OPPOSITE SUNSPACES PASSIVE SOLAR AIR HEATING-SYSTEM

An opposite sunspaces passive solar air heating system has been develo ped to provide passive solar heating in multistorey buildings. The sys tem envisages the natural transfer of the solar energy gained in the s outhern sunspace of an apartment to the northern glazed space through air ducts placed in the ceiling and Boor. The heated air in the southe rn sunspace rises, enters the air ducts placed in the ceiling and Bows through these ducts to the northern glazed space, while the displaced air in the southern sunspace is replaced with cooler air flowing from the northern glazed space to the southern sunspace through the air du cts placed in the floor. As the system may be applied to eastern and w estern sunspaces as well as to south and north, the constraint of orie ntation of the building with respect to the sun is reduced. In Ankara Solar House, which simulates an apartment of a multistorey building, t he system is applied between the southern and northern Facades. The in ternal Boor area of the house is 100 m(2). Both the southern and north ern facades are completely covered by glazed spaces. The roof, floor a nd walls on the east and west are heavily insulated to simulate an int ermediate apartment in a multistorey building. The construction of Ank ara Solar House was completed in January 1993. In this house, the natu ral air circulation travels a distance of 10 m between the southern su nspace and the northern glazed space. In Belko Solar Building, the sys tem was applied between the eastern and western sunspaces. Before noon , solar energy gained in the eastern sunspace is transferred to the we st and vice versa in the afternoon. The building is designed to have t wo storeys with 1000 m(2) usage area. The construction of Belko Solar Building was completed in December 1993. In this building, the natural air circulation travels a distance of 13 m between the eastern and we stern sunspaces. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.