CAPE Green Engineering - Unit 2 - M3 - Green Solutions - Energy Efficiency & Energy Reduction
CAPE Green Engineering - Unit 2 - M3 - Green Solutions - Energy Efficiency & Energy Reduction
CAPE Green Engineering - Unit 2 - M3 - Green Solutions - Energy Efficiency & Energy Reduction
& REDUCTION
CAPE Green Engineering – Green Solutions
Content
Gensler’s headquarters in
San Francisco, California,
incorporates extensive daylighting
to improve the performance and
quality of the interior spaces.
Gensler/Sherman Takata
Photography.
Passive Design Strategies
In any climate, rooms that are expected to create larger
internal gains, can be positioned in areas with lower solar
exposure or high ventilation to balance the temperature
in the building without using air-conditioning such as
kitchens,
computer server rooms,
and laundry facilities,.
Passive Design Strategies –
Grid orientation:
In hot climates, where cooling needs dominate, orienting
corridors parallel to prevailing breezes can provide
natural cooling for developed areas.
White roofs
create an
distinctive
aesthetic while
reducing the heat
gain of the
buildings in
Bermuda. ©
Sherwood Design
Engineers.
Passive Design Strategies –
Vegetation strategies:
Using plants and trees to increase shading from the sun is a time-
honored technique for keeping buildings cool.
Vine-covered terraces and patios have been used for thousands of
years in the Mediterranean to shade outdoor areas next to buildings,
acting as a deep overhang to prevent sunlight from heating interior
spaces.
In addition, trees and shrubs act as climate regulators through
transpiration, making cool days warmer and warm days cooler.
Deciduous trees provide shade from the summer sun, losing their
leaves in the fall to allow winter sunlight to warm the building.
Nondeciduous vegetation can be planted near buildings in warm
climates where cooling is the priority year-round.
Plants can also be used to shield mechanical equipment from
overheating by the sun, thereby increasing efficiency.
Placing landscaping around a building instead of concrete and asphalt
Passive Design Strategies –
Vegetation strategies:
Placing landscaping
around a building instead
of concrete and asphalt
can lower the ambient
temperatures on-site.
Green roofs also reduce
heat gain in a building by
providing shade,
insulating the roof with
their soil media and
removing heat through
evapotranspiration.
Passive Design Strategies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_2tM7KA5rQ
Active Design Strategies –
Geothermal insulation:
Can be used to help a building stay warm in winter and cool in
summer.
Can be highly efficient compared to traditional duct or HVAC systems.
They rely on a network of pipes to carry a heat exchange fluid buried
underground.
The only energy demand comes from pumping the heat exchange
fluid, which is much more efficient than circulating air through ducts.
These systems are most efficient in regions with wide ranges in annual
temperatures.
Video –
Geothermal Insulation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY3oGlgZRgI
Active Design Strategies –
Interior air exchange:
In a tightly sealed building, mechanical air exchange is necessary to
bring in fresh oxygen and filter the air.
Ohlone College in Newark, California, has installed two “enthalpy
machines” that take advantage of the temperature difference between
inside and outside air.
When the air-conditioning system is running, large fans mix the
outgoing cool air exhaust with the warmer incoming air.
This precools the hot air before it enters the air conditioner, thus
reducing the energy required to chill the air to a comfortable
temperature.
In the winter, these same machines preheat incoming cold air with
outgoing warmer air, thus reducing heating loads.
The same concept can be used to regulate humidity as well
Active Design Strategies –
Chilled ceiling/chilled beams systems:
Chilled ceilings and beams cool through the process of radiant
exchange (heat transfer between surfaces of differing temperatures)
and local convection, respectively. In a room served by a chilled
ceiling, the surface temperature is normally between 15°C and 18°C,
providing a very pleasant radiant cooling effect (with minimal air
movement).
Chilled beams achieve their cooling effect by using finned elements
through which water is passed at around 15°C to 18°C.
Chilled ceilings and beams combine radiant cooling systems with
conventional overhead ventilation to reduce energy usage, improve
comfort levels, and reduce the architectural impact of ductwork and
other mechanical systems.
Active Design Strategies