CHALLENGE:
WHAT CAN WE DO TO DESIGN A BUILDING TO REDUCE
THE EXORBITANT COST OF AIR CONDITIONING, AND AC
IN ZIMBABWE?
Construction of a termite nest:
• The lung of the termite tower is used by the nest.
• Through tiny vents on the sides of the termite nest, hot air rises and cold air
descends.
• Sunlight and wind sculpt the tower. Termites only operate in sheltered areas
during the day Due to the southeast breeze, pheromones on surfaces that
are most exposed are evaporated.
FRACTAL COOLING:
At night, smooth bodies are poor heat emitters into space and better
at absorbing heat. During the day, prickly bodies are poor heat
absorbers, but at night, they are excellent heat emitters. This shape
makes it possible for heat to disperse more quickly, which is ideal for
warmer climates.
For this building, the developer selected the design team. In the
words of architect Mick Pearce, ‘it was a one phone call job’.
David Frost of Old Mutual Properties called him and told him he
wanted a building that did not have air- conditioning and to use
Ove Arup as the engineering consultant.
Working:
• The north façade's external walls cannot receive direct sunlight [summer sun
direction].
• Area from window to wall cannot be greater than 25%.
• All windows must be sealed due to noise pollution, wind pressure fluctuations,
and temperature swings, necessitating ducted ventilation;
•Maintain a balance between artificial and natural light to reduce energy
consumption and heat gain.
• Above all, windows need to act as light filters, reducing noise, glare, and
increasing security.
Roof scope:
• The atrium's glass ceiling, which has open sides.
• Sun-protective window shields.
• use solar energy panels to heat water.
• Extractive air vents.
Its façade is appropriately designed to block out direct sunlight between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m. to maximize energy efficiency. Windows
reduces the effects of the weather by 75% and the need for air
conditioning on the office floor.
The principle behind termite mounds:
The termitary or termite mound is an extension of the termites, who
regulate the environment by using water from the water table below,
the diurnal variation in the outside temperature, and the stability of
the ground's thermal mass to
maintain a temperature between thirty and thirty-one. The East Harare
building
was modeled after this.
How the east gate center is like a termite mound:
The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe is an example of a
building that was designed to function like a termite mound.
Termites are known for building intricate structures that regulate
temperature and humidity levels in their colonies. Similarly, the
Eastgate Centre was designed to use passive cooling techniques that
mimic the ventilation system found in termite mounds.
The building's ventilation system uses cool air drawn from the
basement and warm air vented out of the top floors. The
building's thick walls and floors also help to regulate the
temperature, keeping the interior cool during the day and warm at
night.
Like a termite mound, the Eastgate Centre is also built from
locally sourced materials. The building's concrete is made from
locally available aggregate, and
the floors are tiled with Zimbabwean stone.
Passive cooling:
Heat is stored during the day and released at night when
temperatures drop in passive cooling.
Start of the Day:
The building is cool.
During day
Humans, machinery, and the sun produce heat. Heat is absorbed
by the building's structure due to its high heat capacity, which
results in a little increase in internal temperature.
Evening:
Outside, the temperature drops. Because it is less dense, the warm
interior air rises naturally through chimneys and draws in denser,
cooler air from the base of the structure. This process is aided by
fans.
Night:
This process keeps on until the building's fabric reaches the proper
temperature to begin the following day, with cold air passing through
holes in the floor slabs.
Daylight Analysis:
The building in this case study is situated in a very hot
environment and due to that reason direct sunlight is prevented from
inter the internal spaces of our building. For this reason, many filters
are introduced by design to reflect direct sunlight or not let it inter
directly into functional spaces as shown in the image below.
The sectional spaces are arranged so that they can benefit from
indirect daylight. As this building focuses on a ventilation system by
using biomimicry the sunlight gets stored in thermal mass that needs
to be there so that it may generate
thermal difference when it’s required.
The precast concrete floor units act as a heat exchanger, allowing the
air to enter the room while removing any nighttime coolness that has
accumulated.
Uplighters use the concrete vaulted ceiling as a reflector, allowing
the slab above to absorb the heat.
Conclusion:
The main motto or achievement of this design is to make a
passive system of ventilation using biomimicry for the reason of
achieving maximum efficient flow and user comfort in the area. It is
also a good example of using things that are considered against us
for our benefit through designing