The document discusses the passive design strategies used in Rhombus, a residential building in Bangsar, Malaysia. Natural ventilation strategies like cross ventilation and stack ventilation were used to regulate temperature without air conditioning. The building's orientation and openings allow winds to flow through. Shading devices were also implemented, like eggcrate louvers on balconies, to reduce solar heat gain and improve thermal comfort inside. Analysis showed the passive designs helped bring the interior humidity and temperature within comfortable ranges without active cooling systems.

1. Conclusion
Thermal Comfort Chart
Macro Analysis
Rhombus Bangsar
Passive Design 1 : Natural Ventilation
Rhombus located along Jalan Penaga and nestled in the Klang
Valley’s premier lifestyle hub of Bangsar. It’s avant-garde design and
striking modern interiors serve to provide a private home for the
discerning. Exclusively for lease, each home features expansive
outdoor terraces with unparalleled views of the KL cityspace. This
architecturally distinctive residence is also a PAM’s Gold Award and
sole winner of the Malaysian Institute of Architects 2013 Award in its
category. Beside that, Rhombus also received the Green Building
Index Certification because of its green features.
Based on the figure 1, site plan on the annual wind rose diagram, monsoon wind with
a high frequency will come mainly from the north east direction. The architect took
advantage of it and designed Rhombus with the orientation that the east and north-
east facades will receive most wind. The Rhombus are designed with residential
rooms are facing the east side, to gain maximum wind to regulate the units.
The neighboring building, Bangsar Peak, are located next to its west direction. The
monsoon wind that comes from north east will meet Bangsar Peak and pushed back
to the direction of Rhombus's west facade with openings. This will aid the building
with more natural ventilating air to let stack ventilation and cross ventilation to
occurs.
The building has openings around the common area, which is its's first 3 floors.
Instead of relying on air conditioning, the common areas depend on the natural wind
and ceiling fans to regulate the temperature. Cross-ventilations and Stack-ventilation
principles are also applied into Rhombus's design.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Stack Ventilation
According to MS1525, stack ventilation is where air is driven
through the building by vertical pressure differences devel-
oped by thermal buoyancy. The warm air inside the building is
less dense than cooler air outside, and thus will rises and try to
escape from openings high up in the building envelope; cooler
denser air will enter from the openings lower down. At the
same time, the ambient air replaces the air that has risen,
become a ventilation.
Based on figure 2, section of Rhombus, there are few openings
among ground floor, first floor and second floor, mainly open-
ings are located at the second which also connected to the
swimming pool area to let the warm air escape from the build-
ing. As a matter of fact, warm air rises and cool air sinks, there-
fore, it is much more hotter on the second floor compared to
the ground floor of the building. When the hot air rises, it leaves
the lower space vacuum, whcih allows fresh air to come into the
building and form a cycle of ventilation.
Based on the thermal comfort chart on the right hand side, the lowest and highest humidity percentage for
Bangsar are 51% and 90% relatively. Neither both of the humidity percentage belongs to the Ideal comfortable
zone. The chart shows the space within the building isn’t within the thermal comfort range. Therefore, natural
ventilation is applied in this building to bring the heat away from the building, so that the user within the build-
ing will be more comfortable.
In conclusion, the building has achieved the thermal comfort range through the usage of natural
ventilation. The building has successfully applied the ventilation theories in this building. The
building could still achieve thermal comfort without the usage of air-conditional. Therefore,
we could conclude that the passive design of this building is successful.
3rd Floor
(Residence)
2nd Floor
(Common Area)
1st Floor
(Common Area)
Ground Floor
(Common Area)
To outdoor
(Common Area)
Cross Ventilation
According to MS1525, cross ventilation is the technique
of using natural air movement from the outside and
drawing it inside to cool buildings. Rhombus has 1 main
entrance and other openings which are facing to east
and west. The orientation of the building allows the
wind to enter directly from the east entrance and escape
through the west entrance. Therefore, the wind draught
consistently brings in fresh air into the building, so that
the users in the building will feel comfortable inside the
building.
Second Floor Plan
DBT(°C) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
AH
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95
Comfort
The photos above show the openings that allow the hot air to escape from the building
Building Science 1_BLD 60803 Tutor: Ms Sujatavani Woo Wen Jian 0315123 | Benny Tan Shiowee 0315447 | Nicolas Wong Xiao En 0314377 | Yuan Khai Shien 0314818 | Lee Yaue Shen 0315381 | Preston Liew Ru Ping 0313822

2. Conclusion
Figure 3A
Figure 3B
Psycometric Chart
East Elevation without Shading Devices
East Elevation with Shading Devices
Figure 3B shows that without the
shading device, the building receive
maximum direct sunlight that will
penetrates into the interior living
spaces. Furthermore, exterior wall will
transmit heat directly into the interior
spaces due to exposure of direct
sunlight.
In contrast with that, with the aid of the
shading device, undesire direct
sunlight that penetrates through the
interior living spaces is greatly
reduced from morning until noon time
and shaded percentage is up to 80%.
Add on to that, the heat generated by
the direct sunlight will be distributed at
the balcony before heating up the
interior space.
Figure 3A shows that with the outspan
length of the shading structure, direct
sunlight will be welcome to penetrate
into the interior space to shine up the
interior space throughout the morning
periods until 10am. 10 am onwards,
the amount of direct sunlight received
will be slowly decreases to reduce
unwated direct sunlight.
According to the sun path analysis,the
shading device works throughout the
year with a high efficiency rates.
Time: 10:00
Date: 22nd March
Time: 10:00
Date: 22nd September
Time: 10:00
Date: 22nd December
Time: 10:00
Date: 22nd March
Time: 10:00
Date: 22nd September
Time: 10:00
Date: 22nd December
According to MS1525, the configuration of the
building was considered as one of the passive
design strategies. Eggcrate shading devices are
very effective shading device in a hot climate
country as well as under east and west exposure.
The principle of the shading device is using both
verticle and horizontal shading elements to maxi-
mize shading efficiency.
In Rhombus, Eggcrate shading device are found
and form by the structural horizontal balcony
floor/ roof and the vertical walls that separate the
units. Each units contain a eggcrated balcony
facing to the east direction.
Passive Design 2: Shading Devices
Psycometric chart was generate showing the ideal comfort range in Kuala
Lumpur. The Ideal Thermal Comfort Zone (Yellow) was achieve via both Active
Design Cooling as well as Passive Design Strategies. Shading devices was
introduced on the building as one of the passive design strategies. From the
analysis that was done, it proves that this passive design lowers the
temperature by increasing the total shaded area and reducing the
radiation gained from sunlight. Hence, the comfort level is lower and
is get closer towards the Ideal comfort range (Red).
Shading Coefficient
SC = SC1 x SC2
SC1=Glass Shading Coefficient
SC2=External Shading Device
SC2:
R1: Width of Horizontal Projection / Height of Fenestration
Width of Horizontal Projection: 2.0
Height of Fenestration: 2.5
Ratio (R1): 2.0/2.5 = 0.8
R2: Width of Vertical Projection / Length of Fenestration
Width of Vertical Projection: 2.0
Length of Fenestration: 5.0
Ratio (R1): 2.0/5.0 = 0.4
SC1:
SHGC of Low-E double-glazing = 0.27
SC x 0.87 = SHGC
SC = SHGC / 0.87
= 0.27 / 0.87
SC1 = 0.31
(According to MS1525, page 14, Table 7)
From R1 and R2, Shading Coefficient of Egg-Crate Louvers (SC2) = 0.5
Summary
According to MS1525, value of shading
coefficient is ranging from 1.00 to 0.00.
The lower the rating, the less solar heat is
transmitted through the glass, and the
greater its shading ability.
SC:
SC = SC1 x SC2
= 0.31 x 0.5
= 0.155
Thermal Comfort
Figure 4A Figure 4B
DBT(°C) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
AH
5
10
15
20
25
30
Comfort
Ideal Thermal Comfort Zone
Comfort Level that achieve through
Passive Design
Exterior Temperature Zone
The generated diagrams beside show the
thermal comfort of the building. Analysis
shown that with shading device (Figure 4A)
provide more thermal comfort inside the
building as the gained heat radiation of the
interior is much lower than the structure that
with shading device removed. Figure 4B is a
structure with removed shading device
which provide lesser thermal comfort.
Therefore, the lower the radiation gained in
building, the lower the temperature of the
building, the more the thermal comfort was.
Woo Wen Jian 0315123 | Benny Tan Shiowee 0315447 | Nicolas Wong Xiao En 0314377 | Yuan Khai Shien 0314818 | Lee Yaue Shen 0315381 | Preston Liew Ru Ping 0313822Building Science 1_BLD 60803 Tutor: Ms Sujatavani