C. Filippin et al., A PASSIVE SOLAR BUILDING FOR ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN ARGENTINA - THE FIRST 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE, Solar energy, 63(2), 1998, pp. 105-115
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.