Deigning for Heat

This project explores the issue of heat and thermal comfort in the design of the public domain. This project try to explore the contemporary digital tools and data to develop innovative design and planning responses.

The Melbourne School of Design building operate at full capacity for hundreds of students and staff to spend their days. The interfaces of the MSD building, including the balconies, entryways, and courtyards, are often underused in the day-to-day activities of the MSD. However, going outside also reveals the challenges of working with Melbourne’s variable weather and climate.

Preview

The design seeks to respond to the building’s concept of fostering innovation and free-flow of ideas from inside of the building out. The design moves away homogenising environments in a climatic sense, and instead works with the array micro-climatic conditions to pronounce differences, whilst alleviating moments of excessive discomfort. Furthermore, it is intended that the built form be a source of both inspiration and education for students inhabiting the spaces.

Overall Design Strategy

Traditional Wind Catcher Manipulate wind

Water feature

Heat absorption during the water evaporation to cool down the external space and increase humidity

Visualize the climate

Adding educational feature for wind and sun interaction

Ecological intervention

Canopy trees provide shading to avoid overexposure to sunlight

Ecological intervention

Break up the wind flow and reduce wind speeds for a given activity.

East Existing Condition

Mist

Cool down space

Manipulate land form

Direct wind and block wind to create comfortable space

Thermal mass material

Radiance and heat retention to ensure warmer winter and cooler summer.

North Existing Condition

The condition of the existing site at the east corner of MSDshows potential of using temperature differences at staircasearea as a feature that allows user to choose the temperature based on preferences. The enterance area during summer doesn’t have any windflow , even though the enterance is facing the windflow direction

The condition of the existing site at the north corner of MSD shows the interaction of site users with the micro-climate situation at that location. Several points show a striking difference between indoor and outdoor situations, where outdoor situations have temperatures with striking variations and wind tunnel effect during winter but lack of wind during summer

East Edge

Existing condition and Issue

Wind Analysis: The low wind speed hardly cools down the east edge in summer. Whereas the north wind in winter decreases the apparent temperature and hardly warms up the space.

Solar Analysis: The thermal variation of the staircase has the opportunity to provide diverse climatic experience for students and staffs. However, the entrance with extreme solar exposure brings Summer

Staircase with thermal variation where the cold space contrasts with the warm area

Entrance exposed in strong direct sun, where people suffer from hot dry climatic experience in summer

Strategy

1. Wind Tower Catch wind from the top and spread the cool breeze to the space underneath

Buffering Discomfort

2. Direct Wind Use pavilion to direct wind from south and speed up the wind speed at the entrance in summer and block north wind in winter

3. Water Feature Create waterfall to increase humidity and cool down the space

4. Shading Use shading Device to cool down right side of staircase

5. Vegetation Use vegetation to cool down staircase

Non Thermal Mass

Thermal Mass

6. Material Use thermal mass material to amplify temperature

Thermal Variation

Pavilion

The pavilion directs wind to the space near entrance to improve ventilation and cool down the space.

The pavilion catch cool breeze from the top and spread cool breeze to the space underneath.

Summer Wind Catch cool breeze

Summer Dec 21th

Winter Jun 21th

Winter sun is not blocked by the pavilion Summer sun is blocked by pavilion

Winter Wind Block cold wind

Staircases

Use strategies of materials, bench seats, vegetation and shading to amplify temperature.

East Edge - Pavilion

The pavilion applies the material and breezing strategy to cool down the entrance. The glowing concrete as the paving that absorbs solar energy during the daytime and releases light at night can visualise the microclimate for education purpose.

Wind Simulation

East Edge - Staircase

The staircase design utilises the existing thermal condition and applies the strategies of shading, vegetation, seats and materials to create thermal variation.

Solar Simulation

Thermal experience dynamics

Existing

Cooling & shading Strategy

- Filters and shrubs

Seats for cool space

- Thermal material of concrete

Purpose: Achieve thermal variation for student and staff; Warm(left) & Cool (right)

Vertical shading device 60 degree

Seats for warm space

- Sun bathing

Materials & Thermometer

- Education purpose

- Different thermal conductivity & heat capacity (Timber / Polystrene / Gysum Plaster / Concrete )

Issue: No shading and cooling effect to cool down the staircase space (right).

Horizontal shading 0 degree

Issue: A mild shading and cooling effect to cool down the staircase space (right).

Horizontal shading 30 degree

Optimised strategy: An effective shading and cooling effect with filters

Plants Selection

Timber deck Existing Pavers

North Edge

Syzigium australe

During summer the site gets hot and lacks of wind circulation

Strategies

Wind tunnel effect during winter caused by two buildings

Timber Cladding Eucalyptus

Manipulating Landform Strategic Tree Planting

Channels and buffer wind during summer and winter

With different height to buffer the wind tunnel effect during winter and let the breeze come during summer

Before After

During winter the tree planting design amplified the wind tunnel effect

Summer

Buffering Discomfort

Exhaust Outlet Variation of Materials Wind Chime

Reorganize the exhaust outlet below the seats to provide warmth during winter

Moundings

Provide comfort and varieties of the temperature

Giving educational features related to wind flow

Utilising Existing Conditions

The existing exhaust fan recirculates hot air in winter and makes the seating area on the North edge more convenient for utilising existing conditions. Reflective material (Aluminium foil) to pipe to reduce heat loss during transferring hot air.

Algae Panel Wind Chime Exhaust Fan Selected Planting

Moundings & Plants

The mounding provides a buffer and shelter from the wind tunnel effect during winter

The planting plan uses variation height if the plant to channel the wind flow above the seating area

North Edge - Terrace

The terraces provided a great opportunity to create relatively insulated and consistent conditions throughout the year for students and staff. Given their positioning and the existing conditions, it is intended that the terraces maintain a relatively warm climate during both winter and summer, whilst buffering excessive discomfort during the warmer months.

Existing Facade

Steel Fram with Flow Inlets & Outlet

Polycarbonate

45.5% of the total area for the terrace got 2.5 hours of direct sunlight and more

Wind Capture

It became apparent that a key consideration for capturing wind speed was both the offset distances and permeability of the panels. The testing highlights how Angled panels as well as minimal panel offset proved to be effective in deflecting unwanted, cooling winds during the winter. However, it was found that increasing wind gust

Currently, the student and office terrace spaces are subject to excessive heat discomfort. This is less a result of direct sunlight and more the predominance of hard and reflective materials, coupled with the lack of cooling winds.

Dynamic Scaling According to Sun Exposure

6.7% of the total area for the terrace got 2.5 hours of direct sunlight and more

3.75% of the total area for the terrace got 2.5 hours of direct sunlight and more

2.0% of the total area for the terrace got 2.5 hours of direct sunlight and more

The simulation testing highlighted that direct sun exposure remained relatively unchanged in the winter whilst being dramatically reduced in the summer.