Passive Solutions for Cooling and Heating Loads of Modern House in Tripoli: Case Study Climate-Conscious Prototype Using CAD and Other Modelling Tools

The underlying links between culture, climate and buildings, ignored in recent times, has led to buildings with poor regional responses. This study investigates within the distinctive cultural and climatic conditions of Tripoli paradigm for the design and construction of modem dwellings where the thermal performance is such that indoor comfort, which is compatible with the cultural context in summer and winter, is minimally reliant on "active" cooling or heating aids. A number of predictive techniques have been used. These range from the sophisticated dynamic thermal modelling of Environmental Systems Performance (ESP), to manual calculations, that explore particular components such as walls and roofs as well as the building as a whole. A prototype design has been developed, with a north-south orientation, two rooms deep and with a relatively narrow frontage. The design promotes both cross-ventilation and stack ventilation, a central stairwell assisting in the latter, while a system of earth cooling with passive dehumidification is envisaged for the air supply during the hottest summer period. This design has been modelled and simulated using ESP. The conclusion confirms that the energy demands for a modern type of house in Tripoli can be minimized through its design, which take due account of religious, social, and local architecture features as well as indicating the potential for passive techniques. a) The use of the earth's temperature for cooling the house through earth tubes has a positive effect on thermal comfort during the peak hours of summer days; while night cross ventilation is also effective. b) In winter the use of solar radiation for space heating, through relatively large south facing windows can achieve comfort during the day while the insulated construction provides sufficient damping and time lag to minimize the effect of night losses