Asian Architecture Research paper

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN

Centre for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia (MASSA)

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture

Project 1: CASE STUDY PAPER

Providing natural ventilation through openings as design approach to achieve

optimum occupant comfort in S11 House

Content

Name : Yap Zhi Jun

Student ID : 0310738

Intake : Semester 4 March 2015

Subject : Asian Architecture (ARC 2234 )

Building : S11 House

Date : 9th June 2015

Tutor : Pn. Norhayati

3

Providing natural ventilation through openings as design approach to achieve optimum occupant comfort in S11 House

Abstract

Bubble diagram

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Natural Ventilation

3.0 Openings

3.1 Overview of openings

3.2 Openings in S11 House

4.0 Open plan in S11 House

4.1 Ventilation in Open plan

5.0 Ventilation in Malay house

5.1 Comparison of opening between Malay house and S11 House

6.0 Conclusion

References

ARC 2213 / 2234 ASIAN ARCHITECTURE Page | 2

4

5

6

7

11

16

19

20


Abstract

This research paper is to study the solutions of ventilation challenge using openings as design

approach in achieving optimum occupant comfort in S11 House. Openings are designed

accordingly to implement in an open plan in S11 House to achieve effective natural ventilation.

A comparison of openings of Vernacular Architecture and Contemporary Architecture of S11

House was intended to study the adoption and improvement made to improve natural ventilation

of the house. In assisting the validation of research, literature reviews based on various sources

regarding openings of buildings were conducted to enhance the process. S11 House is chosen to

analyze and interpret the significant and effectiveness of openings to provide natural ventilation.

S11 House rated as Malaysia’s first GBI Platinum (CVA) House which has good natural

ventilation and low energy efficiency house with the used of openings as design approach. With

the environmental factors like air temperature, air movement and humidity that affect occupant

comfort, choices of openings’ features are important. Features of openings included types, sizes,

locations and materials used of openings. In an open plan house of S11 House, design strategies

for openings are important and precise to provide good natural ventilation. As comparison, S11

House adopted some design strategies of openings in open plan of Vernacular Architecture like

types and location of windows and made improvement in sizes and material to implement design

in Contemporary Architecture. In conclusion, to provide occupant comfort and improve natural

ventilation in a house, choices of openings design are important to cooperate with the

environmental factors to implement it in an open plan house with the adoption and improvement

from Vernacular Architecture.



Bubble diagram



1.0 Introduction

Figure 1: Exterior view of S11 House.

S11 House is located in an established older suburb of Petaling Jaya. In the early 1960’s the

existing old house was built on the site and had become dilapidated and run-down over the years.

A new green tropical house was planned for the site and conceptualized along the lines of a tree.

The large tree canopy would cover and shelter the living spaces underneath it. The S11 House

was designed to achieve the highest level Platinum rating of Malaysia’s Green Building Index

(GBI).

This research paper is conducted about S11 house focusing on the relationship between natural

ventilation and the effectiveness of the openings in S11 House with the research topic of,

‘Providing natural ventilation through openings as design approach to achieve optimum occupant

comfort in S11 House’, with the following research question:

1. How significant the openings design approach in S11 House in achieving optimum

occupant comfort?

2. How are the openings design approach implement in an open plan in S11 House in

achieving optimum occupant comfort?

3. How S11 House adopt and improve the openings from Vernacular Architecture in

achieving optimum occupant comfort?



2.0 Natural Ventilation

Natural ventilation uses the force of the wind to pull air through the building. It is the most

common, easiest and least expensive form of passive ventilation and cooling. To provide better

ventilation, massing and orientation are important because building height and depth play a huge

role in the structure’s ability to effectively pull outside air through occupied spaces.

Figure 2: Ventilation of air in different level of the house.

In S11 House, first and second floor openings are larger than ground floor because upper floors

and roofs are exposed to more wind than lower floors. In first floor plan, there are deck, lily

pond and outdoor garden with open wall help ventilation work more effective.

Natural ventilation is determined by having good indoor air quality with high thermal comfort in

the ventilated space, while having least energy use for air conditioning.



3.0 Openings

3.1 Overview of openings

Openings is very important in the architecture to create an environment suitable for occupants. In

a house, windows and doors are used to control the airflow by opening or closing the element to

give good insulation and thermal comfort. Nevertheless, to maximize the natural ventilation and

air flow in the building, types, size, orientation and location of openings are important.

3.2 Openings in S11 House

The opening type of a window and door plays an important role in the architectural design of the

house. Every types of opening has its own specific features, advantages and disadvantages. The

openings are chosen according to the effectiveness of ventilation and area of application. In S11

House, there are mainly three types of openings are used for circulation, ventilation and also

daylighting which are sliding door, casement window and awning window.

Sliding door

Figure 3: Sketches of sliding door and pictures of sliding door in S11 House.

Sliding doors have sash that slide horizontally. Sliding door is large in size compare with panel

door which is easier for circulation especially in open area like living room and gathering space.

Large size allow more air flow between outdoor and indoor space that can improve indoor air

quality.



Figure 4: Floor plans shows the location of sliding doors in S11 House.

Refer to photos above, sliding doors are used a lot in S11 House. They are usually used in more

public space like living room, dining area, gathering space and bedroom. Sliding doors used to

connect rooms to balcony area, indoor to outdoor, living room to swimming pool and pond area.

Sliding doors are chosen in S11 House because of large size which opened up the area with

sufficient air flow to cool the spaces and also provide larger view to surrounding. Most of the

sliding doors located at North West and South East side. Size of sliding doors are smaller in

bedroom which are two moveable sashes and larger in dining area, living area and gathering

space which are four to six moveable sashes.

Casement Window

Figure 5: Sketches of casement window and photo of casement window in S11 House Galley room.


Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan


Casement windows swing outward on side hinges. Casement window are commonly used

because it provide 100% ventilation area, casement windows can be fully opened and the out-

swinging sash can directly plenty of air into the building. Casement windows are easy to operate

but the size is limited as the opening has to be strong enough to support the window.

Figure 6: Floor plans show the location of casement window in S11 House.

Refer to photos above, casement windows are used in more private space like bedroom, gallery

room, storage room, study room and kitchen. Some of the casement windows are located side-to-

side of the sliding doors. Most of them are located South West and North East side. The opening

direction are designed according to the wind direction. It is opened at one side to draw the wind

flow in natural circulation which can easily cool the spaces. Because of the properties of

casement window, the size is designed to suit human body level. Air is flow through human body

level which bring comfort to the occupants.

Figure 7: Sketches shows air ventilation through casement window at body level.


Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan Second Floor Plan


Awning window

Figure 8: Sketches of Awning window and photo of awning window in S11 House corner area.

Awning windows pivot at the top and have outward-swinging sash. The windows are

operated with put-out lever so the window can be adjusted to keep out of rain but let the fresh

air in. Awning windows provide up to 50% ventilation area. They are a weather-tight

construction which is a good choice in damp climates. They usually placed higher in walls or

above other types of windows. They provide natural light and ventilation without

compromising privacy.

Figure 9: Sketches shows air ventilation through awning window.

In S11 House, Awning windows are applied in toilets and corner area like turning corner.

They are applied in these spaces because awning windows are good for ventilation with

privacy protected. Through awning windows, in toilet, the unpleasant smell can be drawn out

and in corner area, hot air rises and escape. Awning windows do not used a lot of wall space



but it is effective and well function in drawing air in and out to maintain the spaces with fresh

air.

4.0 Open plan in S11 House

Open plan is a type of layout has one or more large open rooms that function as multiple rooms

within a single living space. The most common is a ‘great room’ that combines kitchen, dining

room and living room in one shared space. Combining rooms into one large space helps to get

more use in extra space. Open plan encouraging more social time with gathering people together

in one space. Open plan has less wall which open up the whole spaces for better air flow.

Figure 10: Floor plans show open plan layout in S11 House.

In S11 House, open plan layout is used in ground floor and first floor. In ground floor, living

room, dry kitchen and dining area are combined as one open space. Sliding doors are connect the

space to the outdoor pond and swimming pool. In the first floor, open deck, family hall and lily

pond are combined as one open space mainly for gathering purpose. In this open space,

occupants can gather and having different kinds of activities together. Disadvantages of open

plan is it takes longer time for cooling and heating as the space big. In open plan, air

conditioning is less effective so natural ventilation is required to cool the space naturally.



Living room

Dry kitchen

Dining area

Open deck

Family hall

Lily pond


4.1 Ventilation in Open plan

Figure 11: Sketches show air flow in open plan and not open plan layout.

In an open plan, ventilation work better than not open plan house. It is because the reducing of

wall in between allow air to flow more freely and openings can function more effectively. In an

open plan the openings are design according to the floor plan, space arrangement and wind

direction.

Cross Ventilation

Figure 12: Floor plans show cross ventilation in open plan layout.




Cross ventilation works with vent openings on both sides of the building uses the pressure

difference across the space to create air movement through the space. Cross ventilation depends

on a continuous airflow path, so it work most effective in an open plan layout.

Figure 13: Sketches of air flow in same level and ground floor plan of S11 House.

In S11 House, cross ventilation occur in every floor especially in open plan space. At the ground

floor, the openings are in same level which is the body level. The sliding doors are located

according to wind direction and act as the important openings for air flow. At ground level,

openings are large enough to catch sufficient air into the space and cool down every single area

in the house.

Figure 14: Photos of openings at ground floor plan, living room to pond (left), living room to swimming pool (right).

Inlet and outlet of openings located opposite one another for better and smooth air flow. In

ground floor plan, one sliding door is located between the pond and living area, while another

sliding door is located between the swimming pool and living area. The openings are located at

the best place as cool air from pond and swimming pool flow into the house to cool the center


Ground Floor Plan


space which is the living room. Occupants usually gather at the living room for social interaction

and also daily activities. Fresh indoor air and optimum indoor temperature allow occupants to

enjoy the space comfortably.

Figure 15: Sketches of air flow in different levels in S11 House.

As mentioned above, wind are more easily trapped by upper floor than lower floor. So, in S11

House, upper floor level have larger openings than then lower floor openings. At the first floor,

the opening at the family hall 1 is large, the air is flow and transfer into different floor, first floor

family hall 1 and second floor family hall 2 and escaped at the opposite side of openings.



Figure 16: Photos of S11 House, family hall 1 with double volume (left), openings at 2nd floor family hall 2 (right).

From the photos above, applying large sliding door at the family hall 1 with double volume is a

right choice where the open plan area is cooled with sufficient of air flow. The whole open plan

area has good indoor air quality with comfortable room temperature suitable for occupants to

gather and have activities together.

Stack Ventilation

Stack ventilation is where air is driven through the building by vertical pressure differences

developed by thermal buoyancy. The warm air inside the building is less dense than the cooler

air outside, thus will try to escape from openings high up in the building. The effectiveness of

stack ventilation depends on the height of the stack which control the volume of air that drives

in.

Figure 17: Roof plan with location of wind turbines in S11 House.

In S11 House, wind turbines are used for stack ventilation. Wind turbine uses the Bernoulli’s

principle which uses wind speed differences to move air. In the general principle of fluid

dynamics, faster air moves, lower pressure. Architecturally speaking, outdoor air move faster


Roof Plan


than indoor air thus has lower pressure. This lower pressure help suck fresh air through the

building. In S11 House, a special design wind turbine combined with a steel framed glazed

pyramid provides the house with ‘stack effect’ ventilation and light pipes. The 15 numbers of

turbines are driven both by wind as well as convection when the air within the glass pyramid

heat up as a result of the greenhouse effect.

Figure 18: Photo of wind turbine in S11 House. (Source: S11 House)



5.0 Ventilation in Malay House

Figure 19: Sketches of ventilation in Malay house.

Vernacular architecture, Malay house has some strategies to attain optimal climatic control

where allowing adequate ventilation for cooling and reduction of humidity. It is good in

ventilation which cool the whole house and give comfort indoor spaces for occupants. Malay

house has three main circulation which are stack ventilation through the roof joint, cross

ventilation through openings and house is raised to cool the house.

Figure 20: Sketches of openings in Malay house.

In Malay house, the openings used are simple and very original. They used casement window in

their house for cross ventilation. The size and position are designed to allow air flow at body

level. For door, they used panel door mainly for circulation, enter and exit the house. The size of

openings are not very big to protect their privacy.



5.1 Comparison of openings between Malay house and S11 House

Figure 21: Comparison table of openings between Malay house and S11 House.

Adoption from Malay House

Both Malay house and S11 House have cross ventilation and stack ventilation. For cross

ventilation, S11 House use the same type of openings which is casement window. Both of the

houses use casement window because of its 100% ventilated area which cool the house area

naturally. Besides, both houses also apply stack ventilation in the house, which allow hot air

rises.

Improvement made in S11 House

As S11 House has bigger floor area and more floor level compare with Malay house so the

adoption of openings from Malay house is not effective enough to cool the whole house.

Improvement is made from the adoption to provide better indoor air quality and better air

ventilation.

For cross ventilation, S11 House used different size of casement window. The sizes, location and

number of openings are design according human height, usage of space and headroom size. For


Vernacular Architecture (Malay House)

SpecificationContemporary Architecture

(S11 House)

• Cross ventilation (openings)

• Stack ventilation (roof)

Types of ventilation

• Cross ventilation (openings)

• Stack ventilation (wind turbine)

• Casement window

• Panel door

Types of openings

• Casement window

• Awning window

• Floor-to-ceiling window

• Sliding door

Opening size in body level Size of openingsLarger in size to allow more air and light enter


example, casement window in gallery space is larger and more in numbers because it is a space

where people will stay and have activity in the space. However, in storage space, casement

window is smaller in size and less in number because no activities happen in that area. Besides,

in S11 House, more types of openings are used like awning window, fixed window, sliding door

and floor-to-ceiling window. Different types of openings are applied in S11 House to provide

sufficient air flow in all spaces. Awning window in toilets, floor-to-ceiling window in staircase

area, sliding door replacing not very ventilated panel door.

For stack ventilation, as S11 house has more floor levels, it is not so effective for natural stack

ventilation, so, wind turbines are used to draw hot air up and escape.



6.0 Conclusion

Openings are important in a building or house. To live in a comfortable space with good indoor

air quality, understanding of the existence of openings is a must not only for architecture but also

for common knowledge. The adoption of openings from vernacular architecture and

improvement made in contemporary architecture also important for future building development.

Nowadays most of the buildings are hotter inside compared to outside. As an architect, our task

is to design building sustainably without damaging or effecting the nature and surrounding

environment. We also design a space to provide comfortable living area for occupants where

natural ventilation is needed. Promote natural ventilation in a building should come with design

of openings with types, sizes, orientation and location.



References

Ahmad, S.S. and Hyde, R., (2004). A review on interior comfort conditions in Malaysia.Department of Architecture, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.

Andy Walker. (2015) National Institute of Building Sciences. Natural Ventilation. Retrieved 28 April 2015 from http://www.wbdg.org/resources/naturalventilation.php

Davis, M.P. et al., (2000). A new building system for the construction of thermally comfortable, energy efficient houses in the Malaysian humid tropics. Conference Proceedings of Environment friendly Townships for Developing Countries, 31 January 2000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Edward Ng. et al., (2005). Towards Better Wind, Daylight and Natural Ventilation for Building And Urban Spaces in Ultra Dense Cities – An Experience From Hong Kong. Conference Proceeding of The 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference, 27-29 September 2005, Tokyo, Japan.

Hawkes,D. (2015). A History of Sustainable Architecture. Retrieved 28 April 2015 from http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Sustainability.aspx

Greenbelt Home Inc. (2012). X.N. Building Openings: Windows, Doors, Skylights. Retrieved 26 April 2015 from http://ghi.coop/content/xn-building-openings-windows-doors-skylights

Ken Currie. (2015). O-Plan: the Open Planning Architecture (1990). Retrieved 27 April 2015 from http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.26.2844

Klote J.H (1991) A General Routine for Analysis of Stack Effect. National Institute of Standards and Technology,report, United states Department of Commerce, Gaithersburg, pp: 28

Nick Baker. (2015). RIBA. Natural Ventilation: Cross Ventilation. Retrieved 27 April 2015 from http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Air/1-2-1-3-naturalventilation-crossventilation.aspx

Yeang, K., (1986). Land Use, Climate and Architectural Form. In Design for High-Intensity Development.Academy Editions, London.


http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Air/1-2-1-3-naturalventilation-crossventilation.aspx

http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Air/1-2-1-3-naturalventilation-crossventilation.aspx

http://www.arct.cam.ac.uk/Arct/Research.aspx

http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.26.2844

http://ghi.coop/content/xn-building-openings-windows-doors-skylights

http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Sustainability.aspx

http://www.wbdg.org/resources/naturalventilation.php

Asian Architecture Research paper

Documents

Transcript of Asian Architecture Research paper