Abstract
Selecting a building layout is a fundamental task in the early stage of the architectural design process. High thermal mass buildings with well-insulated envelopes are a common solution for colder climates; however, thinner wall construction and lower mass in most tropical architecture means that a well-designed building layout with good consideration of contextual factors is essential to enhance passive cooling and to decrease heat gain by solar radiation. Building layout factors of perimeter and wall surface area are pivotal in long-term energy utilization. This simulation-based research employs Sketchup, Openstudio, and SPSS to investigate the effect of surface solar radiation on indoor air temperature and sensible cooling energy of 17 geometries with and without a self-shading feature under the identical space volume, floor area, and climatic conditions of Bangkok. The simulation conducted in two phases (with and without an active cooling system) revealed that the lower the F/W ratio is, the lower the DBTindoor-annual and operational cost of the A/C system. The circular plan with the highest F/W ratio (0.47) has the lowest annual wall solar heat gain and DBTindoor-annual (29.43°C), and saves approximately 10% of air cooling energy demand compared to the square design (F/W=0.42). The layouts with S/W ratio less than 2.4 are less effective in lowering the DBTindoor-annual and active cooling energy demand than those with S/W greater than 2.4. It is concluded that the self-shading designs (S/W<2.4) may face challenges due to greater wall surface area and receiving more diffuse solar radiation.
Highlights
Deciding on suitable building layouts can reduce undesirable impacts on indoor temperature and decrease the amount of energy consumption caused by active cooling
EnergyPlus simulation based on Bangkok weather data to examine 17 models with floor plan areas and volumes, controlled at 100 m2 and 600 m3, respectively, yielded the following main conclusions:
_ The orientation of long and narrow building layouts is sensitive to solar radiation
Summary
The WWR factor has been found to have a preeminent impact on building heat gain, since the glazing area is a more instrumental factor in solar heat gain than building geometry per se (Ferdous and Gorgolewski 2014, FSEC Energy Research Centre 2019). External heat gain infiltrates buildings from exterior environmental factors, solar radiation on the building surface, especially due to fenestration (FSEC Energy Research Centre 2019). Especially in project design for hot climates, take heat gain by exterior surface into account as a core parameter, since this heat source leads to a direct and massive elevation of indoor temperature, and a requirement for cooling energy
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