An Analytical Study of Architecture Design Studios with Respect to Orientation and Facade Treatment

Abstract

Building orientation is one of the most important design tools that can have a significant impact on the control of solar radiation and wind flow into a building. A country like Ethiopia has a predominantly hot and dry climate and hence receives an ample amount of sunlight throughout the year. The buildings need to be oriented to reduce the solar heat gain on the buildings and maximize the natural ventilation. The paper investigates the effect of orientation and facade treatment of the design studios on the thermal performance of students’ mental states and physical health. The design studio building is oriented in the east-west direction and located in Nekemte Campus of Wollega University, selected as the study area. The building orientation, facade treatment, window to wall ratio, and window size and level were studied and analyzed. The results from the data analysis clearly show that the east-west facing windows helps in thermal heat gain in the building, thereby increasing the inside temperature, compared to the windows oriented in north-south directions for both ventilated and unventilated rooms.