Adaptive architecture: Integrating low-energy technologies for climate control in the desert

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37 Scopus citations

Abstract

The article describes a 'climatically adaptive' approach to intelligent building in which a variety of technologies are integrated in the architectural design to provide thermal comfort with a minimal expenditure of energy. This concept is illustrated by the design of the Blaustein International Center for Desert Studies, a multi-use complex completed recently at the Sede-Boker Campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In response to the local climate of this desert region, a number of strategies were developed by the authors to exploit natural energy for heating and cooling: earth berming of major parts of the building, 'selective glazing' for seasonal shading and energy collection, a down-draft 'cool-tower' for evaporative cooling and a hybrid mechanism for hot-air supply are several of the unique systems whose performance and feasibility are analyzed within the context of the overall building design.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)417-425
Number of pages9
JournalAutomation in Construction
Volume6
Issue number5-6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1997

Keywords

  • Bio-climatic architecture
  • Earth berming
  • Evaporative cooling
  • Passive heating
  • Selective glazing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Building and Construction

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