Sunlight and Natural Ventilation - Design Consideration

What is natural ventilation?

Natural forces (e.g. winds and thermal buoyancy force due to indoor and outdoor air density differences) drive outdoor air through purpose-built, building envelope openings. Purpose-built openings include windows, doors, solar chimneys, wind towers and trickle ventilators. This natural ventilation of buildings depends on climate, building design and human behavior.

If well installed and maintained, there are several advantages of a natural ventilation system, compared with mechanical ventilation systems.

• Natural ventilation can generally provide a high ventilation rate more economically, due to the use of natural forces and large openings.
• Natural ventilation can be more energy efficient, particularly if heating is not required.
• Well-designed natural ventilation could be used to access higher levels of daylight.

Design Recommendations

The specific approach and design of natural ventilation systems will vary based on building type and local climate. However, the amount of ventilation depends critically on the careful design of internal spaces, and the size and placement of openings in the building.

• Maximize wind-induced ventilation by siting the ridge of a building perpendicular to the summer winds.
  • Approximate wind directions are summarized in seasonal "wind rose" diagrams available from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). However, these roses are usually based on data taken at airports; actual values at a remote building site can differ dramatically.
  • Buildings should be sited where summer wind obstructions are minimal. A windbreak of evergreen trees may also be useful to mitigate cold winter winds that tend to come predominantly from the north.
• Naturally ventilated buildings should be narrow.
  • It is difficult to distribute fresh air to all portions of a very wide building using natural ventilation. The maximum width that one could expect to ventilate naturally is estimated at 45 ft. Consequently, buildings that rely on natural ventilation often have an articulated floor plan.
• Each room should have two separate supply and exhaust openings. Locate exhaust high above inlet to maximize stack effect. Orient windows across the room and offset from each other to maximize mixing within the room while minimizing the obstructions to airflow within the room.
• Window openings should be operable by the occupants.
• Provide ridge vents.
  • A ridge vent is an opening at the highest point in the roof that offers a good outlet for both buoyancy and wind-induced ventilation. The ridge opening should be free of obstructions to allow air to freely flow out of the building.
• Allow for adequate internal airflow.
  • In addition to the primary consideration of airflow in and out of the building, airflow between the rooms of the building is important. When possible, interior doors should be designed to be open to encourage whole-building ventilation. If privacy is required, ventilation can be provided through high louvers or transoms.
• Consider the use of clerestories or vented skylights.
  • A clerestory or a vented skylight will provide an opening for stale air to escape in a buoyancy ventilation strategy. The light well of the skylight could also act as a solar chimney to augment the flow. Openings lower in the structure, such as basement windows, must be provided to complete the ventilation system.
• Provide attic ventilation.
  • In buildings with attics, ventilating the attic space greatly reduces heat transfer to conditioned rooms below. Ventilated attics are about 30°F cooler than unventilated attics.
• Consider the use of fan-assisted cooling strategies.
  • Ceiling and whole-building fans can provide up to 9°F effective temperature drop at one tenth the electrical energy consumption of mechanical air-conditioning systems.
• Determine if the building will benefit from an open- or closed-building ventilation approach.
  • A closed-building approach works well in hot, dry climates where there is a large variation in temperature from day to night. A massive building is ventilated at night, then, closed in the morning to keep out the hot daytime air. Occupants are then cooled by radiant exchange with the massive walls and floor.
  • An open-building approach works well in warm and humid areas, where the temperature does not change much from day to night. In this case, daytime cross-ventilation is encouraged to maintain indoor temperatures close to outdoor temperatures.
• Use mechanical cooling in hot, humid climates.
• Try to allow natural ventilation to cool the mass of the building at night in hot climates.
• Open staircases provide stack effect ventilation, but observe all fire and smoke precautions for enclosed stairways.

Sunlight Analysis Can Improve Design

Direct sunlight is of critical importance in architecture — for reasons of aesthetics, experience, and comfort, as well as energy performance. Direct sunlight can reduce winter heating, but can dramatically increase summer cooling. Direct sunlight can provide warmth and dynamism to a space, but can also mean visual or thermal discomfort for occupants as diverse as office workers and athletes. And access to direct sunlight is increasingly regulated on both the building and urban scale.

However, until now there hasn’t been a good way for designers to evaluate direct sunlight in a quick, quantifiable way. The architect’s traditional tools — sun angle charts and shadow studies — show only points in time, making it time-consuming to aggregate results across hours, days, or seasons. Direct Sunlight simulation makes these types of studies straightforward — and, in doing so, makes it easier for architects to consider the elemental impact of the sun on their buildings.

Passive Solar Design

You know the orientation of your site and where the sun will be at any given time. Now, you can design a home that will let the sun in when you want it to come in (in the winter) and keep it out when you want to keep it out (in the summer). What you’re trying to do is regulate the temperature inside and out of your home naturally so that you can become less reliant on mechanical and electrical systems.

This is what passive solar design is all about: Designing your house to do as much as it can to heat and cool your house on its own.

Passive solar design is about collecting, storing, distributing, and/or controlling solar energy (both heat and light) so that you can reduce your demand on fossil fuels. This passive approach means that through the basic elements of the house–its walls, windows, floors, and roof–and through its relationship with the surrounding site, the house is able to inherently respond and optimize solar energy, whereby increasing the energy efficiency of your home, making it more comfortable to live in, and being cheaper to run.

Passive solar design works in three ways:

1. Direct gain systems: heat spaces via direct solar gain through glass

2.  Indirect gain systems: heat a part of a building like a thick wall or concrete floor then rely on conduction to slowly transfer heat to space over time, aka thermal mass

3. Isolated indirect gain systems: heat an adjacent space then rely on convection to transfer heat to other spaces, aka sunrooms

Design Ideas for Loft Type Unit

Many fancy owning a loft as it gives the owner an area to entertain guests and a private nook where he or she can sleep and enjoy some downtime. If you’ve recently acquired your own unit, you can take advantage of this newfound independence by being creative with your space.

Depending on your lifestyle and personality, bring in pieces you collect, accessories you like, and furniture that go with the theme you have in mind. Here are some design ideas to inspire you to improve your space—might come in handy too if you're decorating a studio or even a one-bedroom home:

1. RUSTIC INDUSTRIAL

If you love the warmth of wood and you still want to maintain a clean and edgy look on the side,  A gray-and-white palette serves as the backdrop for the chosen details.

Replacing the dry wall with glass panels made the unit look bigger, while the big windows let natural light into the space.

2. MINIMALIST

Sometimes you don’t need complicated designs, multiple colors, or fussy accents in a condo unit. For clean-lined railings, minimalist furniture, and a subdued palette of whites and grays.

3. CHIC AND COZY

If you love colors, prints, and the idea of coming home to your own personal wonderland—you can take inspiration from editor Maggie Adan’s whimsical space. To open up the unit, powder blue was chosen for the walls.

Playful patterns were used carefully—as seen in the soft furnishings and even in the seating pieces. One might think that it’s quite a risk to put together different colors in a space but the owner was able to achieve a sweet balance.

3. HOTEL INSPIRED

Whether you love the ambiance of five-star hotels or you simply enjoy rewarding yourself with the occasional staycation, you can dress up your condo unit with elegant touches that can rival that of your favorite hotel. 

To help you create the hotel-like feel in the room, you may also choose dramatic lighting to set the mood then complete the look with earthy tones like brown and taupe as seen in the drapes and sheets. Invest in an area rug and you’ll feel like royalty each time you step into the space.

4. CLASSICAL

If you’re leaning toward the simple and homey look. The space features a no-frills and welcoming ambiance.

To achieve something similar in your home, follow by keeping the look streamlined and opting for a neutral color palette. Consider working with colors like light gray, beige, and cream to achieve a spacious feel.

Feel free to pair classic elements like vintage prints with modern pieces to achieve the classic contemporary look. The bedroom is kept modest with minimal furnishings—giving the owners the perfect escape after a long day outside.

Hoping this some design ideas would help you decide on what or how to re design your loft type interior.

Grill and Iron Works Design Ideas

Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil or architectural feature made of iron especially used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork: wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000BC, it was the Hittites who first knew how to extract it and develop weapons. Use of iron was mainly utilitarian until the Middle Ages, it became widely used for decoration in the period between the 16th and 19th century.

As iron became more common, it became widely used for cooking utensils, stoves, grates, locks, hardware and other household uses. From the beginning of the 19th century, wrought iron was being replaced by cast iron due to the latter's lower cost. However, the English Arts and Crafts movement produced some excellent work in the middle of the 19th century.

In modern times, much modern wrought work is done using the air hammer and the acetylene torch. 

In this blog, I am going to give you some Design Ideas on Iron works for Grills, Gates and decorative purpose.

MODERN DEIGN

In this sample design ideas for Grill and Gates is modern and simplicity. You ca choose one of this design for your own window grills or gates.



SAMPLE OF MODERN STYLE DESIGN GRILLS

ORNAMENTAL DESIGN

This type of grill design is more intricate and stylish. Requires more iron bending. Choose this type of grill design if you want more stylish and more feminine in characteristics of your grills.

SAMPLE OF ORNAMENTAL DESIGN STYLE GRILL 

Choosing the Right Wrought Iron Door Finish for Your Home

Step 1: Think about your home’s style.

There is a wide variety of home styles like contemporary, Victorian, Tudor, ranch, Mediterranean, Spanish Colonial Revival, and so on. When selecting iron door colors, think about what colors best complement the style of the home.

Step 2: Think about what time period or place your home fits into.

If your home is supposed to fit with a specific geographic region, like Spain or the Mediterranean, you want to make sure the wrought iron door finish matches. You can look up door colors on homes in those areas to get inspired and see what colors work best.

Step 3: Evaluate other similar homes in your neighborhood.

Most subdivisions will have similar home styles in various designs. Take the time to walk around your neighborhood to see what door colors other people use for their homes. When looking at the door, ask yourself whether the door color adds to the curb appeal of the home and if it complements the beauty and charm of the home.

Step 4: Think about your tastes and preferences.

You might have a favorite color that you want to reflect on the exterior of the home in your new wrought iron door. That is perfectly acceptable, as long as you consider the other steps in choosing the door color. Yet, if it doesn’t fit well or would make your home stand out in the wrong way, then you would want to choose a different color.

You could incorporate your favorite color in different ways that could complement the iron door. For example, you could use your favorite color for the trim around the door, shutters on the home, trim around the windows, and so on.

Step 5: Consider the design of the door.

Don’t forget to also consider the design of the door when deciding on the color. Iron doors come in a wide range of designs. Some have intricate ornamentation and glass panes to add to their beauty and charm. Sometimes it is better to choose the door color that will allow the additional door features to stand out on their own.

Step 6: Consider your natural surroundings.

Remember to think about your natural surroundings like your landscaping and hardscaping. Tie this in with the neighborhood evaluation you did previously. Most homes will have similar colors based on where they are located.

For example, in Southern California, many homes have Spanish-inspired features in their designs, as well as the use of warmer colors like various shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. Beach homes tend to have modern-contemporary and Mediterranean influences featuring the use of warm and cool colors.

Hope this help you in choosing and designing your own window grill and gates.