Passive and Active Hybrid Approach to Building Design in Saudi Arabia - Essay Sample

Introduction

Passive control systems are those that do not require an external source of power for their operation but act on their own when vibrations appear in the structure. Active control systems are those that generate control forces to modify the dynamic response of the structure. Active control systems provide better performance than passive systems; they reduce vibrations significantly and are applicable to high-rise constructions (Raquel, Coelho, Marques, Torres & Simoes, 2014). Hybrid control systems are those that adopt a combination of passive and active control devices to the structure. The best building design approach in Saudi Arabia, which has a desert climate, is adopting a hybrid approach that improves energy efficiency and combining it with passive design.

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Passive Architecture is based on the design of buildings that take advantage of the energy and climate of the environment, to achieve interior comfort without the need to use active sources of heating or cooling. The concept of passive architecture arises from the idea that, probably, the energy and economic expenditure for heating and air conditioning systems are unnecessary. It is based on designing houses with low energy consumption by, basically, minimizing the heat losses that are given to the minimum so that a constant pleasant thermal sensation is achieved regardless of the time of year (Raquel et al., 2014). One characteristic of passive design is it creates an efficient and mechanical ventilation ensuring clean and fresh air continuously. Passive and active hybrid buildings use resources from bioclimatic architecture combined with great energy efficiency. Minimizing the use of conventional heating and cooling systems, these are buildings designed to make the most of light and solar radiation, with very high insulation and a renewal of the air through a ventilation system with a heat recovery system. It is an energetic concept applicable to any type of architectural design and any construction system.

Passive heat sources such as solar energy, occupancy of people, appliances and other internal heat gains, as well as the heat obtained from the heat recovery of ventilation cover most of the heating demand in winter. The rest of the heat can be provided by the ventilation system, through a small contribution in some cases. A fundamental aspect for an efficient building is a good study of the climate, the orientation, the form factor, the volume, the capture of solar radiation in winter and its protection in summer, the shadows that the building will have and how they affect the building. Combining hybrid and passive designs will result in an efficient, and sustainable building, efficient for low energy consumption and, consequently, economic. It is also sustainable because the CO2 that stops emitting a passive house of 350m2 in a year is equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 1,000 trees in a year (Raquel et al., 2014). That is why the energy cost is so low, thus contributing to the protection of the climate and sustainability, while at the same time it means an important energy and economic saving, regardless of where it is built and the climate of the place.

References

Raquel., S, Coelho., R, Marques., T, Torres., C, & Simoes, A. (2014) Design of Active and Passive Solar Elements for Sustainable Contemporary Architecture. J Archit Eng Tech 3: 132.