Arch 125: Environmental Building Design

Passive Solar Design (Heating)

Winter 2010
Texts used in the preparation of this presentation.
•is based upon climate considerations
•attempts to control comfort (heating and cooling) without
consuming fuels
•uses the orientation of the building to control heat gain and heat
loss
•uses the shape of the building (plan, section) to control air flow
•uses materials to control heat
•maximizes use of free solar energy for heating and lighting
•maximizes use of free ventilation for cooling
•uses shade (natural or architectural) to control heat gain
Passive solar heating and passive ventilation for cooling assist in
creating sustainable building by reducing dependency on fossil fuels for
heating and cooling buildings, as well as reducing the need for
electricity to support lighting by using practices of daylighting in
buildings.
In LEED, Passive Design assists in gaining points in the Energy and
Atmosphere category, as well as in Indoor Air Quality as Passive Design
promotes natural ventilation and daylighting strategies.
However, not all Sustainably Designed buildings are strongly Passive,
and not all Passively Designed buildings are by default strongly
sustainable (although this is more likely than the reverse.)
Unlike most contemporarily designed buildings that rely on
“Thermostat” control to regulate the temperature and relative
humidity (comfort) in buildings, Passive Buildings require occupant
involvement to ensure their success.
Occupants need to be EDUCATED as to when to open and close
windows, raise and lower shades, and otherwise control some of the
non automated means of controlling the effects of the sun and wind
on the interior environments of the building.
Sometimes Passive Buildings, due to limitations in achieving an
interior climate that falls in the middle of the “comfort zone”, will
require occupants to accept a wider range of acceptable temperature
and relative humidity values.
"RIGHT, I'VE CLEANED OUT THE MILLRACE, FILLED THE WOOD PELLET BIN, WASHED THE
SOLAR COLLECTORS, OPENED UP THE COOL AIR VENTS, WATERED THE ROOF GARDEN,
ADJUSTED THE GREENHOUSE SHADES, CHECKED THE GRID-CONNECTED PVs...........
NOW I'M READY TO GET ON WITH THE DAY'S WORK!"

(Louis Hellman writing abut The Mill, Eden Mills home and office of Charles Simon.)
6 main strategy modes for PASSIVE design
Olgyay: Comfort Zone
COOLING HEATING
Solar Savings
Reduce loads: Passive Strategies
The tiered approach to reducing carbon for
HEATING:
Mechanical Heating
Tier 3
Passive Solar Heating
Tier 2
Maximize Heat
Tier 1 Retention

Maximize the amount of energy required for mechanical

heating that comes from renewable sources.
•Source: Lechner. Heating, Cooling, Lighting.
1. primarily south facing
windows
2. proportion windows to
suit thermal mass and
size of room(s)

3 MAIN STRATEGIES:
Direct Gain
Thermal Storage Wall
(trombe)
Sunspace
1. Conservation Levels: Higher than normal levels of
insulation and airtightness (maybe 2X)
2. Distribution of Solar Glazing: distributed throughout
the building proportional to the heat loss of each zone
3. Orientation: Optimum within 5 degrees of true south
4. Glazing Tilt: Looking for perpendicular to sun angle in
winter, although vertical efficient where lots of
reflective snow cover
5. Number of glazing layers: 3 to 4 for severe climates,
less otherwise
6. Night insulation and Low-E glazing: Greatly improves
reduction of night heat losses
7. Mixing passive systems can increase comfort levels.
 South face, designed for solar
energy – heating and
electricity

Louisiana’s 2009 Solar

Decathlon House:

North face has small

openings to minimize heat
loss.
New Technology: Super Windows
Heat Mirror Superglass-88 provides a U-
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(R-10). With R-values as high as 13.5,
Superglass Quad exceeds the energy
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 Heat Capacity of Materials

Passive heating requires

buildings be able to store free
solar heat in their materials –
need to have THERMAL MASS

Imperial Metric
Direct Gain: A passive solar heating system type
consisting of
•south-facing windows that admit winter sunshine
directly into the building’s interior where it is
absorbed by thermally massive materials.
•glazing is protected from the summer sun by an
overhang.
•Some means of reducing night heat loss through the
glazing (such as night insulation or low-e glass) is
recommended in all but the mildest climates.
Sun tempered buildings: direct gain buildings with NO
intentional thermal mass (for example, a
conventionally constructed wood frame with 1/2” gyp
bd walls and ceiling and a wood floor over a crawl
space). South facing glazing should be less than 7% of
floor area to prevent overheating.
The direct gain system makes overt use of solar
geometry to ensure that sun reaches the thermal mass in
the winter, and that shading devices prevent solar access
during the months where cooling is the dominant issue.
Heat in during the day
Heat out at night
Night insulation
Most devices that you might
employ to keep heat in at
night are custom designed.
Finished in 1962, St.
George’s County Secondary
School in Wallasey,
England is one of the
earliest and largest
contemporary examples of
a Direct Gain System.
Public reaction to the
building at that time was
that the architect had
somehow harnessed a new
physical principle.
The building is heated 50% by the sun with the remaining 50%
supplied by lights and students. The conventional heating system,
originally installed, was never used and subsequently removed.
8. Mass Distribution: spread it around evenly; 6 times
glazing area (3X minimum)
9. Mass Thickness: thin and spread out better than
thick. More than 4” for masonry or concrete not useful
10. Colour: Floors dark to absorb more heat, walls and
ceilings lighter to reflect light.
11. Surface Covering: insulative coverings (ie. Rugs)
greatly decrease performance of thermal mass
12. Concrete Block Masonry: If used, a high density
with cores filled with grout
13. Floor Materials: Concrete or brick preferred. If insulating under, at
least 4” thick (100mm). More than 6” (150mm) not useful.
14. Limits on Direct Gain Glazing Area: South facing glazing limited to
prevent large temperature swings. 7% of floor area for low mass
buildings, 13% of floor area for high mass buildings.
15. Glazing orientation: Vertical facing due south preferred. Vertical
easiest to build, and easiest to shade in summer. Performance penalty
for 15degrees off due south is 10% and for 30 degrees is 20% loss; so
within 15 degrees recommended.
16. Night insulation: Really helpful but can be very costly.
17. Thermal Insulation: Insulation located OUTSIDE the thermal mass.
YMCA Burrows Building
The white brick wall in the YMCA Burrows building is used to hold the heat that
comes into the building through the windows. This is done in this wall, rather
than in the floor (more usual), as the kids will be walking around in stocking feet.
YMCA Burrows:
Rear wall and mid wall
are used for heat
storage. North side is
built into the earth.
Mostly linear
organization with spaces
facing south.
For North House, there was a phase
change material underneath the
wood floor that would absorb solar
energy when the shades were up
(and it was determined that heat
was needed).
Thermal Storage Wall -- a passive solar heating system
consisting of a south facing wall constructed of heavy
masonry (Trombe Wall) or water filled containers (water
wall). The outside south facing surface is glazed to admit
sunlight and reduce heat losses.
Trombe Wall -- a thermal storage wall system consisting
of a dark, south facing masonry wall covered with vertical
glazing.
Water Wall -- a thermal storage wall system consisting of
water filled containers located behind a south facing
glazing.
Whether or not a wall has flaps, and flaps that
automatically close off when the air direction reverses,
becomes a critical issue in making sure that preheating
of the room occurs in the morning hours.
Arizona’s house at the 2009 Solar
Decathlon used a trombe wall made
from water. Water has a high thermal
storage capacity and is very
“portable”.
18. Glazing azimuth: directional orientation preferred is due south.
Within 30degrees of due south only a 4% penalty.
19. Vents: generally used in larger applications but omitted in
residential. In larger applications can be beneficial.
20. Glazing distance: Unvented, 1”is enough. Vented, 6” or more is
better.
21. Trombe Wall Thickness: between 10 and 16”. 12”
recommended.
22. Water Walls and Phase Change Materials: more effective than
concrete so smaller volume necessary.
23. Selective Surfaces: on outside face of thermal mass
part of wall can greatly increase performance. No venting.
24. Absorber colour: for solid materials, use black.
Applicable to solid colour containers for water walls too.
Transparent or fiberglass water containers will allow some
visible light through the container which will be absorbed
by direct gain means beyond, so OK too.
Sunspace -- a passive solar heating system type consisting
of a glassed-in room like a greenhouse, atrium or
conservatory, located on the south side of a building and
separated from other building spaces by a common wall.
Common Wall -- a wall separating a sunspace from other
living spaces.
Greenhouse -- a sunspace used primarily for growing
plants
Projected Glazing Area -- net glazing projected onto a
single vertical wall.
The glass doors at the center of Iowa’s Solar Decathlon 2009 entry enclose a
sun space.
The floor of the sun space has thermal mass. Windows in the
adjacent walls can be opened to allow the heat to enter.
25. Effect of orientation: optimum due south. Penalties about 5%
for 30 degrees off due south. More summer overheating for off
south directions.
26. Use of Mass: increases space’s livability. Reduces overheating.
Optimum thickness for masonry walls between 8 and 12”.
27. Area of Mass: direct gain rules apply 3 mass to 1 glazing. If
water used, 0.5ft3/f2 of glass. Water containers dark coloured and
located in the sun.
28. Water Container Shape: The one that allows the greatest
volume to be placed. Size not too important.
29. Do not glaze end walls: for both summer and winter
performance.
30. Roof: Need to be able to shade it in
the summer to avoid overheating.
Curtain, awnings or internal shades, OK.
31. Common Wall: Needs to be able to be
closed off from main living space to avoid
overheating. Preferably masonry (like
trombe wall).
32. Common wall vents: required as one
of the ways heat is transferred to the
living space.
a. doorways, 15% of glazing area
b. window openings, 20% of glazing area
c. high and low vent pairs, 10% of glazing
Iowa’s sun space can be closed off.
area
33. Summer Venting: needs to be vented during summer especially if
not well shaded.
34. Wall Colour: Direct gain rules apply, except:
a. use darker colours in general as light colours tend to reflect light
and heat out of the space
b. if used as a green house, surfaces in corners need to be light to
improve plant performance/life.
35. Sunspace width: 15 to 20 feet works well.
36. Colour: dark colours work better to absorb heat.
37. Plants and other lightweight objects: Limit.
At the YMCA Solarium Building, the sunspace is used to house the Living
Machine, and the heat caught in this space pumped to other portions of the
building to heat them.
Convective Air Loop -- a passive solar heating system that consists of
a solar collector and a thermal storage mass (usually a rockbed)
isolated from the living spaces. Air is used to transfer heat from the
collector to the storage and the living spaces.
Hybrid System -- A predominantly passive solar heating system which
utilizes an active component, such as a fan, to force heat from one
location to another.
Rockbed -- a heat storage component consisting of an enclosed
volute of rocks (fist-sized) with a plenum at each end. During the
charging cycle, warm air from the solar collector is circulated
through the rocks, warming them. During the discharge cycle, cool
room air is circulated through the rocks where it is heated and
returned to the room.
Use of central mass as a heating element. Same idea used in
YMCA Environmental Learning Centre with masonry heating unit.
Klosterenga: Ecological housing in an urban environment
Comprehensive Retrofit of Apartment Buildings with Emphasis on Solar
Energy
GÅrdsten Estate, GÖteborg, Sweden
The Gårdsten is a large Swedish housing estate built in the 1970s.
As the physical condition and social environment of the buildings had
deteriorated considerably over the years, a comprehensive refurbishment is
underway for 255 of the 1000 apartments in the estate. (A less
comprehensive renovation is planned for the remaining apartments.)
Gardesten Solar House Project – Gothenburg
 Gardesten Solar House Project – Gothenburg
On the high-rise (five-six
storey) buildings:
•the flat roof is rebuilt
with a new, inclined roof
with integrated solar
panels for heating domestic
water. The solar panels are
designed as roof modules,
i.e. they are both a roof
and a collector mounted
directly on the roof trusses.
•the basement supply air
system was removed and
replaced with air intake via
newly-glazed south-facing
balconies. "Brush sealing"
were designed for windows
and balcony doors.
•the exhaust ventilation is
operated with a minimum
flow depending on outside
air temperature.
On the low rise (three-storey) buildings
•new roof covers and additional
insulation improve the thermal insulation
of the existing air supply ducts, which are
situated close to the roof cover.
•the south facing low rise building is
equipped with solar air collectors facing
south and a double envelope wall on
facades facing east, west and north. The
solar heated air is circulated in an air gap
between the new insulated envelope and
the old façade.
•low rise buildings are supplied with solar
heated hot water from the collectors on
the high-rise buildings.
•the edges of the floor slabs are
insulated to improve thermal comfort on
the ground floor.
•new heat recovery ventilators (HRVs)
are installed in the staircase-entry
buildings.
Gardesten Solar House Project – Gothenburg
20 Houses without Heating System - Gothenburg
The total energy use is
about 6000 kWh/year,
which is more than half
of what is normal for
such a house. And at the
same time are the indoor
conditions satisfactory
and can be compared
with houses with
traditional heating
solutions.
20 Houses without Heating System - Gothenburg
The major efforts in
these houses are
done on reducing
energy losses since
the insulation is
about the double
compared to normal
houses and the heat
recovery is at about
85 %.
20 Houses without Heating System - Gothenburg

Energy from solar collectors supplies about half of energy used for hot
water. And all household appliances and indoor lights are more or less the
most energy efficient that can be found in Sweden.
20 Houses without Heating System - Gothenburg
Building costs were
normal. The extra
measures in the form of
greater air tightness and
insulation, adaptation to
‘passive solar heating’ and
heat recovery in the
ventilation were paid by
the much lower cost of the
heating system and savings
in energy cost.
Kindergarten Stenurten - Kopenhagen
Kindergarten Stenurten - Kopenhagen
Kindergarten Stenurten - Kopenhagen
The Mill, Eden Mills
Home and office of Charles
Simon.

Built in 1842, the burnt out

shell has been recycled as a
‘green’ mixed use building.
Recommended Further
Reading…

…coincidentally, or
perhaps not, the author
of the current
“architecture2030.org”