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TEACHING WITH

SUN, WIND, & LIGHT

2001 SBSE SUMMER RETREAT

Mark DeKay, assistant professorCollege of Architecture and Design

University of TennesseeKnoxville, TN 37966

314.935.6282, mdekay@utk.edu

SUN, WIND, AND LIGHT is a 400 page book for designers whowant to consider the form-generating potential of climaticforces in the earliest stages of the design process. Thesecond edition was recently published in January of 2001.The second edition project expands the original, increasing itsscope by 40%, providing more recent architectural examples,updating the methods, and incorporating more than a decadeof research in the field.

The Idea of the BookSun, Wind, and Light is designed to fit with the rapid,conceptual, exploratory, and synthetic thinking thatcharacterizes the beginning of the design process. Itstresses the energy implications of sun, wind, and light,however, it is organized by the architectural elementsdesigners manipulate – streets, open spaces and buildings,rooms and courtyards, walls, roofs, floors, and windows.These elements are discussed in terms of theirorganization and their attributes.

The second edition of Sun, Wind, and Light represents oneof the only sources to fundamentally integrate the formallanguage of preliminary architectural design with thediscipline of building science. Climatic forces are impor-tant in architecture because a building’s response toclimate is directly related to its energy consumption, andbecause climate is a powerful local context giving design-ers a means of regional expression and placemaking. Thebook’s audience is practicing architects and architecturestudents. Its purpose is to help architects integratearchitectural design and energy, to design more energyefficient buildings, while also making humane, sustain-able, aesthetic buildings.

Organization

The book is organized into three parts:

1) Analysis Techniques, which give tools for understand-ing the climatic context of the design problem, alongwith the pre-design implications of program and form;

2) Design Strategies, which give strategies for shapingarchitectural form to achieve low energy consumption,user thermal comfort, and effective lighting; and

3) Supplemental Strategies, which give mechanical/electrical-assisted strategies for supplementing thearchitecturally-based (passive) strategies.

Each design strategy is intended to support designers atmaking important schematic-level design decisions aboutthe form or organization of building groups, sites, build-ings, or building elements. Each gives a short statementof the strategy, and explanation of its energy-relatedphenomenon, an example of how the strategy has beenused in an elegant way by another architect in buildingsof high design quality, and very importantly, offers a toolthat helps to make a design decision such as size, shape,organization, color, material, etc. (see diagram on follow-ing page).

Making Patterns Visual, Translating Science for Designers

The book is graphics-intensive, with one or more hand-drawn architectural illustrations on every page. It isgraphic for three reasons: 1) to communicate in thelanguage of architects; 2) to simplify the methods andreduce calculation, such as with nomographs; and 3) tomake the connection between patterns of form and their

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associated energy processes. Patterns must be drawn andmapped. The illustrations take several forms. First, thereare charts and graphs that make the patterns of phenom-ena and their relationship to architectural elementsvisible. Second, there are analytical and interpretivediagrams that show how a building works, such as how airmoves through a plan, or explore the interactions ofimportant variables, such as the effect of latitude andbuilding height on light in an atrium. Finally, there areillustrative architectural drawings, such as plans, sec-tions, and perspectives that show the formal implicationor application of an idea.

The book is also a long series of small, well-definedresearch projects. There is a wealth of literature andresearch on these topics, increasing at a rapid rate.Unfortunately, this knowledge explosion has not pen-etrated very deeply into either education or practice.Much of the knowledge is inaccessibly stored in engineer-ing studies, doctoral dissertations, and obscure journals.

What is available is often presented in the language ofengineering and science. Each design strategy andtechnique in Sun, Wind, and Light required either assem-bling and translating existing research into a form usefulto designers or developing a novel technique for designersto use.

Techniques and Strategies

The matrix on the following page shows all of the 109analysis techniques and design strategies categorized byboth their part and section within the book’s structure(horizontal axis) and by their role in building environ-mental controls issues of daylighting, heating, andcooling (vertical axis).

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D E S I G N S T R A T E G I E S

AnalysisTechniques

BuildingGroups Buildings Building

PartsMech/Elec.Supplement

Daylighting

8. sky cover9. daylight availability10. daylight obstruction

32. glazed streets35. daylight envelope

51. thin plan54. borrowed daylight58. daylight zones70. atrium71. daylit rm. depth

78. reflecting surfaces84. low contrast85. skylight wells92. reflected sunlight94. daylight apertures

102. task lighting103. electric light zones

Heating

3. solar radiation21. heat losses

30. tall buildings34. gradual height transitions38. E-W bldg. groups41. winter outdoor rms.42. neighborhood sun

52. E-W plan53. deep sun60. direct gain61. sunspaces62. thermal stor. wall64. thermal collectors

77. mass absorptance82. solar reflectors87. breathing walls91. well-placed window93. solar apertures97. movable insulation

Cooling

16. window solar gain20. shading calendar21. heat gains

26. vent. corridors27. shared shade36. breezy streets37. dispersed bldgs.39. bldgs. + plants40. bldgs. + water44. green edges45. overhead shades

48. layer of shades50. permeable bldgs.65. cross-ventilation66 stack-ventilation67. wind catchers68. night-cooled mass69. evap. cool towers73. water edges75. shady courts

81. double skin mat’ls90. ventilation openings arrangement99. external shading100. internal shading & inbetween shading

105. mech. mass vent.106. mech. space vent.

Heating &Cooling

1. sundial2. sun path diagram4. wind rose5. wind square6. air movement prin.7. site microclimate11. bioclimatic chart15. skin heat flow17. infil/vent gain & loss18. bldg. bioclimatic cht.19. earth contact22. balance point temp.23. balance pt. profiles

28. topo. microclimate33. loose & dense urban patterns43. windbreaks

46. migration47. outdoor rooms49. clustered rooms55. heat prod. zones56. stratify zones57. buffer zones59. rms. facing sun & wind63. roof ponds72. earth edges74. breezy/calm courts

76. skin thickness79. ext. surface color83. thermal mass88. insulation outside95. air-flow windows

104. rock beds107. ducts & plenums108. buffer zones & air/air x-changers109. earth/air heat x-changers

Heating &Daylighting

29. solar envelopes

Daylighting& Cooling

96. light shelves98. daylight-enhancing shades

Heating,Cooling &Daylighting

31. balanced urban patterns

89. separated/combo openings101. glass types

Power24. eletric loads25. hot water loads

80. PV walls & roofs86. solar hot water

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Use in Different Classes

SWL is really a design process resource manual, not aconventional textbook. It has been used in seminars,large lecture courses, architectural design studio courses,and by professional architects in practice.

The diagrams below show how the content of SWL can beused to support teaching different types of classes.

Linking Strategies by Topic

Many of the techniques and strategies in SWL are linkedto each other logically. In some cases, one technique isrequired as data input for another technique or strategy.

The four matrices on the following pages show the SWLanalysis techniques and design strategies separated out

by the energy topics of daylighting, cooling, heating, andpower. The techniques and strategies in bold show onepossible suggestion for which sections to address first ina typical design problem for a daylighted building design,a solar heated building design, or a natural ventilationbuilding design.

A set of individual techniques and strategies can be builtup to form a network of concepts and tools that form alarger integrated system in the student’s design process.For instance, as shown in the matrix for heating, a solarheated building design requires assessing the potentialfor solar heating in the climate (#7) and on the site(#18), configuring groups of buildings for solar access inthe site plan (#38), organizing the rooms to get sun (#52& 53) and shaping the rooms and their enclosure tocollect sun (#60 & 61), sizing the windows and thermalmass (#83 & 93), and moving heat from where it iscollected and stored to where it is needed (#107).

Depending on the architectural question asked, or thepedagogical approach of the instructor or particular class,techniques and strategies can be combined to form classexercises or design methods in a variety of ways. Forinstance, instead of the multi-scalar, singe-issue approachgiven above, an instructor could ask students to engage amulti-issue, single-scale question, such as window design.A window design exercise (or class!) might include arange of parts-scale strategies such as reflection, sizing,positioning, orientation, shading, insulation, and typestrategies – integrating issues of heating, cooling, anddaylighting, along with other architectural window issuesif desired.

Digital Image Library

A full library of the 700 illustrations and tables in thebook has been developed for use by instructors who adoptthe book in their classes. This library is available on CDfrom Mark DeKay.

Instructors will soon be able to order full or partial sets ofslides of these same illustrations for use in lectures.Contact Mark DeKay if you are interested in purchasingslides.

Additional Climate Data Resources for SWL

The print edition of SWL has data for five climates.Through a grant from the Hay Fund of the RenewableEnergy Institute at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, data for anadditional 19 climates are being developed in formatsimilar to that in the SWL appendix. The new data andanalyses will be keyed to SWL techniques. The newclimate reports will include additional data, graphics, andanalyses not found in the print edition.

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D E S I G N S T R A T E G I E S

AnalysisTechniques

BuildingGroups Buildings

BuildingParts

Mech/Elec.Supplement

Daylighting

8. sky cover9. daylight availability10. daylight obstruction

29. solar envelopes32. glazed streets31. balanced urban patterns35. daylight envelope

51. thin plan54. borrowed daylight58. daylight zones70. atrium71. daylit rm. depth

78. reflecting surfaces84. low contrast85. skylight wells89. separated/combo openings92. reflected sunlight94. daylight apertures96. light shelves98. daylight-enhancing shades101. glass types

102. task lighting103. electric light zones

D E S I G N S T R A T E G I E S

AnalysisTechniques

BuildingGroups Buildings

BuildingParts

Mech/Elec.Supplement

Heating

1. sundial2. sun path diagram3. solar radiation4. wind rose5. wind square6. air movement prin.7. site microclimate11. bioclimatic chart15. skin heat flow17. infil/vent gain & loss18. bldg. bioclimatic chart19. earth contact21. heat losses22. balance point temp.23. balance pt. profiles

28. topo. microclimate29. solar envelopes30. tall buildings31. balanced urban patterns33. loose & dense urban patterns34. gradual height transitions38. E-W bldg. groups41. winter outdoor rms.42. neighborhood sun43. windbreaks

46. migration47. outdoor rooms49. clustered rooms52. E-W plan53. deep sun55. heat prod. zones56. stratify zones57. buffer zones59. rms. facing sun & wind60. direct gain61. sunspaces62. thermal stor. wall63. roof ponds64. thermal collectors72. earth edges74. breezy/calm courts

76. skin thickness77. mass absorptance79. ext. surface color82. solar reflectors83. thermal mass87. breathing walls88. insulation outside89. separated/combo openings91. well-placed window93. solar apertures95. air-flow windows97. movable insulation101. glass types

104. rock beds107. ducts & plenums108. buffer zones & air/air x-changers109. earth/air heat x-changers

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Preliminary graphic and tabular data are available fordownload from the Climatic Design Resources web site athttp://dell2002.cap.utk.edu/ecodesign/cdr/.

Data currently available are preliminary sets of climatecalendars, in the form of Microsoft Excel workbooks,giving mean hourly data for several variables, derivedfrom TMY2 files.

Additional data will be posted by summer’s end and finalproducts should be posted by late fall 2001. Instructorsteaching fall 2001 classes can be provided with pre-release data and climatic analyses as available. ContactMark DeKay for more information.

End

The second edition of Sun, Wind, and Light is a large andcomplex resource with 382 pages and 700 illustrationsand tables. It has the potential to bridge the two worldsof design and performance: to make energy a relevantconcern of any designer by revealing both the greatdesign potential latent in buildings that tap site-basedenergy, and the great consequences for resource con-sumption (and thus the future) of differing designalternatives.

Check the new SWL web site (appearing late summer<http://dell2002.cap.utk.edu/ecodesign>) for moreinstructor resources!

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D E S I G N S T R A T E G I E S

AnalysisTechniques

BuildingGroups Buildings

BuildingParts

Mech/Elec.Supplement

Cooling

1. sundial2. sun path diagram4. wind rose5. wind square6. air movement prin.7. site microclimate11. bioclimatic chart15. skin heat flow16. window solar gain17. infil/vent gain & loss18. bldg. bioclimatic chart19. earth contact20. shading calendar21. heat gains22. balance point temp.23. balance pt. profiles

26. vent. corridors27. shared shade28. topo. microclimate31. balanced urban patterns33. loose & dense urban patterns36. breezy streets37. dispersed bldgs.39. bldgs. + plants40. bldgs. + water43. windbreaks44. green edges45. overhead shades

46. migration47. outdoor rooms48. layer of shades49. clustered rooms50. permeable bldgs.55. heat prod. zones56. stratify zones57. buffer zones59. rms. facing sun & wind63. roof ponds65. cross-ventilation66. stack-ventilation67. wind catchers68. night-cooled mass69. evap. cool towers72. earth edges73. water edges74. breezy/calm courts75. shady courts

76. skin thickness79. ext. surface color81. double skin mat’ls83. thermal mass88. insulation outside89. separated/combo openings90. ventilation openings arrangement95. air-flow windows96. light shelves98. daylight-enhancing shades99. external shading100. internal shading & in-between shading101. glass types

104. rock beds105. mech. mass ventilation106. mech. space ventilation107. ducts & plenums108. buffer zones & air/air x-changers109. earth/air heat x-changers

D E S I G N S T R A T E G I E S

AnalysisTechniques

BuildingGroups Buildings

BuildingParts

Mech/Elec.Supplement

Power24. eletric loads25. hot water loads

80. PV walls & roofs86. solar hot water

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