Architecture 2020
ARCH 001: A house within a house: breathing walls and buoyancy ventilation in a heat-recovery loop
Professor Salmaan Craigsalmaan.craig [at] mcgill.ca |
Research AreaInnovative building technology for mitigating and adapting to climate change |
DescriptionBreathing walls () are walls that work as heat-exchangers instead of insulators. This integrated approach could radically simplify the building process--and help to make deep carbon reductions across the building industry. However, one of the technical barriers for breathing walls is how to recycle the heat from the exhaust air. This project proposes an architectural solution: nest one room inside another, like a matryoshka doll. Then the exhaust air can preheat the incoming air in a natural feedback cycle powered by buoyancy. In this project, we will work together to design, make, and conduct a small physical experiment. The test will demonstrate the operating principles of the idea. It will involve taking thermal measurements and using schlieren imaging to visualize the real air-flows. If you are interested in applying, I recommended signing up for ARCH 540-003 in winter 2020. Tasks per studentDistribution of tasks between two students TBD - design and assemble schlieren imaging apparatus - design and fabricate of test pieces (model buildings, scaled down according to the principles of "dynamic similarity") - execute the experiment - analyze heat-recovery data - analyze and post-process schlieren images - complied prior literature (scientific and architectural/cultural) - co-author journal article Ìý |
Deliverables per studentSubmit co-authored paper in peer-reviewed journal |
Number of positions2 Academic LevelYear 3 |