BUILDING CLIMATOLOGY Module 3

SEMESTER 3
Ar. Mohammed Shibin N

Asst. Professor
Alsalama Institute of Architecture
MODULE 3
MEANS OF THERMAL CONTROL
Structural controls
solar control
 Heat absorbing glasses
 Geometry of solar movement
 Altitude and azimuth angles
 Sunpath diagram/ solar chart
 Horizontal and vertical shadow angles
 Use of shadow angle protractor
 Design of shading devices
Ventilation and air movement
 Functions of ventilation
 Stack effect
 Air flow through buildings
 Air flow around buildings
 Humidity control
Ventilation and air movement
STACK EFFECT
• The “stack effect” is when warm air moves upward in a building.
• It is most pronounced when indoor-outdoor temperature
differences are the greatest.
• Warm air rises because it’s lighter than cold air. So when indoor air is
warmer than the outdoor air, it escapes out of the upper levels of
the building, through open windows, ventilation openings, or
penetrations and cracks in the building envelope.
• The rising warm air reduces the pressure in the base of the building,
forcing cold air to infiltrate through open doors, windows, or other
openings.
• The stack effect basically causes air infiltration on the lower portion
of a building and exfiltration on the upper part.
• Cross ventilation (also called Wind Effect Ventilation) is a natural
method of cooling.
• The system relies on wind to force cool exterior air into the
building through an inlet (like a wall louver, a gable, or an open
window) while outlet forces warm interior air outside (through a
roof vent or higher window opening).
• When wind flows into the side of the building, each side of the
building is hit with different amounts of pressure. The pressure
changes force the air toward the lower pressure side of the
building in the attempt to reach equilibrium. Ideally, having an
opening on the lower pressure side allows the interior air to
circulate out to the side with the lower pressure
AIR FLOW THROUGH BUILDINGS
Driving Forces
There are three primary mechanisms which generate the pressure differences required for
air flow within and through buildings
• wind
• stack effect
• mechanical air handling equipment and appliances.
Factors of Air Flow
 Flow Determinants. The amount of air that flows through a hole is limited by three
factors:
• Effective hole size
• The magnitude of pressure across the hole
• The amount of time the pressure is present.
 Pressure Effects. Air always flows from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area,
Therefore, without an effective barrier, air outside a home at a higher pressure will
always attempt to enter the home. Similarly, inside air at a high pressure with
reference to the outside will always attempt to exit the house.
 Path of Least Resistance. The nature of air flow always seeks the path of least
resistance. Given several choices of openings for entering or exiting a building, the air
will move through the largest hole that offers the least resistance.
AIR FLOW THROUGH BUILDINGS
• As no satisfactory and complete theory is available, air flow patterns can

only be predicted on the basis of empirical rules derived from
measurements in actual buildings or in wind tunnel studies.
• Such empirical rules can give a useful guide to the designer but in critical
cases it is advisable to prepare a model of the design and test it on a wind
simulator.
Wind simulators
• An open-jet wind simulator
• wind tunnel type

An open-jet wind simulator
• For qualitative studies a smoke generator can be used and the smoke
traces can be photographed.
• This gives a convincing picture of flow patterns, position of laminar flow and
turbulences.
Wind tunnel type
• With some practice the wind tunnel operator can estimate velocity ratios
from smoke traces with quite reasonable accuracy.
• For quantitative analyses air velocity or air pressure measurements must be
taken with miniature instruments at pre-determined grid points.
AIR FLOW AROUND A BUILDING
• When moving air strikes an obstacle such as a building, this will slow down
the air flow but the air flow will exert a pressure on the obstructing surface.
• This pressure is proportionate to the air velocity

 Wind blowing against a building can cause large pressure differences between one side of
the building and the other, depending upon both the speed and direction of the wind.
 On the windward side of a building, the wind causes a positive pressure to build against
the outside, causing air to enter the building.
 On the leeward side of a building, a negative pressure difference develops with reference
to the inside of the building, and air exits the building through holes and other leak sites.
The effect that wind has on a building depends on four factors:

• The number and size of holes in the building
• Where the holes are located
• The amount of time the wind blows on average (e.g., buildings located in open plains,
atop mountains, or near large bodies of water are subjected to wind blowing for longer
periods of time than other buildings)
• The amount of shielding present, such as from trees, hills, and other buildings
STRUCTURAL CONTROLS
solar control
Heat absorbing glasses
Whilst on opaque surfaces the incident radiation is partly absorbed

and partly reflected
a+r=1
with transparent bodies, it may be absorbed reflected or transmitted.

The proportion of the latter is expressed by the coefficient
transmittance (t), thus:
a+r+t=1
STRUCTURAL CONTROLS
solar control
Heat absorbing glasses
Whilst on opaque surfaces the incident radiation is partly absorbed
and partly reflected
a+r=1
with transparent bodies, it may be absorbed reflected or transmitted.
The proportion of the latter is expressed by the coefficient
transmittance (t), thus:
a+r+t=1
• An ordinary window glass transmits a large proportion of
all radiation between 300 and 3000 nm
• Its transmittance is selective. This selective transmittance

can be modified by varying the composition of the glass to
reduce substantially the infra-red transmission, whilst only
slightly affecting the light transmission .Such a product is
referred to as heat absorbing glass.
SOLAR CHARTS AND SUN PATH DIAGRAMS
• Solar charts and sun path

diagrams have been
devised as visual aids so
that the solar position can
be easily and quickly
established for any hour in
any day, to provide a
valuable tool for designers
and planners. A separate
sun path diagram is
required for each latitude.
IDENTIFY THE MONTH
• The first thing you need to do is locate your month on the chart. These will be the
heavy solid lines running horizontally, though they are slightly curved
IDENTIFY THE TIME
• These are represented by the heavy solid lines running vertically. They are also
slightly curved
What is the method to read the altitude and azimuth angle from the
sun path diagram ?
1.Select the chart of the correct Latitude.

2.Select the date line.
3.Select the hour line and mark its intersection with the date line.
4.Read off from the concentric circles the altitude angle.
5.Lay a straight edge from the center of the chart through the
marked time point to the perimeter scale and read off the azimuth
angle
DESIGN OF SHADING DEVICES
SHADOW ANGLES
• When designing shading devices for windows, the

required horizontal and vertical shadow
angles(HSA&VSA) need to be established. They are
dependent on the sun position and on the orientation of
the window plane
The horizontal shadow angle (HSA) is relevant for vertical
shading devices such as fins.
It's the angle between the normal of the window pane and
the azimuth of the sun.
If we imagine a virtual plane between the bottom left-hand and right-
hand corners of the window and the sun, then the VSA(vertical
shadow angle) is the angle this plane forms with the ground plane.
The VSA is required when designing horizontal shading devices such
as overhangs.
tan VSA = tan(altitude) / cos(HSA)

SHADOW ANGLE PROTRACTOR
• A shadow angle protractor is the tool that can be used find shadow
angles
• It is placed on the sun path diagram. The vertical and the horizontal
shadow angles to cover the overheated area are determined
• the vertical shadow angles are the arcual lines while the horizontal
shadow angles are the radial lines.
• In this way a mask is defined that would ensure complete shading.

DESIGN OF SHADING DEVICES
As a first step, it must be decided when shading is

necessary, at what times of the year and between what
hours of the day.
The best guide to this is the definition of the

overheated period.
This should be quite easy, if the climatic data has been

compiled.
• The latter is a set of coordinates, with month lines
horizontally and hour lines vertically, on which time
points of equal temperatures are connected by a
curve.
• The solar charts also have month (date) lines

horizontally and hour lines vertically;
• the overheated period outlined on the isopleth chart,

together with other ET lines can be transferred to the
solar chart
SHADING DEVICES
• vertical devices
• horizontal devices
• egg-crate devices
VERTICAL SHADING DEVICES
• Vertical devices consist of louvre blades or projecting fins

in a vertical position.
• The horizontal shadow angle (δ) measures their

performance.
• Narrow blades with close spacing may give the same

shadow angle as broader blades with wider spacing.
HORIZONTAL SHADING DEVICES
• Horizontal devices may be canopies, horizontal louvre

blades or externally applied Venetian
• blinds. Their performance will be measured by a

vertical shadow angle
EGG-CRATE SHADING DEVICES
• Egg-crate devices are combinations of horizontal and

vertical elements

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SEMESTER 3

Ar. Mohammed Shibin N

• As no satisfactory and complete theory is available, air flow patterns can

• wind tunnel type

• This pressure is proportionate to the air velocity

The effect that wind has on a building depends on four factors:

Heat absorbing glasses

Whilst on opaque surfaces the incident radiation is partly absorbed

with transparent bodies, it may be absorbed reflected or transmitted.

• Its transmittance is selective. This selective transmittance

• Solar charts and sun path

1.Select the chart of the correct Latitude.

• When designing shading devices for windows, the

tan VSA = tan(altitude) / cos(HSA)

• In this way a mask is defined that would ensure complete shading.

As a first step, it must be decided when shading is

The best guide to this is the definition of the

This should be quite easy, if the climatic data has been

• The solar charts also have month (date) lines

• the overheated period outlined on the isopleth chart,

• Vertical devices consist of louvre blades or projecting fins

• The horizontal shadow angle (δ) measures their

• Narrow blades with close spacing may give the same

• Horizontal devices may be canopies, horizontal louvre

• blinds. Their performance will be measured by a

• Egg-crate devices are combinations of horizontal and

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