A PASSIVE SOLAR BUILDING FOR ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN ARGENTINA - THE FIRST 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE

An energy-efficient building, featuring energy conservation, passive s olar heating, and natural cooling strategies, was designed and built i n La Pampa, a province in the temperate semi-arid region of central Ar gentina. Of compact design, it houses 350 m(2) of useful floor area in a roughly linear scheme, with the main spaces facing north and ancill ary spaces (services) facing south; Solar windows running from above s pandrel and up to ceiling height are provided for all the main spaces, and clerestory windows are provided for the solar gain to the south-f acing spaces. An integrated sunspace is incorporated into the centre b ay of the north facade, providing additional heat to inner spaces as w ell as functional and visual expansion. In the design stage, a simulat ion analysis was performed to assess the environmental and energy perf ormance of the alternatives. The main energy features of the resulting building are a volumetric loss coefficient of 1.09 W m(-3) degrees C- 1, and a predicted solar savings fraction of 70%. The summer cooling s trategy includes the passive induction of exterior air into the buildi ng through earth-coupled ducts. Cooling by cross-ventilation is made p ossible during the night, but to preserve the security of the building from sudden storms, this occurs only when the building is occupied. S hading devices protect all windows in summer. Provisional monitoring, started during the 1995 winter period, showed encouraging possibilitie s of energy savings with adequate comfort conditions, demonstrating th e technical feasibility of the scheme. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.