Massin

ng & Orien
O ntatio
on forr Coolling
Ma
assing an
nd orienttation are
e importtant design factors to con
nsider for passive
e
coo
oling, specificallyy, naturall ventilattion. As a general rule, thin tall bu
uildings will
w
enccourage natural ventilatio
v
on and utilize
u
pre
evailing winds,
w
crross venttilation,
and
d stack e
effect.
Masssing Strategies for Passive
P
Coo
oling
Thinner build
dings incre
ease the ratio of surfa
ace area to
o volume. This will make
m
utilizin
ng natural
ven
ntilation forr passive co
ooling easyy. Conversely, a deep
p floor plan
n will make
e natural ve
entilation
difficult-especcially gettin
ng air into the core of
o the build
ding and may
m require
e mechaniccal ventilatiion.
Talll buildingss also incre
ease the efffectiveness of natura
al ventilatio
on, because wind spe
eeds are faster
at greater
g
heig
ghts. This improves not only cross ventila
ation but also
a
stack effect
e
ventiilation.

Tall buildings im
mprove natural ven
ntilation, and in lo
ower latitudes redu
uce sun exposure.

While thin and

d tall build
dings can im
mprove the
e effectiven
ness of nattural ventilation to co
ool buildings,
theyy also incre
ease the exxposed are
ea for heat transfer th
hrough the
e building envelope.
e
S
Sometimes
s
thiss is good, ssometimes not. See Massing
M
& Orientatio
on for Passiive Heating
g.
When plannin
ng urban ce
enters, spe
ecifically in heating do
ominated climates,
c
having
h
the buildings
gradually incrrease in height will minimize hig
gh speed winds
w
at the pedestria
an level wh
hich can
influ
uence therrmal comfo
ort. The height differe
ence betwe
een neighb
boring builldings shou
uld not
exceed 100%.

Orie
entation Sttrategies fo
or Passive Cooling
Builldings shou
uld be orie
ented to maximize be
enefits from
m cooling breezes
b
in hot weath
her and she
elter
from
m undesira
able winds in cold we
eather. Loo
ok at the prevailing
p
winds
w
for yo
our site throughout the
t
year, using a w
wind rose diagram,
d
to
o see which winds to
o take adva
antage of or
o avoid.

Wind
d-rose diagram, sho
owing
statistics of wind speed and
directtion throughout th
he year

Generally, oriienting the

e building so
s that its shorter axiis aligns wiith prevailing winds will
w provide
e
the most wind
d ventilatio
on, while orienting it perpendicular to pre
evailing win
nds will pro
ovide the le
east
passive ventila
ation.

Orientation for
f maximum passsive ventilation

The effectiveness of this strategy and aperture placement can be estimated. Here are some rules of
thumb for two scenarios in which windows are facing the direction of the prevailing wind:
For spaces with windows on only one side, natural ventilation will not reach farther than two
times the floor to ceiling height into the building.
For spaces with windows on opposite sides, the natural ventilation effectiveness limit will be less
than five times the floor to ceiling height into the building.
However, buildings do not have to face directly into the wind to achieve good crossventilation. Internal spaces and structural elements can be designed to channel air through the
building in different directions. In addition, the prevailing wind directions listed by weather data
may not be the actual prevailing wind directions, depending on local site obstructions, such as
trees or other buildings.
For buildings that feature a courtyard and are located in climates where cooling is desired,
orienting the courtyard 45 degrees from the prevailing wind maximizes wind in the courtyard and
cross ventilation through the building.