Toronto Library_Building systems project_Group Project
Toronto Sunshine Library
Kangchun Sun_Xingye Xu_Xiaomeng Guo
The Sunshine Library we designed is located in downtown Toronto, next to a school. The surrounding buildings are not tall, and this structure uses passive design to provide users with a warm and comfortable reading environment. Its large south-facing glass windows,
spanning two floors, allow ample sunlight to enter, helping to heat the entire building during the cold Toronto winters.
Designing
Site Climate Analysis
Based on our analysis of Toronto’s climate, the summer humidity in Toronto is relatively high, while winter humidity is significantly lower. Summer humidity occasionally reaches a comfortable level, but winters are generally cold and dry. We have
charted the rainfall and snowfall patterns from the past five years, and the data shows a significant increase in snowfall during the winter, with rainfall being more prominent in the summer.
Toronto’s sunlight shines entirely from the south. Therefore, we rotated our facade slightly to get more light out of the shadows of the adjacent high-rise building.
Our design is based on the consideration of light. Large windows were installed on the sunny south side to absorb a lot of sunlight, and skylights were installed for better ventilation.
Our design is mainly for the storage of books (first floor), while the second floor is mainly used as a study and reading room. So on the second floor we wanted more sunlight. Therefore, the windows on the second floor are much larger than on the first floor.
The library is a functional building that is used more during the day than at night, so more light not only raises the indoor temperature, but also acts as a supplemental light during the day to minimize electrical energy consumption.
The entrance to the building is also private, not facing the main street, but requiring a short walk from the main road to reach it.
The surrounding playground provides open views, as well as comfortable window views. However, due to the stronger northwesterly winds, we keep the window openings on the north side to be smaller.
Toronto has less wind from the southeast and predominantly from the northwest. Toronto’s average winter temperatures are all below zero with lots of snowfall. Overall it is a place that is comfortable indoors and outdoors in the summer, but extra warm and humidified in the winter. The
SW view
The site is located in the centre of the city, with a school nearby. Therefore, privacy and soundproofing should be taken into consideration in the design. Additionally, due to the need for insulation, all windows are designed with double glazing to achieve better soundproofing and thermal insulation.
For those entering the building, the experience on each floor and in every area is unique and varied. Upon entering through a relatively private entrance, visitors first encounter the first-floor book storage area, where the light is soft and natural light only faintly filters in, creating a quiet and calm atmosphere ideal for deep focus and immersion in reading. As they move up to the second floor, the spatial experience changes, opening up into a bright and expansive reading area filled with ample sunlight from large south-facing windows. Here, the lively cityscape to the south can be seen, with abundant sunlight connecting the indoor space to the vibrant energy of the outside world.
Looking north, a framed view reveals the open school playground, offering a sense of tranquility and space in contrast to the bustling southern cityscape. This layered experience transforms the building from a mere functional structure into a thoughtful response to its environment, using light, views, and spatial openness to engage with its surroundings. Visitors can physically sense how the building responds to the climate and environment as they move through it. Natural elements like light, views, and temperature are seamlessly integrated, offering distinct sensory experiences. Each step fosters a quiet interaction between the architecture and nature, bringing the space to life.
Based on our design approach and the climatic characteristics of the site, we created this diagram. It specifically highlights the impact of the sun path on our building, as well as the effects of wind and noise from the surrounding site. Additionally, we considered the circulation in the vicinity and incorporated elements such as precipitation into the analysis.
Case Study_ Cooling Strategies
The Research Support Facility_RNL Design
Cross Ventilation
1. Cross Ventilation
Denver, Colorado, USA 2010
The Research Support Facility utilizes a cross ventilation system to naturally cool the building. Fresh air enters through openable windows on one side, flows throughout the space, and exits through windows or vents on the other side. The building window design enhances this process by effectively directing the airflow. In addition, the hot chimney exhausts warm air upward, creating a pressure differential that draws cooler air into the room. An automated system controls the opening of the windows based on temperature and weather conditions, thereby reducing the need for mechanical cooling and increasing energy efficiency.
Thomas Eco House_Designs Northwest Architects
2. Stack Ventilation
Stanwood, Washington, USA 2009
The Thomas Eco House utilizes a stacked ventilation system to passively cool the house. Cooler air enters through large openings in the balconies as well as windows on the lower levels, and as hotter air rises in the house, it exits through higher openings (small windows in a large transparent skylight structure). This creates a natural circulation of airflow. This is ensured by the permeability of the stairwells and floors throughout the building. A large three-sided glazing on the top floor creates a solar chimney and guarantees stack ventilation.
3. Night Ventilation of Thermal Mass
Basalt, Colorado, USA
2015
Rocky Mountain Institute’s Innovation Center has a precise control system for window automation. At night, when temperatures are cooler, the building automatically opens the windows to allow cooler air to enter the room. The cold air passes through the building’s thermal mass (concrete floors and walls), which absorbs heat during the day. The thermal mass then releases stored heat, cooling it down as it transfers this heat to the cold night air. By lowering the temperature of the thermal mass at night, the building stays cooler during the day, minimizing the need for a mechanical cooling system to achieve the passive cooling strategy of night ventilation.
Thermal Mass (Night Flushing In Summer & Heat Gain In Winter)
1. Isolated Gain (Sun Space)
Basalt, Colorado, USA
2015
For passive heating, the Innovation Center utilizes isolated heat gain through the building’s sunspace design. The building features large glazed windows on the front south side to maximize solar gain, especially in the winter months, allowing solar radiation to penetrate and warm the interior spaces, creating the sunspace needed for ISOLATED GAIN.The sun heats the thermal mass of the building, such as the concrete floors and walls, which stores the heat and slowly releases it over time. This effect, combined with airtight vapor barriers and shading elements, prevents overheating during the summer months, thus helping to keep the building warm during the cold season while reducing reliance on artificial heating systems.
Affordable Green Homes with DesignBuildBLUFF_University of Utah Architecture Students
Trombe Wall
(Night Ventilation In Summer & Heat Gain In Winter)
2. Indirect Gain (Trombe Wall)
Navajo Nation, Southeastern Utah, USA
Ongoing since 2000
The affordable green homes designed by DesignBuildBLUFF on the Navajo Nation use Trombe walls as an effective indirect gain passive solar heating strategy. A Trombe wall is a south-facing, thick masonry wall with a layer of glass set in front of it. Sunlight passes through the glass, heating the dark-colored wall, which absorbs the heat during the day. The heat is then gradually transferred into the living space during the evening, helping to keep the home warm throughout the night.
Direct Gain_Window Factors (Ventilation & Heat Gain)
3. Direct Gain (Window Factors)
Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA 2010
The Ellis Residence by Coates Design effectively utilizes direct gain through large expanses of windows on its southern façade to capture solar energy. The home features tripleglazed windows, which allow sunlight to enter the interior spaces, warming them during the day. This passive solar strategy, combined with careful window placement and advanced materials, reduces heat loss and maximizes solar heat gain, providing natural warmth. The windows also contribute to daylighting, reducing the need for artificial lighting while offering stunning views of Puget Sound.
Iterations Process Diagrams
To maximize sunlight, large windows were installed on the southern side of the building, and thermal mass materials were used for the walls and floors to help store heat. The building was raised by an additional story to create a larger sunspace,
with partitions added to the upper space, allowing the heat absorbed by the sunspace to help warm the interior. Small windows were also incorporated into the roof to enhance stack ventilation throughout the building.
Stack Ventilation:
The three-story open space and rooftop windows ensure the building’s structure supports stack ventilation. The small rooftop windows help release hot air from the building, while their size is optimized to prevent excessive daylight from causing glare.
Cooling Strategies
Night Flushing:
The skylights and small northern windows of the building can be manually controlled (or operated by an automatic system) to open the night before hot weather. During the day, thermal mass materials absorb heat, while nighttime ventilation facilitates a night flushing system to cool the building.
Heating Strategies
Direct Gain:
The use of large south-facing windows and thermal mass ensures that the building receives sufficient direct light on the south side and stores heat through the thermal mass material.
Isolated Gain (Sun Space):
The south side of the building has large casement windows (second and third floors), and the reading space on the north side of the building is separated by ventilation openings and windowed walls, creating a sunspace on the south side of the building that receives direct sunlight across three floors.
The site is located in the centre of the city, with a school nearby. Therefore, privacy and soundproofing should be taken into consideration in the design. Additionally, due to the need for insulation, all windows are designed with double glazing to achieve better soundproofing and thermal insulation.
Terrace
Social space - receives ample sunlight to create a bright and inviting atmosphere
The interior partition walls divide the reading space into two types: the north side offers a more enclosed and quiet space for reading and self-study, while the south side features a bright, open area facing large windows for interaction. Curtains control the
Book Storage:
Higher windows to minimize direct sunlight exposure - better suited for book preservation
sunlight intensity to prevent glare. The first floor serves as the main storage area for books, where its sealed nature keeps them dry.
Reading Room
Features isolated thermal mass avoids large windows - prevent glare
Our design is mainly for the storage of books (first floor), while the second floor is mainly used as a study and reading room. So on the second floor we wanted more sunlight. Therefore, the windows on the second floor are much larger than on the first floor.
The library is a functional building that is used more during the day than at night, so more light not only raises the indoor temperature, but also acts as a supplemental light during the day to minimize electrical energy consumption.
Elevation 1
The entrance to the building is also private, not facing the main street, but requiring a short walk from the main road to reach it.
The surrounding playground provides open views, as well as comfortable window views. However, due to the stronger northwesterly winds, we keep the window openings on the north side to be smaller.
Toronto has less wind from the southeast and predominantly from the northwest. Toronto’s average winter temperatures are all below zero with lots of snowfall. Overall it is a place that is comfortable indoors and outdoors in the summer, but extra warm and humidified in the winter.
The Sunshine Library we designed is located in downtown Toronto, next to a school. The surrounding buildings are not tall, and this structure uses passive design to provide users with a warm and comfortable reading environment. Its large south-facing glass windows, spanning two floors, allow ample sunlight to enter, helping to heat the entire building during the cold Toronto winters.
We used concrete as thermal mass for both the floor of the indoor sunspace and parts of the interior partition walls, complemented by wooden window frames. The interior library space is covered with wooden panels, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
For those entering the building, the experience on each floor and in every area is unique and varied.
Upon entering through a relatively private entrance, visitors first encounter the first-floor book storage area, where the light is soft and natural light only faintly filters in, creating a quiet and calm atmosphere ideal for deep focus and immersion in reading.
As the users move up to the first and second floor, the spatial experience changes, opening up into a bright and expansive reading area filled with ample sunlight from large south-facing windows. Here, the lively cityscape to the south can be seen, with abundant sunlight connecting the indoor space to the vibrant energy of the outside world.
The wall section features 2x6 insulated thermal studs filled with timber batt insulation, covered by 3/4” OSB sheathing and a vapor impermeable WRB, providing moisture control. The foundation includes EPS insulation, a concrete slab with a vapor retarder, and a gravel drainage layer for effective water management.
This chunk model effectively illustrates the connection between the building and the ground, including the floor structure, underground piping system, and the overall foundation design.
Walls-to-Roof Construction Detail
The exterior is finished with 5/8” AI/UHPC panels for durability, while the interior is lined with wood panels over 1/2” gypsum wallboard for aesthetic and functional insulation. We also use double-glazed glass to construct larger glass curtain wall facades to ensure their sealing performance. This chunk model effectively demonstrates the connection between the roof structure and the large glazed southern wall, as well as the integration of the steel column at the sloped roof corner with the overall wall assembly. It highlights the seamless interaction between structural elements and glazing, providing a detailed representation of these critical junctions.
We selected the average temperature of the coldest month in Toronto as the reference data for our analysis. Based on this analysis and the materials we chose, a temperature variation diagram for the wall assembly was created. It was found that the point behind the sheathing stays above the dew point.
We made an effort to use materials with a relatively low carbon footprint, such as timber studs, wood window frames, fiberglass batt, and so on. Below are the analysis charts for our material selections.
For the comparison chart, we changed some of the assembly materials. Part of the materials was replaced with those having higher carbon emissions. For example, we replaced timber studs with steel studs, wood window frames with aluminum window frames, and fiberglass batt with mineral wool batt. We tested different possibilities, which led to the comparison case charts.
Life Cycle Analysis
In analyzing the life cycle impact, we found that operational energy significantly outweighs embodied energy in the overall energy consumption of the project. The primary driver of operational energy is heating, highlighting the notable difference in energy use between building materials and electric gas consumption. While our analysis considers general energy consumption metrics, the climate-responsive design of our building is expected to reduce its operational energy use.
Physical Model_Site Interpretative Model
Our site model employs various materials to simulate the impact of environmental factors such as wind, sunlight, and precipitation on the building. Slanted wooden rods represent the angle of the sun at noon in December, the time of year when the sun is at its lowest altitude. This simulation highlights how the building’s massing and orientation were strategically designed to ensure adequate daylight penetration, even in a densely built urban context. Thin lines are used to depict airflow through the building, illustrating how window placement facilitates effective cross ventilation. Additionally, precipitation simulations demonstrate the functionality of the sloped roof design.
Physical Model_Detail Chunk Model
The detailed chunk model represents a roof-to-wall corner of the building, showcasing the integration of the wall assembly, steel structure, and large glazing panels, including the expansive wall glazing and a portion of the skylight. Materials such as wool were used to simulate insulation, while wooden sticks, cardboard, and other materials replicate the construction details. This model effectively conveys the design’s structural and material connections, providing a tangible representation of the assembly’s functionality and architectural intent.
