Arquitectura y urbanismo

Energy and Buildings 36 (2004) 1181–1189

Design of a porous-type residential building model with low environmental load in hot and humid Asia
Shuzo Murakami a,∗ , Shinsuke Kato b , Ryozo Ooka c , Yasuyuki Shiraishi d
a

Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohokuku, Yokohama 223-8522 Japan b Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo,Japan c Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan d Faculty of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Japan Received 10 June 2003; accepted 22 August 2003

Abstract The purpose of this study is to propose a residential building model with voids which is appropriate for hot and humid regions of Asia with high population densities that alsoreduces the environmental load of buildings. This paper will explain an outline of a porous-type residential building model in Hanoi and the design process for introducing voids in buildings in order to improve natural cross ventilation effectively. Furthermore, the effects of natural ventilation, solar shading, and some devices for air conditioning systems for reduction the cooling andenvironmental load are estimated. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Porous; Void; Hot and humid region; Model house at Hanoi; CFD; Cross ventilation

1. Introduction In recent years, the megalopolises of hot and humid Asia including Tokyo have largely seen chaotic population increases with concentrations in urban areas. This has caused various environmental problems, including heatisland phenomena associated with increased energy consumption and a change in the land coverage where there is high-density land use on an urban scale. In addition to this, at the level of buildings and rooms, the direct application of European-style housing designed for cold climates and environmental control technologies such as highly airtight buildings with high thermal insulation performanceto hot and humid climate regions has caused further deterioration of indoor environments with a resultant increase in energy consumption and the problem of indoor air quality. In order to resolve these problems connected with buildings, the authors propose a porous-type residential building model with less environmental load that exploits the potential of outdoor environments effectively by usingvoid spaces. In this paper, the design method for a porous-type building which is now under construction in Hanoi, Vietnam (to be completed in May 2003) is explained and the effect of

this building in reducing the energy consumed by air conditioning and the associated environmental load is examined from the viewpoint of life cycle assessment.

2. Proposal for porous-type building modelsusing the space block design method When considering high-density neighborhood unit models, one solution is a model that can establish an identity between community and diversity, contributing to saving energy resources and reducing the environmental load. From this viewpoint, a porous-type building model (building model with built-in voids) constructed using the space block design method isproposed. 2.1. Advantages of built-in voids The introducing of voids into the building interior, a significant characteristic of the porous-type building model, will bring advantages in the architectural, environmental, and structural planning aspects compared to ordinary buildings. These advantages can be summarized under the following four points: (1) Indoor environmental control with a lowenvironmental load using the potential of the outdoor environment will be possible.

Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +81-45-566-1777. E-mail address: murakami@sd.keio.ac.jp (S. Murakami). 0378-7788/$ – see front matter © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2003.08.001

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S. Murakami et al. / Energy and Buildings 36 (2004) 1181–1189

The introducing of voids will...