1. Passive Heating and Cooling

2. Passive Design Uses ambient energy sources instead of purchased energy
Daylighting
Natural ventilation
Solar energy

3. Active Design Uses purchased energy to keep the building comfortable
HVAC
Heat pumps
Radiant panels
Chilled beams
Electrical lights

4. Hybrid Systems Use some mechanical energy to enhance ambient energy
Heat recovery ventilation
Economizer ventilation
Solar thermal systems
Radiant facades
Ground source heat pumps

5. Optimize design for passive strategies first
Downsizes the active systems you’ll need

6. Building Massing Massing is the overall shape and size of the building
Can be one of the most important factors in thermal comfort and daylighting

7. Massing Take advantage of site conditions Massing for visual comfort
Rainwater harvesting
Avoid shading wild lands
Massing for visual comfort
Some general strategies for using massing to maximize daylight energy and comfort
Difficult to get consistent daylight and control glare from east and west windows
Side of the building facing the sun’s path can generally be easily shaded

8. Massing
Generally buildings longer on their east west axis are better for daylighting and visual comfort

9. Massing
Using skylights can improve the daylighting in single story buildings regardless
Single stories aren’t the best for land use
Larger and taller buildings should have thinner profiles to help maximize daylighting from windows
Can also improve daylighting by having a central courtyard or atria or other cutouts
Increase the height of each story

10. Massing for Thermal Comfort
Often helped by extending the east-west axis to take advantage of the consistent sun on northern/southern exposures
But thinner buildings may not be better

11. Thin/Tall Buildings Increase the surface area to volume ratio
Makes utilizing natural ventilation for passive cooling easy
Tall buildings increase effective ventilation because wind speeds are faster at greater height
Increases cross ventilation and stack effect ventilation

13. Thin/Tall Buildings
Rules of thumb from 2 scenarios with windows facing the direction of the prevailing wind
For spaces with windows on only one side, natural ventilation will not reach farther than 2x the floor space to the ceiling height into the building
For spaces with windows on opposite sides, the natural ventilation effectiveness limit will be less than 5x the floor to ceiling height into the building

14. When planning urban centers, specifically in the heating dominated climates, having buildings gradually increase in height will minimize high speed winds at the pedestrian level

15. Solar Radiation & Heat Transfer
Thin and tall buildings also increase the exposed area for heat transfer through the envelope
In cold climates, massing that minimizes the ratio of surface area to volume can avoid unwanted heat loss
The sun’s heat is advantageous and the surface area facing it helps passively heat the building
Side of the building exposed to the sun can be increased while reducing the exposed areas of the other sides

16. In hot climates thin buildings with their biggest face exposed to the sun
Cause unwanted solar gain, use shading devices and good windows
Taller buildings can reduce unwanted gains
Suns heat strikes stronger on the roof than the walls in warm latitudes

17. Sun’s heat and light do not come from all directions equally
Windows facing away from the sun’s path get diffuse light, but without heat gain (have heat loss too)
Windows facing east are warmed in the morning when the
Windows facing west are warmed in the afternoon when spaces are generally warm

18. Building Program
Sparsely populated buildings with little activity or equipment have little heat from internal loads
In cold climates you can benefit from a compact floor plan
Minimizes ratio of surface area to volume

19. Roofs can be angled for optimal solar heating
Reveals and overhangs can shade parts of a building with other parts of the same building
Aerodynamic curves can reduce heat loss from infiltration
Interior buffer zones can be replaced in a building’s west side to protect living and working areas from hot afternoon sun (stairs, restrooms, entry corridors)