Climatology-Unit IV

CLIMATOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
UNIT IV
IMPACT OF AIR MOVEMENT DUE TO NATURAL AND
BUILT FORMS
The wind – The effects of topography on wind patterns – Air currents

around the building – Air movement through the buildings – The use
of fans – Thermally induced air currents – Stackeffect, Venturi effect
– Use of court yard.
IMPACT OF AIR MOVEMENT DUE TO NATURAL AND BUILT
FORMS
Wind
Wind is air in motion. It is produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s
surface by the sun. Since the earth’s surface is made of various land
and water formations, it absorbs the sun’s radiation unevenly. Two
factors are necessary to specify wind: speed and direction.
As the sun warms the Earth's surface, the atmosphere warms too.
Some parts of the Earth receive direct rays from the sun all year and are
always warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is
colder. Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Then cool air
moves in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what
makes the wind blow.
IMPACT OF AIR MOVEMENT DUE TO NATURAL AND BUILT
FORMS
• Indoor Air Movement:
• Air movement is affected by the following…
• Differences in air pressure as air moves from areas of high
pressure to areas of low pressure.
– Circulation- heating and cooling equipment both use blowers to
distribute conditioned air throughout buildings. Depending on how well
the system is balanced, this can establish air pressure differences in
various areas of a building which can cause air to move in or out
through the building envelope.
– Ventilation fans for bathrooms, laundries and range hoods all vent
conditioned air to the outside which must be replaced. In the past, this
make-up air has come from air infiltration around doors and windows
and through other gaps in the building envelope.
IMPACT OF AIR MOVEMENT DUE TO NATURAL AND BUILT FORMS
– Combustion processes- appliances such as boilers, furnaces, heating
stoves and water heaters pull air from the home interior as they
exhaust the products of combustion to the exterior.
• Differences in temperature
– Thermal buoyancy- describes the action of air as it is heated. Because
heated air is less dense it rises, moving from a cool, high-density area
to ward a warm, low-density area.
– Stack effect- describes the action of warm air rising through a building.
As warm air rises, it pulls cold make-up air into the home through the
lower building envelope and pushes warm air out through the upper
building envelope. Stack effect can have a significant effect on homes,
pulling undesirable hot or cold air, moisture or environmental
pollutants and hazards (radon) into the home.
– Convection currents- The movement of cooler air moving in to replace
rising warm air will establish convection currents any place in the home
in which temperature differentials exist, with main areas of concern
being the living space and attics. Supply and return registers are key
points of temperature differentials and also key points of pressure
differences caused by heating and cooling system hair handlers.
Outdoor Air Movement:
• As wind blows against a home, a high-pressure area builds up next to the upwind exterior
wall and roof surfaces. Air pressure is lower on the other (interior) side of this wall, so on
the upwind side of the home air will be sucked into the home.
• As air blows past the home, air flowing next to the walls and roof (laminar flow) can’t turn
sharply enough to cling to the downwind side of the building and so a vacuum is created
on the downwind side of the building. On the downwind side of the home this vacuum will
suck conditioned air out of the home. This process can lead to unwanted heat loss or
gain depending on whether it’s the heating or cooling season.
• Wind direction
Desirable and undesirable winds in each the climatic zones depend largely on local
conditions. Any breeze in the lower latitude (tropical and arid climates) is beneficial for
most of the year whereas in higher latitudes most wind is detrimental and has to be
screened. There is also a small percentage of the time in a year (spring and/or autumn)
when comfortable conditions can be achieved naturally, without any need for wind
screening or additional breezes.
• Cross ventilation
Cross ventilation is far more important in the tropics than in temperate zones. The
theoretical strategy for blocking or inducing wind flow into a building is based on local
prevailing wind conditions. Genrally, for the tropical zones as much ventilation as
possible is desired. For the arid zone cross ventilation is required, but care has to be
taken to filter out high-velocity winds. In the temperate zone, cross ventilation and
shielding are both necessary (for summer and winter, respectively). In the cool region,
the building should be protected from cold, high-veolcity winds, although cross ventilation
is still required
•

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CLIMATOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The wind – The effects of topography on wind patterns – Air currents

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