Interview sessions with the house owners and also observations were
conducted and carried out after the measurements were taken and the results
shown in ASHRAE 62.1, to verify the accurateness of the application.
Research case 1 is a 218 square meters terrace house with 2 and a half
storey. After all the necessary informations were keyed in, the results shown
that the critical zone is the storage room. There is this musty smell that
comes to the nose once step foot inside the store room. The air inside is
stagnant as well, probably because there is absolutely no openings that could
bring in natural wind or sunlight except the door, which is then kept closed at
all times.
There are many boxes stacked on the racks in the store room, as well as old magazines and newspapers piled up on the floor. After quick observations, it was found that the opening beneath the door leaves a seam of crack even when the door is shut. This is a problem as there is no proper shading for the storeroom during heavy rains because the rain water may splash inside the store room through the crack. The floor of the store room is of cement finish, which worsen the problem because the pores on the cement surface could retain water. True enough, if stepped bare footedly on the cement floor, one could feel the cool and slightly damp surface. The newspapers which were placed directly on the cement floor; soaked up the rainwater and there is no natural sunlight that could dry them up. This condition probably causes the air to be musty-smelling.
The house owner sees no reason to install a window for the storeroom,
because they are not going to live inside the store room; it is just storage
for junks and unused stuffs. But they did admit that they do not want to linger
for a long time in the store room because once they step into it, the air
inside is suffocating them; probably due to the store room is constantly shut
tightly, leaving no chance for any natural wind to enter the room.
Overall, the 6 people who live in this house is satisfied with the
ventilation conditions of the house, most of the rooms have natural wind and
sunlight entering the interior; but some of them did mention that the study
room 2 in the ground floor is stuffy and hot during the afternoons, when it is
not raining. Even though a ceiling fan is installed in this room, the hot air
could not get out of the room; meaning there is no fresh and cool air
circulating inside the room. After observing the design of the whole house, it
turned out to be the study room 2 is located at the deepest corner of the whole
plan. This is a disadvantage as being located in the innermost corner of a
house, natural wind from the outside could not reach the room, even though it
is located just beside the living room with sliding door openings to the
outdoors. The stretch of distance from the living room to the study room is too
long for the wind to reach.
It is assumed that a smaller house has better ventilation, because the
natural wind from the outside can reach the insides of the houses more
efficiently. At the last case research, it is found out that the study room 2 has
the least air circulation rate, due to the design of the house plan- the room
is located in the innermost corner of the house, which is hard for natural wind
to reach. But does this indicates that smaller house really have better
ventilation?
Research case 2 is also a terrace house with a total of 3 people living
in, but the area is smaller than the one in research case 1 (with approximately
100 square meters); and also only has one storey. This single-storey terrace
was built about a decade earlier than the terrace house in research case 1.
After the test with the application, it is found that the dining area is
labeled as the critical zone. According to the layout plan, the dining room is
connected to the living room openly, that is without any walls. The sliding
doors which acts as the main entrance invites natural wind into the house. One
could feel a slight breeze while sitting in the dining room, but the problem
with the dining room is there is no ventilation system to help in circulating
the air. Although it is not entirely hot or stuffy sitting in the dining room,
having at least a ceiling fan would help improve the air circulation. Not
having a ventilation system to help circulating the air would not be a big
problem during cool weather, but in this country, especially in the city;
weather is hot most of the times.
Windows in houses are designed to let in natural sunlight and natural
wind; letting both the elements in to the house is important for the occupants
living in the house. This is because wind encourages air exchange and sunlight
kills germs and bacteria. In observing the design of the house, it was found out that the rooms in the corner
of the house – bedroom 1, bedroom 2 and the study room have only standing fans
to help keep the occupants cool, not even ceiling fans were installed. The
occupants of the two bedrooms also complained that they would keep sneezing and
have a runny-nose in the morning when they wake up every day. This is probably
due to the design of the rooms: there are no windows to let in natural wind and
sunlight. As mentioned earlier, it is crucial for some natural wind and
sunlight to enter a space for the sake of the occupant’s health and well-being.
Natural wind helps to circulate the air; while natural sunlight helps to kill
bacteria and germs. The absence of windows in both the bedrooms is probably the
reason the occupants wake up sneezing every morning. Having a window could
bring in natural wind, which helps exchanging the air inside the room with
fresher, cleaner air from outside. Also, natural sunlight will help to kill any
bacteria that linger on the pillow, blanket and bed sheet in the bedrooms.
It is common sense that higher places have higher ventilation rates. But
does the statement apply to apartments and condominiums, which are built higher
than terrace houses? Both the research cases below were done in apartments and
condominiums to verify the statement.
Research case 3 is an apartment unit approximately 150 square meters
with 4 persons living in. It is located on the 7th floor. The spaces
inside this apartment unit are a living room, a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a
washroom. Despite the window opening in the living room, the family living
inside this apartment complains that the spaces inside the house are quite
warm. The only explanation is perhaps there are no other openings that are
sufficient to let the warm air out from the spaces. Even though there is a door
(main entrance), opposite the door is another unit which blocks the wind
outside from entering the living room through the main entrance.
ASHRAE 62.1 application results show that the bedroom beside the kitchen
has insufficient ventilation, probably due to the fact that there are no extra
openings in the bedroom besides the door; and outside air from windows in
living room could not enter this space.
During interview sessions, the occupants of the house mentions that cooking
for long hours in the kitchen in this apartment unit is uncomfortable – they feel
hot. Actually it is normal to feel hot when cooking in the kitchen as cooking
uses fire and fire gives out heat. But in typical kitchens, there are usually
windows to keep air circulating; and there are normally exhaust hoods which are
metal coverings over the stove that leads to a vent which help exhaust smokes and
fumes emitted from the cooking. They do have the exhaust hood in their kitchen
over the stove but it is not sufficient for keeping the heat from cooking in
check. Perhaps windows or openings might help the condition.
Research case 4; a condominium unit with approximately 200 square meters located on the 12th floor but has only 2 occupants. The design of the unit is almost the same as the unit in research case 3; the outside wind is only able to enter the interior through the living room windows and the master bedroom windows but the living room is quite airy compared to the living room in research case 3 There space that was labeled “critical” is the bedroom. There are no other openings for both the rooms except the doors which is kept closed at all times. One can feel the air in the closet stagnant but not until the extent of suffocating like the storage room in research case 1; the air is somewhat cooler. As oppose to research case 3, both the occupants do not have problems with the heat emit during cooking in the kitchen as they seldom cook in their unit.
Research case 4; a condominium unit with approximately 200 square meters located on the 12th floor but has only 2 occupants. The design of the unit is almost the same as the unit in research case 3; the outside wind is only able to enter the interior through the living room windows and the master bedroom windows but the living room is quite airy compared to the living room in research case 3 There space that was labeled “critical” is the bedroom. There are no other openings for both the rooms except the doors which is kept closed at all times. One can feel the air in the closet stagnant but not until the extent of suffocating like the storage room in research case 1; the air is somewhat cooler. As oppose to research case 3, both the occupants do not have problems with the heat emit during cooking in the kitchen as they seldom cook in their unit.
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