ART041: Climate Comfort and Energy

School Welsh School of Architecture
Department Code ARCHI
Module Code ART041
External Subject Code 100121
Number of Credits 20
Level L7
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader DR Eshrar Latif
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2023/4

Outline Description of Module

A crucial concern in the design of the built environment is the need to minimise energy use whilst ensuring comfort and satisfaction of the users or occupants.

An overarching theme of the module is comfort; the built environment is created to provide acceptable thermal, visual and acoustic comfort for the occupants.  Often this can lead to high energy requirements, and the role of the environmental designer is to optimise, producing the best environment for the least energy.

In order to aid this optimisation, this module aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the physical mechanisms through which the built environment uses energy in order to attain human comfort.  It builds from concepts surrounding the flow of energy from the ambient environment, or climate, through the building envelope as passive filter, to active mechanical services.  Approaches available to the designer to control or influence comfort and energy flows will be considered. 

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • explain advanced terminology and concepts related to building physics, passive and active energy systems and human comfort in the built environment
  • use such concepts to  propose solutions to complex problems in the design and performance of the built environment
  • calculate the estimated energy requirement and thermal comfort of a simple building
  • through analysis of those estimates propose and evaluate the efficacy of improvements to the design or specification of that building in order to improve its performance
  • examine, using appropriate examples, the current best, or emerging, practice in an aspect of the design or specification of the built environment

How the module will be delivered

The module will be delivered through:

  • Reading: Texts will be set to develop knowledge and understanding.
  • Lectures: The principal subject matter will be explained through live or recorded lectures supported by synchronised and asynchronised online tutorials, visual aids, interaction with the students and, where applicable, visual demonstrations. Lectures will, typically, be recorded and available for review as recordings and accompanying presentations.
  • Assignments: There will be exercises set to give students practice in implementing some subject-specific skills.
  • Private study: Students will be expected to develop their skills and understanding out of class time.

The module may be delivered through remote teaching or blend on-line learning activities with some face to face individual and/or small group learning where possible. The programme as a whole of which this module forms part will be delivered through blended learning.

*Module will be delivered face to face with some online elements

Skills that will be practised and developed

Practical skills developed in the module include the ability to:

  • estimate the availability and nature of sun, light and wind at a site
  • estimate the influence and effect of site features
  • estimate the influence of built fabric parameters on comfort and energy use
  • in the context of building design for sustainability, interpret and act on the information produced by those estimates
  • identify appropriate and efficient building services options

How the module will be assessed

The assessment of this module will be twofold:

  1. Class test: unseen, closed book. The questions will be set in such a way as to test the students on a range of issues in the curriculum relating to intellectual understanding of relevant terminology and concepts, acquirement of relevant knowledge, and ability to solve problems involving multiple issues
  2. Coursework: a report, set to test a student’s ability to research and summarise current best practice, or emerging technologies, related to and aspect of envelope or services performance and specification

 

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:

Students would usually be reassessed on the failed component during the July/August resit period. The usual resit and repeat rules would apply.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Class Test 50 Class Test N/A
Written Assessment 50 Coursework N/A

Syllabus content

  • Basic Building Physics: thermal energy and heat flow; the physics of heat transfer.
  • Thermal comfort: principles of human thermal comfort and its relationship to building environments.
  • The ambient environment: environmental states relevant to human perception, comfort and health, relating to heat, light, humidity, and noise.
  • Climate and microclimate effects:
    • Sun and Sky, wind, moisture, noise.
  • The Envelope: opaque, transparent and porous fabric:
    • Insulation, glazing, solar gains, daylight, ventilation.
  • Hygrothermal effects: temperature and humidity of the air; moisture transfer in a building.
  • Occupancy effects
  • Principles for Passive Design
  • Principles for provision of efficient active services
    • Heating and cooling loads
    • Artificial Lighting
  • Mechanical ventilation

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