Design strategies

Passive design strategies for buildings. Each climate zone page shows the ones that suit its climate.

Building Facades Climate-responsive building façades filter solar radiation, daylight, and fresh air from the exterior as appropriate based on climate/seasonal variations to improve indoor comfort.
Clerestories and Skylights Clerestories and skylights are effective strategies for admitting daylight deeper into the building while reducing direct sunlight and glare and maintaining a high level of privacy.
Cool Roof Cool roofs are designed to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than a standard roof.
Cross Ventilation Natural ventilation is a passive strategy that uses the natural forces of wind and buoyancy to deliver fresh air into buildings.
Daylighting from Multiple Sides Daylighting spaces from multiple sides ensure an even distribution of light while reducing the probability of glare.
Direct Gain: Glazing Direct gain is the simplest form of passive solar heating.
Direct Gain: Heat Storage A thermal storage system (masonry floors, walls and/or ceilings) is required to absorb and store the heat during the daytime and release it back at night for space heating.
Double Roof Double roofs are used in climate responsive designs to reduce heat gain and protect the structure from natural elements such as rain, sunlight, and wind.
Earth Sheltering Earth-protected design uses earth as the main component of a building's thermal control system.
East/West Shading East and west facing windows should be protected to reduce heat gains into the building in the morning and afternoon.
Evaporative Cooling Towers Evaporative cooling towers are useful for cooling buildings and outdoor areas in hot and dry climates.
Form for Cooling The shape and volume of buildings should be compact and elongated along the east-west axis to reduce heat gain in the summer while maximizing solar exposure in the winter.
Form for Daylighting In many cases, an optimal floor plan runs east to west, maximizing the glazing area on the north and south facades to allow daylight to penetrate deeper into the interior spaces.
Form for Heating Buildings with large south facing walls and glazing areas exposed to the south (in the northern hemisphere) can benefit from passive heating in the winter.
Green Roof Green roofs provide a rainwater buffer, purify the air, provide roof insulation, regulate indoor temperature, reduce energy consumption, encourage biodiversity in the city and help moderate the heat island effect.
Indirect Gain: Sunspace A sunspace is an equatorial-facing area/room in a building with glass roof and walls intended to maximize solar heat gain.
Intermediate Light Shelves A light shelf is a high-reflecting horizontal surface that allows daylight to penetrate deep into a building.
Night Vent Cooling Night ventilation is a passive cooling strategy that uses outdoor diurnal temperature swings during the summer and the building's thermal mass to cool down the interior space through increased outdoor airflow at night, providing cool indoor surfaces and temperatures during the day.
Shading Devices Shading devices, such as overhangs and vertical fins, are necessary to decrease heat gain from solar radiation during the summer.
Side Daylighting Windows and wall openings allow daylight and solar energy along the perimeter of a building.
Side Daylighting Controls Horizontal louvers and light shelves are very useful for daylighting since they can block direct sunlight and reflect light up to the ceiling optimizing daylight and views without glare.
Solar Greenhouse Solar greenhouses are designed to capture heat from the sun’s rays and are typically used to keep plants warm during cold weather.
Solar Shading Solar shading refers to the shading systems used to control the amount of solar radiation and sunlight admitted from the sun into a building.
Stack Ventilation Stack ventilation can be used to increase ventilation when the breeze is not sufficient.
Thermal Storage Wall A thermal storage wall is a masonry wall placed behind the glazing facing the equator that will absorb and store sunlight (heat) during the daytime and release it back at night for space heating.
Top Daylighting Skylights and clerestories are a source of top daylighting which admit additional daylight and solar energy inside a building.
Top Daylighting Controls When top daylighting, it is important to integrate shading elements, such as louvers and baffles, to diffuse the direct sunlight, reduce glare and create uniform daylighting inside the space.