Human Comfort Approach In Green Building Design

Human Comfort Approach In Green expression purposeRecently, there has been an change magnitude emphasis on a spurts grammatical construction formula climax, which is aimed at ameliorating the overall impact of the built surroundings on piece comfort and the indispensable purlieu. In this selective review, extraneous , construct gasbag and congenital factors forget be examined in telling to tender comfort. In particular, this formulate will focus on human comfort in estimation to the importance and impact for solar twenty-four hour period elationing, visuals and surroundings, cloth properties, tribute factors, spreading, thermic comfort, and access their long suit in the context of grand psychical synthesis design. With regard to human factors, it is concluded that the impact of these factors on mental synthesis occupants needs to be taken into account in advance in order to design a grammatical construction which enhances the human health and upbeat and consequently leads to the ontogenesis of productiveness.IntroductionGreen create design onslaught is unrivaled of the global response to the increasing realization that the built surroundings contributes signifi crowd outtly to climate change over the entire structures lifecycle. expression accounts for to a keener extent than 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions (Hegger et al. 2008). Moreover, the steadily rising verve personify over the past few years wait on to facilitate the wind towards sustainability. Taking into account these factors, life force saving measures have become a requirement in these days.End-users search for sustain able building construct, with low attention cost and get-up-and-go physical exertion, which provides structures made from building somatics that argon in congruity with ecologic aspire of view. Aside from looking at energy and in operation(p) cost, they similarly take an increasing concern in work feat levels. Only when plenty vigorous and satisfy they mountain hone their productivity (Bauer et al. 200711).Seeing these factors by necessity, means offering both a booming and healthy purlieu which is essential as a st valuategy to imbibe the investors and buyers. Still, there is no doubt that the comfort and well-being of humans is ground to a authentic extent on their subjective perception of whatever outside(a) charms (Hegger et al. 200855). Sassi (2006101) seems to support this view and points out that people respond different than to situations and environments depending on their character and circumstances. Hegger et al. (2006) claims that the factors which will scratch human comfort ar basically categorized under physical, intermediary and physiological conditions.The purpose of this project is to examine the physical conditions with regard to human comfort and to focus on the building envelope, external and inside influencing factors. The importance and the impact of these fa ctors on human comfort will then be examined, with a focus on the effectiveness in the green building design fire. Since the plan of this approach is increasingly put into practice globally, it is felt that this examination will set off areas which need to be taken into account and will be co-ordinated into the design process.1.0 A Definition of Human Comfort and Green grammatical construction contriveHuman ComfortHuman comfort stomach be broadly defined as the building occupants expression of satisfaction with the thermic environment (Yudelson 2007). Some of the parameters that affect the users comfort are as follows environmental conditions ( internal wrinkle temperature, excitement intensity and level of noise), physiological criteria (age, gender and constitution), intermediary conditions (clothing and activity) and individuals (Hegger et al. 200855).There is a connection surrounded by physical and mental health. They are the factors that are highly ilkly to influenc e the human sense of ecstasy (Martin 1997). In turn, ones happiness will impact on peoples expectations, experiences and sense of self-worth. valet generally wish to be accepted, respected and to feel secured. Therefore, it is essential for an house decorator to understand how people respond to the environment in order to design spaces which can enhance human health and well-being.Styles and types of building material, responses to individual building, light quality and atmosphere are tie beamed to culture and personal memories which in turn linked to individuals character (Sassi 2006). For instance, a small space whitethorn feel comfortable to certain people but claustrophobic to others. It is unenviable to design a building which would be universally appealing that enhances everyones well-being. Nevertheless, certain commonalities can be identified in regard to comfort and individualism. expressions should be designed to satisfy and fortify arbitrary feelings as well as e nable people to enjoy quiet moments of reflection and relaxation (Sassi 2006137). It plays an primal situation in increasing occupants productivity and health in buildings.The building design could influence the human body mechanism to exchange warmheartedness with the environment by convection, radiation and vaporization (Hegger et al. 200855). As Bordass (1995) has pointed out that the elements which affect human comfort should be able to be operated and adjusted by the occupants. In other words, reduce ignite loss yet sustaining trade good air quality is a necessity in terms of caloric comfort in building design for cold weather.Green expression DesignGreen building is forever and a day name as ecological building, sustainable building, or energy-efficient building. Green building design is a concept which emphasize on passive design dodging by devising full use of day spark, immanent internal respiration and plying the insulated fabric and caloric to work effect ively (Woolley 2008181). A green building focuses on minify building impact on the environment and occupants health while increasing the efficiency of resource use through better planning, design, construction, management and nutrition (Green building index organization 2009).To quote from the Department of Standards Malaysia (2007), a green building design approach is an strategy which united architectural, engine room, site planning, and decorate so as to design an energy efficient building which would optimize the human comfort This approach makes an effort to optimize the advantage of the environment and to use building materials which is re unuseding from a building ecology point of view.2.0 External Factors Relevant to Human Comfort in Green Building DesignArchitecture and open spaces can swear out to define peoples identity and to define their territory. A good architecture can create special(prenominal) reference to the locality, high design quality and interactions b etween building and its environment (Hegger et al. 2008102). Recognition of the locality help to promote responsibility with respect to the environment and human beings. Designing with emphasize on natural day ignition system and visuals should begin at the preliminary design stage. By proving these, it can help to conveys a feeling of resort, belonging and security.2.1 Day LightingDay sack is a significant factor for pleasant intragroup conditions. Without sufficient day lighting, people cannot perform well and healthy. Natural light stimulates humans being and controls bodys functionality. It is crucial for our visual perception and has a substantial influence on our work efficiency (Hegger et al. 2008102). Building materials which are transparent or perspicuous are essential if we wish to make use of daylight. However, it transmits conflagrate as well as light. This in turn means that with more daylight, it reduces the addiction on artificial lighting, and the internal he at loads are lessen as well (Thomas and Garnham 2007135).Conventional and innovative day lighting systems that collect, dishonour and distribute light deep into buildings and systems that reduce the need for artificial lighting are recommended. For building plans, this implies a design that is no more than 66 feet wide, just about 33 feet length of front to back from any windowpane to any workstation (Yudelson 200780). In other words, a buildings long axis should be oriented to east-west in order to allow a maximum day lighting from both south and north facing windows.The day lighting conditions over the course of the day influence the human hormone simile and synchronize our internal clock (Ander 2003). Thus, day lighting strategies, for instance, the orientation of the building, the proportion of window, the depth of the modes, glare and ultra-violet (UV) apology, the design of reflective surface and the coloring of the enclose components (walls, floors and soffits) are a ll the important design features. Passive and technical measures can be taken into account during design.Sunlight acts as a link that connect the building occupants with the outside world, facilitating our essential connection with nature and crowing us a sense of time. It is important to realize that the mood or the perception of a space created by light is just as live (Thomas and Garnham 2007136).. To put it simply, people see and feel better whenever there is natural light for reading and working.2.2 Visuals and EnvironmentIn green building design, emphasis is placed on providing outdoor views from all workstations. The research shows that if the occupants able to enjoy the outside view during the workday, it is more conductive to physical and mental health than working in a windowless environment (Yudelson 2007).Trees can help to absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it as carbon. It can alike provide shade to buildings, reducing heat gains and thus, improving the in ternal environment. In other words, contact with nature is beneficial to the well-being of humans. The building should be planned and designed so as to be visually as well as physically well connected with the outdoors.When designing the external works, emphasis should be put on to create and preserve natural habitats by providing extensive lawns, keep the area is natural state, trees and hedges, green roofs, and green window dressings. In some cases which the area of plot is small, rooftop planting can commute ground sealed by construction work.Environment plays an important role in satisfying basic human needs and quality of life. It can help to reduce stress and alike can speed up recovery. In addition, it can affect humans on a psychological and physical level by acting as a renewing and stimulating factor for our creative functions. In densely developed cities, it is decisive for human health to strike a balance between making space accessible to people and preserving flora and fauna. According to some studies, traffic with nature will affect humans mental health, whereas leisure activities in nature directly benefit to physical health (Sassi 2006).3.0 The Influence of the Building Envelope on Human Comfort in Green Building DesignBuilding envelope acts as a boundary that separates between interior and exterior of a building through which thermal energy is transferred (Hegger et al. 200882). It also serves the function of protecting users and occupants against climate change much(prenominal) as solar radiation, precipitation and wind so as to create safe, healthy and secure interior space. However, the role of building envelope becomes more tortuous as the demand for comfort increases. A building should enable people to feel safe and comfortable by reducing potential dangers. To increase human comfort, the well-being and health of occupants in aspects such as material properties, safety and security, sound, interior air, and interior climate must be taken into consideration during design stage.3.1 Material PropertiesThe choice of material for building envelope will affect human comfort in the building. The designers should take great care when specifying materials in regards of the impact these materials have upon humans feeling about spaces and buildings. Functionality that reflect regional climate as well as heathenish preferences, local vegetation and high-technology material need to be incorporated in the design. Materials are always describe as cold or warm. ground on scientific basis, metal for example, are good conductors of heat and therefore take the heat quickly from the body. On the contrary, wood is a pitiable conductor and hence feels relatively warm to touch. These physical sensation stop to psychological states, such as a timber paneled room would feel warmer and more comfortable to inhabit than a preponderantly metal one (Thomas and Garnham 200789).Different kind of wall material, construction and burdens omeness are likely to differ in the value of thermal conductivity. U-value is a measure of the fabric heat loss which take into accounts mechanism like conduction, radiation and convection of heat transfer. The same can be said that the dismantle the u-value, the better the insulation the lesser energy needed to maintain comfort, the dismay the environmental impact. Insulated walls reduce energy cost and increase comfort with levels of stripped-down effort (Thomas and Garnham 2007102).To achieve sustainability in building design, consideration should be accustomed to low substantiate energy, material manufactured that is on waste, easy to disassembly and utilise to recycle in the end of the building life span, conveying to the construction site and strategies or method that are often used in architectural practice.3.2 Protection Factors on Occupants Well Being and healthBuilding should keep users safe and secure both within the building and its environment by protecting the m from accidents, intruders, fire, and natural dangers. Accordingly, contributions to the subjective perception of safety and secure by providing a good layout, lighting, social controls, presence of other people and good visual links are necessary (Hegger et al. 2008195). A designer can provide these features by considering the specification of material, fire protection concept, natural dangers, clarity and peoples activities during design stage.Creating pleasant acoustical conditions is also one of the important protection factors. Noise pollution and acoustic conditions will influence the well-being of people and can affect their health. Noise between usage units and plus disturbance such as noises from building services and admonitory room acoustic should be avoid through precautionary building physics and room acoustic measures. Constructional sound insulation and room acoustic measures should be include in the room acoustics report as a guidance.Besides the above aspects, int erior air and climate are also the fundamental elements to increase the well-being and health of the occupants. A poor interior air quality will cause some bodily symptoms and displace the productivity (Awbi 2008). Moreover, thermal comfort has a major influence on the human heat balance and direct effect on energy consumption of buildings. It should be optimized through constructional and passive measures. For example, it can be do through specifying the construction methods, thermal insulation, moisture control, coordination of window proportion, ventilation concept and also the protection against over rut by providing sun shading devices.4.0 inseparable Factors Which Support Human Comfort in Green Building DesignThe primary function of building is to provide a suitable internal environment for the purpose of the building. According to Boubekri (2008), the effects of poorly designed buildings, whether in terms of check natural ventilation or poor thermal comfort, would affect the health of building occupants. In order to achieve an acceptable level of human comfort, the interior(a) environment for human implies a temperature between 16 to 25 degree Celsius.4.1 VENTILATIONNatural ventilation is other approach which will provide a healthy and comfortable internal environment by removing polluted indoor air and replace with the fresh air from outside through openings. It would be cosy if the air can be circulated naturally from the outside to the inside of the building (Hegger et al. 2008101). People will have sensations such as the warmth of the unfiltered sunlight, smells and acoustic stimulus by direct contact with outside air. It can have a positive effect on the quality of the habitable room, in that, natural ventilation system are particularly user friendly from the emotional pint of view (Hegger et al. 200899). Thus, habitable rooms should always include opening the facade whenever possible.There are three main mechanisms in natural ventilation, f or instance, ace sided where air comes in from a window, cross ventilation where air crosses a space from one side to another which the effect of wind ram causes the air to enter on the windward facade and pass through the building and lastly providing a stack effect exiting path, resulting from the temperature differences between the indoor and outdoor air, where the hot air rises and exits the opening near the roof or providing openings at the 2 sides of the wall. According to Department of Standards Malaysia in MS1525 (2007), cross ventilation is defined as the flow of air through a building due to a wind-generated press drop across it.These processes are natural and are provided by pressure gradients and temperature differentials which in turn create pressure differences (Thomas and Garnham 2007116). They do not required large quantities of energy to run the coercive fans which used in mechanically ventilated buildings. Natural ventilation is the well-nigh energy efficient way of supplying essential fresh air to a building. When it is insufficient, then other cooling options may be possible.4.2 caloric COMFORTAccording to Flynn and Segil (197080), human body functions as a heating and cooling mechanism. It can, to some extent, efficiently and automatically adjust to the environmental conditions that transform from optimum. Our body functions to lose heat at a certain rate to reasonably cooler air and surfaces. Nevertheless, if such action is either too slight or excessive, it will lead to occupant discomfort and physiological stress.Human heat balance, humans body temperature, needs to be almost 37C this is a prerequisite for well-being. Humans emit heat through the following mechanisms firstly by exhalation and through evaporation of skin, secondly by covection of heat from body surface to the surrounding air, third by conduction of heat from the body to immediate objects and lastly by radiation of heat to the nearby objects and the surfaces enclo sing the room (Hegger et al. 200855). On the other hand, heat transfer in building in three modes, which are conduction, convection, and radiation (Moe 20109).If the temperature of surrounding area drops, the body will first allow the extremities to cool in order to protect the functions of brain, heart and other vital organs (Hegger et al. 200855). It is essential to transfer the internal heat generated to the environment in order to get a constant temperature.If the temperature of the interior air is not consistant, the risk of accidents increases and manual dexterity, productivity and mental abilities decrease quickly. In regards of this, a thermally comfortable environment is primarily due to physical influencing factors such as the temperature of the interior air and the average temperature of the external air, the humidity of interior air and the movement of the air (Hegger et al. 200856). Building functions to admit and conserve heat when the external environment is cold and to thwart the penetration when the external environment is warm.ConclusionHuman comfort is not only a strategy in green building design for the purpose of attracting the investors and buyers, but also an approach which determines occupants health and well-being. This paper has discussed the factors that contribute to human comfort and has shortly presented the importance and the influence of the factors towards peoples comfort in certain aspects of building design. These included the building envelope, interior and exterior factors which consist of day lighting, visuals and environment, material properties, protection factors, ventilation, and thermal comfort. The effectiveness of the approach towards users comfort has also been highlighted, particularly with regard to the human comfort and well-being lead to the increasing of productivity.In discussing the effectiveness of the approach, it has concluded that although the desired degree of comfort can be a highly subjective percept ion, some commonalities can be identified. This can countenance in optimizing the design for a better human comfort. Green buildings always offer a high level of comfort and healthy indoor climate while depending on renewable energies and low energy embodied resources ( Bauer et al. 2007). It should be noted that human comfort is only one of the approach in green building design. Other approaches such as energy efficiency and renewable energy should be taken into account in design , however, are lied outside the parameters of this paper due to the limited scope and a more thorough research could be through in this area. This would be particular interest to the professionals who incorporate the environmental engineering studies in their design.