What you’ll learn
- The evolution of built forms in response to climate
- Key principles of vernacular architecture
- Distinction between vernacular and modern architecture
- What makes vernacular architecture energy efficient
- Understand solar passive architecture and how it works
- Understand the advantages of solar passive design strategies
- Basis for designing energy efficient buildings
- Distinction of an energy efficient building
- How to achieve energy efficiency in buildings
- Identify energy efficient buildings
Description
The effects of climate change and global warming are being responded to in ways that mitigate, or adapt to them. Transportation is using electricity and alternative fuels. Companies are quantifying carbon emissions to identify means to minimize it. Technology products are consuming less and less from energy sources.
For buildings and their design, it’s commonly considered that there is a trade-off between building comfort and impact on their environment.
In recent years, however, design professionals are shifting to built environment concepts that are energy efficient, climate-responsive and thermally comfortable. Interestingly, we can learn from traditional architecture and employ these principles along with modern scientific theories to design buildings which have reduced negative impacts on the environment. In particular, we can identify traditional designs that harness the surrounding environment (e.g., terrain, climate, available materials) to cool, heat, ventilate and provide lighting to a building design but with little or no use of active systems.
What is covered in the course
This course takes learners back in time to understand principles of traditional design with pictorial examples from culture-rich Middle Eastern countries. The examples presented here may also have an equivalent in your region, and their application in modern architecture can be suited to countries with different climates, including, but not limited to, countries with a temperate climate.
Why you should take this course
This course is for students, trainers and practitioners in Architecture, Interior Design and Engineering.
The course, though short, is quite comprehensive. The videos are streamlined and clutter-free. Although it could use a bit more of animation in some places (e.g., to show movement of air), I appreciate that it is not visually assaulting (as can happen with too many visuals). Assessments are thought provoking and it leaves enough for the students to want to learn more on their own.