The Laws of Thermodynamics and Their Implications on Thermal Comfort in the Built Environment

The Second law of thermodynamics is the most prevalent for the explanation of heat uses within dwellings; it describes the natural direction of energy transformation and entropy. Energy “…move[s] from a highly ordered state to a disordered state…” (Cleveland, Kaufmann 2008.) Heat, as the form of energy with the most entropy, is the eventual natural result; “Entropy of a closed system increases (more exactly, does not decreases) with time.” (Prisyazhniuk, 2007.) This heat will spread until it reaches equilibrium. Within buildings this means that a source of heat, whether it be a fire, hot water system or direct solar gain will spread itself from the concentrated source point out towards any cooler area. Ideally for thermal comfort this heat energy, once within the space should be conserved, emphasizing the importance of airtightness and insulation in design as well as the importance of space economy, or: not wanting to spend the energy to heat to near equilibrium a large space, for just one person. The second law also describes how in order to produce a useful lower entropy, (highly ordered,) form of energy; the kind needed in order to generate heat within our home, that additional energy has to be applied and work done. (Prisyazhniuk, 2007.)  “…the continuous flow of oil, coal, and other fuels used to run society is converted into low quality, unavailable energy ("waste heat").” Also described by the ‘Zero’ law, “…All bodies acquire the temperature of the environment…” (Prisyazhniuk, 2007.)[1] Such laws explain the difficulty of conserving and storing energy as heat, a continuous battle against natural physics that appears to be one of the main elements of environmental dwelling design. We try to harness the high entropy form of energy to store for times when the natural pulsing environment has spread the availible warmth to near equilbrium at a localized area, working with these rules and using the importance of temperature difference to control passive heat flow we endeavour to slow the enevitable directional movement of energy for our comfort.

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[1] The "Zero" Law of Thermodynamics: the Law of Heat Equilibrium, this wording is put by J. Black (1728 – 1799): "All bodies freely communicating with one another and not subject to a non-equilibrium impact of the ambient conditions acquire one the same temperature, as determined with the thermometer. All bodies acquire the temperature of the environment."(Prisyazhniuk, 2007.)

Cycles of Energy Transfer and direction time with heat flow.

Module one – Professional Diploma in Architecture (AEES)

The past week has been unlike any other, as the 22 Prof Dip fresher’s travelled to CAT from all over the country to meet for our first meal together on Monday night in the WISE building. The tutors didn’t waste any time and started us off that evening discussing the ‘sacred cows’ of sustainability with the MSc students to challenge our preconceptions and ideologies on sustainability from a wide variety of points-of-view through role-playing.

We were really looked after at CAT, with delicious food, 3 large meals a day, teas, coffees, juices and wine. This week we were sleeping in the WISE building itself, enhanced by our lecture about the building design by David Lea. We stayed 2 to a room in the wonderfully tranquil bedrooms, timber clad, with a floor to ceiling, square glazed screen that slid open directly onto the roof top terrace, looking down to the ‘drop-pool’ courtyard and out to the west Wales mountains.
The first module took us through some information-packed lectures, from Nick Baker: “…intercepting natural cycles of CO2 for human use…”, Peter Harper: “Physics trumps Politics…is true although our whole economic and societal systems are based on entirely the opposite…” To Ranyl Rhydwen, jumping up and down on stage, electrically retelling in quick rhythms the proofs of future doom caused by humanity, then following on in a subsequent lecture “human adaptation/transformation for climate change, opportunity and a change in fundamentals…” renewing students hope, energy and ideas for our learning to design future places. Evening lectures included history of CAT and a visiting lecturer: Roddy from Ted Cullinan architects.

Studio time this week initially made us take a look at our design approach and write a manifesto to be presented in one minute, then, we were taken through a drawing journey with Trevor Flynn of ‘Drawing at work’ who ran a drawing gymnasium. It began in the hills at CAT trying to measure and draw the 5th year’s Bird Hide. This twisting, free flowing form built from standard sized timber all felled within 500metres of the site, proved incredibly difficult to work out in the mind’s eye, due to the shapes and shadows of its morphic appearance. Despite this, with Trevor’s help, freehand oblique, section, isometric, one and two point perspectives appeared before us.

Saturday bought the roundup of the drawing session in the WISE building and a site visit for design project 100.1. This was followed by a traditional evening for the postgrad students: a social with a theme, everybody became their pirate alter ego, drinking rum and playing crew games, wearing elaborate costumes and props created from any material to hand in an old slate quarry. Not sure if anyone remembers which team won…but I do remember the fantastic atmosphere in the bar, the hot wood sauna in the hills and the cool fresh waters of the reservoir lake…

We finished with a Sunday morning of thought provoking lectures, Richard Hammerton: ‘Humans in context: Environmental change’ and Tanya Hawkes: ‘Policy responses to climate change’. The general consensus at the end of week 1 from the Prof Dip student’s is that there is nowhere quite like CAT to study and we are very glad we’re here. We are inspired, very tired, bonded as a group, filled with optimism and can’t wait to get started on the rural housing project based in Machynlleth, sketch books ready, roll on the next week at CAT…

on the way to work, a sunny morning -

Sharp shadows are cast from buildings plumb and flush, strike lines and areas accross our land, I see my sillouette follow a journey line, but slip into darkness suddenly into the cool of un-sunned places. A map made of the land showing only these crisp black edges may reveal or conceal the landscape we live among.

Cader Idris and near Tal-y-Llyn

Current paradox for an ecological designer...

It is my firm belief, that the only way for humankind, to live sustainably as civilizations within this world, with the future necessity to adapt to climate change and our exponential population growth, is as mid-dense city/nexus all connected on a greened, closed loop grid. (This is due to many reasons including but not exclusive to: the one-planet living calcs for space per person, then thinking about space to leave as nature and space needed for food, adding in the efficiency of grid living and the concept that in order for closed-loop a city to work, the built environment model must be thought of as one organism, not many separate bits.)

However, it is then currently impossible to design an on-grid building that is as ecological as it could possibly be, as the grids themselves are still in the age of fast-track linearity, so, in order to design a sustainable building, or group of buildings, one cannot currently think of it as a part of the city/town organism whole, but as a separate entity that must in itself be a smaller version of the organism. It must be designed such that, when the grids finally catch up to good-looped, as they will when they have too, that the building/s could feed into it and be fed by it, thus enabaling the city to be that whole organism. But this, design not-for-the-green-grid, means that the development of it will be perpetually put-off untill the very last push. How then to design in an ecologically sound manner. On-grid, for the future grids, or off grid for the ecological singular now?

Transitions Towns St Albans

Down with Energy Bills!

Transitions Towns St Albans held an ideas generating session on wednesday night for an eco-open-house programme that might run next year. Inspired by the success of open house movement across the globe, especially the event that has taken place in Brighton for the last few years. This is BrightGreenHomes project, that one of TTSt Albans' energy group’s members volunteered at.  He gave a short resentation about what they acheived during the event, how and any outcomes from the feedback.

An interesting and animated group of people form this group who came up with many ideas and interest for the upcoming project, they meet again on the 17^th October to discuss further the practicalities and possibilities for this scheme in St Albans...good luck!

Circle...

"ANY ITEM OF WASTE CREATION CAN BE SEEN AS A FALIURE, DUE TO INEFFICIENCY IN THE SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN COMPARED TO NATURAL SYSTEMS..." (Harris and Borer, 2005)

Man is nature..?

Man says to nature: 'you are organic, you grow naturally you are unpredictable and powerful, how did you become to look so perfect?' Nature says to man: 'Nature is according to rules both mirco and macro, what is this distinction between man and nature? man is of nature, you are according to these rules too.'

SPIN, patchwork farming, transitions...

Came accross this post today on Transition Culture site: (See post here.)

Transition Cultures, whose phrase is: 'an evolving exploration into the head, heart and hands of energy descent' is about how we can action our society to transition into sustainable communities. It is a global organisation with local groups that meet, discuss, organise and action things within their community. I havnt been involved with them in the UK yet but in Alpine, Texas there is a thriving group who helped us on some of the projects at La Loma Del Chivo, (link here for post.)

Their post today is about SPIN farming group, who take a re-look at the way people think about bringing local small-scale produce into the urban place. SPIN's website 'Thinking of Farming, Think again' is an exciting wealth of knowledge and advise for creating local produce and creating an income from it; 'patchwok farming.' As is described in transition's post post today:

'SPIN farming strips out any talk of politics or ideology that underpins approaches such as organics or permaculture, stating “think in terms of a production system, not a belief system”, although it doesn employ organic techniques.  It can start on parcels of land as small as 1,000 square feet, and can be spread across a number of pieces of land.'

This method of farming could alter the ways that planners and architects are currently trying to implement spaces for small-scale farming and urban food production into the scene to one that can operate in a de-centralised and less-space-organsied way, a move from the allotment designated region and a move towards the use of SLOAP, front gardens, un-used lawns for not only the hobby-orientated veg-garden and unemployment to the local food network and self-employed work community.

Pies! The fruits of Don's Garden...

Blackberrys  (from St Albans hedges,) apples (from my mums garden,) plums and redcurrents (from my Grandpas friend Don's garden) turned into pies, although we have only used about a sixth of the fruit so far...

New Compost bins and leaf moulder...The Garden see's no waste...

3 little composts's standing in a row...The product of cutting back the paths and clearing out the pond for maintenance in the St Albans Garden...Hopefully, with the help of the kitchen remains...next springs allotment will have first class soil and mulch.