Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
through environmental design. The building was produced with local sustain-
able cedar timber from the university's own forests and farm. The open ceiling
space in the design and skylights provide natural air ventilation while the walls
were made using material that naturally controls humidity, thus reducing the
need to use air-conditioning. High incidence of natural light reduces the need
for artificial light during the daytime. The basic structure is shown in Fig.
7.8
.
In addition to the use of natural light, solar heat collectors provide hot water.
Such solar heat can be used as hot water or for floor heating during the winter
but the question is how to use this effectively during the summer. In the 'Ecol-
lab.', this extra solar heat is used for humidity control; water from the hot water
tank is used to dry a desiccant which reduces the humidity of the air inside the
building, in turn reducing demand for air-conditioning. It is estimated that this
reduces the energy required for air-conditioning by over 20 % (Fig.
7.9
).
7.2.7
Sources of Weak or Small Energy
Other sources of weak energy can also be exploited- either by capturing excess or
waste from other uses, or by special micro-generation methods. Potential sources
Fig. 7.8
Environmental design of the 'Ecollab'. (GSES
2011
)
