays a key role to support and enrich well-informed passive design decisions.
Thank you everyone for your insights. Thank you Aryan Shahabian for pointing out the need to address the 3 pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. Edwin Rodriguez-Ubinas I agree that one of the best way of understanding a passive solar house performance is the energy use index, thank you for that. `Amiraslan Darvish, the fundamental question of form and function or rather the elements forms and parameters are indeed something that needs to respond very well appropriately to specific climates. Thank you.
Can we reduce the process of 'design research' by omitting some steps, such as on-site survey and measurements? In other words, the design research is essentially proposing a quantum proportion passive solar house base on climate, optimum design elements, and most energy efficient lifestyle operations.
All the discussion so far misses both the subjective and intersubjective perspectives. To design passive solar or any passive technology is also to take a perspective on and attribute a meaning to nature, and therefore to respond to that nature by particular strategies of design, in this case passive design. Passive design is also to, potentially, intentionally design an experience of nature and natural forces for occupants. Both experience and meaning are outside computational logics and so both design and research have to use tools and approaches in addition to measuring and calculating, however important these are, and they are! This is discussed at length in my book Integral Sustainable Design: transformative perspectives. What sustainable design means matters as much as how it works.
Passive solar construction must take advantage of the climate and the materials used to reduce energy consumption. So, the building's architecture must be adapted to the local climate.
All the parameters pertaining to passive solar design have been classified and described in Brian Norton's book (Harnessing Solar Heat).
https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789400772748 (DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-7275-5)
Hi dear Khuplianlam.
Principles of passive solar design
- Principles of greenhouse
- Heat flow through the building elements
- Orientation for passive solar heating
- Passive sun shade
- Thermal mass and thermal delay
If you need to know, I can explain each of the above to you.
These current publications will be useful to you:
Article Passive Solar Systems in Low-Rise Housing Architecture in So...
Article The possibility of integrating solar energy technologies (pa...
This is a very old scientific contribution, but its results are very topical today:
Article A study of passive solar house design
Hi Dear Khuplianlam
Passive solar design strives to use solar energy to improve the comfort of your home. This means harnessing the power of the sun to heat the house in winter and preventing excess heat in summer. Precise passive solar design with the aim of achieving this goal without using additional electricity or gas to heat or cool the house. Three basic principles of thermodynamics control how heat is transferred in a built-in environment: transfer, conduction, and radiation. Passive solar design combines these basic concepts with local conditions to improve heat gain (heating) and heat loss (cooling).
Basic concepts of thermodynamics
Heat transfer is done in three basic ways: heat transfer, convection and heat radiation.
- The conduction of heat transfer between a substance is due to the temperature difference - so when something (gas, liquid or solid) touches a cold thing, the heat moves from the hot thing to the cold so that the temperature is the same. The most important form of connection that happens in your home is through Windows. For example, when it is cold outside and hot inside, the heat occurs through the windows as the temperature tries to be equal.
Convection is heat transfer that occurs only in gases and liquids due to emissions or currents. In the field of passive solar design, convection shows how air moves in and between the house and outside.
Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation that all objects emit as heat. Solar radiation mostly occurs through the windows and roof of the building and is responsible for most of the solar heat. Radiation also travels from a warm home to an area outside of cold air, causing heat loss. Low E glasses work like mirrors, so the heat stays on the inside and the heat stays on the outside. These are the basic principles of heat transfer, building blocks of climate control through passive solar design.
Local conditions (knowing the privacy of the building site and using it is an important part of effective passive solar design).
Climate: Accurate local climatic information plays a major role in passive solar design. Temperature days and cooling temperature days are the main criteria that help passive designers to design heating and cooling based on local climatic data. These measurements are designed to reflect the energy required to heat or cool the building based on the outside temperature. Understanding the local weather conditions in this way allows the designer to determine how much solar heat you need to heat your home.
Solar path: The path that the sun follows in the sky changes every day throughout the year due to the inclination of the earth's axis relative to its orbit around the sun. The magnitude of these differences depends on latitude: places near the equator have the least variation, and places near the North or South Pole have the most variance. As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west regardless of our location on earth, in the northern hemisphere the angle at which the sun rises increases as it approaches the winter station. What this means in our practical experience is that in winter the sun in the sky is "low" and closer to the southern horizon.
Common design elements
One of the main goals of designing negative solar homes in the hot climate of North America is to allow sunlight to enter during the winter and keep it away during the summer. South-facing windows, which are exposed to sunlight during the day during the winter, are the key. These windows have an R value of at least 5 and are adjusted based on the number of temperature days in the local climate using solar temperature rise coefficients (SHGC). High R values are important to reduce conductivity, and higher SHGCs provide more negative heating than lower SHGCs.
- To prevent overheating in summer, carefully designed clothes can be installed on windows. These windows are exposed to low sunlight in winter and protect from sunlight in summer. Other measures may include covering windows, vents, or fallen plants with tree leaves that cover the windows in the summer but strip them in the summer, allowing light to pass through.
- Insulated and sealed covering of the building plays an important role in the passive solar house. This reduces air leakage, which heats the house in the summer and cools it down in the winter, resulting in more energy for the owner. Most negative solar designs will involve "thermal mass" - a substance that can absorb heat during the day and store it and release it at night to reduce temperature fluctuations. "Heat blocks" may include a tank, rooftop pool, or thrombus wall.
Air circulation in the enclosed space also challenges a passive solar design. While convection (increased hot air) can play a significant role in air circulation, many designers choose a fan or heat recovery ventilation system (HRV). HRVs can extract old air and remove fresh air from the outside by obtaining thermal energy in the old air and transferring it to the new air. Although not entirely negative, human rights defenders use the least energy in an effective way to achieve high quality indoor air.