What should you think about when deciding where to put your building? The direction a building faces will impact on a lot more than the view

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What should you think about when deciding where
to put your building? The direction a building
faces will impact on a lot more than the view
how do you decide the best orientation?
Choosing the place and which way to face
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Location, location, location
Early planning will need to consider where and
how a building is located. There are several
angles to consider when answering the question
where shall I put it?

• is the land you plan to use in a rural or urban
  setting?
• is it a brown or green field site?
• whats the local micro-climate like?
• are there any special ecological features that
  should be safeguarded before, during or after
  construction?
• will your building and landscaping add value to
  the site?
• is the building oriented to maximise potential
  solar gains and minimise exposure?

Being located on a south facing slope with large
amounts of glazing results in solar gain.
.For more info go to bldgs-siting_and_orientation.
htm
Good design uses natural features such as slopes
or vegetation to shelter buildings from the wind
and maximise solar gains. A significant reduction
in heat loss can be achieved through properly
planned siting.
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Form and shelter

• How can you protect a building from
• wind
• rain
• sun
• temperature variations

http//www.dreamgreenhomes.com/plans/esactivehome.
htm
The shape and size of a building influences heat
transfer. Compact buildings that have a small
ratio of surface area to volume will loose less
heat. Apartments also benefit from sharing warmth
with adjacent properties compared with detached
houses.
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Gaining from solar rays
The suns rays can warm a building glazing on
the south side of buildings will increase this
solar gain.
The sun is higher in the sky in the summer, large
over hangs reduce heat gains in summer but allow
solar gain in winter.
Attached sun spaces trap heat from the sun.
Direct and indirect energy transfer provides heat
to the adjacent building.
At Hockerton Housing glazed verandahs gain heat
from the suns rays. The floor and walls then
heat the rest of the building. In the winter such
buffer zones separate the cold outside and the
warm inside.
Hockerton Housing Project
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Massive gains
How can thermal mass be used to save
energy? Thermal mass is the ability of a material
to absorb heat energy. A lot of heat energy is
required to change the temperature of high
density materials like compacted earth, concrete,
bricks and tiles. They have a high thermal mass.
Lightweight materials such as timber have a low
thermal mass.
WinterAllow thermal mass to absorb heat during
the day from direct sunlight or from radiant
heaters. It will re-radiate this warmth back into
the home throughout the night.
The thermal mass of building components like
floors, walls and roofs can be designed to
capture energy when it is plentiful (or
excessive), store it and release it later.
SummerAllow cool night breezes, convection
currents, to pass over the warm thermal mass,
drawing out all the stored energy. During the day
protect thermal mass from excess summer sun with
shading and insulation if required.
This rammed earth wall at CAT warms up when the
sun hits it. At night, or when the temperature
decreases, the heat stored in the wall is
released keeping the building temperature more
constant and reducing the heating demand.
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Check

• In which direction should your building face?
• How can your building be sited to minimise heat
  loss?
• How can your building be sited to maximise use of
  heat from the sun (solar gain)?
• How can your building be sited to utilise natural
  elements so its warm when you want it to be warm
  (e.g. winter, evening, night) and cool when you
  want it to be cool (e.g. summer, daytime)?
• Can you make use of existing natural features of
  your chosen site (e.g. re-using materials,
  vegetation for shade, earth for wind protection,
  slopes for solar gain)?
• Can you site it so it doesnt create problems
  (e.g. visibility, sun loss) for other buildings
  or so that other buildings dont create similar
  problems for yours?

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Why

• do you think this house has been orientated in
  this direction?
• are the solar panels positioned where they are?
• are the windows very different sizes?
• is there a porch?
• Have a look at http//www.buildingwithawareness.co
  m if youre not sure of the answers.

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Work it out design abacus