FUNDAMENTAL OF

BUILDING
PHYSICS
CHAPTER
CONTENT
Basics of heat transfer
Sources of heat gain in buildings
Establishing thermal comfort
Mechanism of regulating thermal
comfort
INTRODUCTI
ON
Term and definitions

 BUILDING:To control the immediate environment

around people.

 BUILDING ENCLOSURE: provide shelter for the

benefit of human habitation, work or recreation.
 BUILDING SERVICES: operates and control
environment within the building by enabling
occupants to live and work comfortably.

 COMFORT: the state of being able to pursue some

activity
without experiencing environmental distress.
 INTRODUCTI
ON
HEAT TRANSFER In Building

Why we study Heat?

• To ensure the thermally comfort condition
can be achieved inside the building spaces.
• To optimize the energy load for cooling or
heating in building (energy efficient design)

Eg: Building in Hot Climates:

Target
Building enveloped Lead to Building services: HVAC Achieving thermal
Less absorbed Less energy for comfort and energy
heat cooling efficient in cooling
 BASIC OF HEAT
TRANSFER
 Heat: is a form of energy, appearing as molecular motion in
substances or as radiation in space. Measured in Joule, J.

 Temperature: considered as presence of heat in a substance.

 Unit of temperature: ºC / ºF

 Thermodynamics; the science of the flow of heat.

The first law of thermodynamics/energy is the principle of

conservation of energy. Energy cannot be created or
destroyed, only changed from one form to another.

The second law of thermodynamics, (Clausius 1850) states

that heat (or energy), transfer can take place in one direction
only. i.e. from hotter to a cooler body.
 BASIC OF HEAT
TRANSFER
Heat transferred from hot to cold in 3 basic ways:
i) Conduction
ii) Convection
iii) radiation
 METHODS OF HEAT
TRANSFER
50° C 30° C Heat transfer by Between solid
conduction materials

45° C
35° C Heat transfer by In Fluid, air or gas
35° C convection
50° C

20,000° C
20° C Through
Heat transfer by elecromagnetic
radiation wave

If there is a temperature difference between two systems heat

will always find a way to transfer from the higher to lower
system
Sources of heat gain in Building

HEAT GAIN AND HEAT LOSS IN

BUILDING
 SOURCES OF HEAT GAIN IN
BUILDING
• Building envelope/enclosure/shell is the
part of the building which physically
separates the exterior environment from
the interior environment/s.
• An important parts and a critical
component of any building that protects
building occupants and regulate indoor
environment.
• Prevents air, moisture, heat/cool from
freely flow in/out from a building.
• Three parts of building envelope:
interior, exterior and the system consist
of:
• Roof,
• Floor slabs
• Walls
• Windows
• Doors.
SOURCES OF HEAT GAIN FOR
BUILDING
HEAT GAIN IN
BUILDING
Office building

Typical house
SOURCES OF HEAT GAIN IN
BUILDING

Qi= internal heat gain, heat from human bodies, lamps,

appliances Qs=solar heat gain
Qc=conduction heat gain
Qv=ventilation heat
gain Qe=evaporative
cooling Qm=mechanical
cooling
SOURCES OF HEAT GAIN IN
BUILDING
 Thermal balance exists when the sum of all
heat flow is zero i.e.;

When this sum is greater than 0(+),

temperature indoor will heat up.
When less than 0(-), temperature indoor will
cooling down.
WAYS HEAT LOSS FROM
BUILDING
 Sensible and latent heat
• Appreciating this difference is
fundamental to understanding
why refrigerant is used in
cooling systems.
• It also explains why the terms
'total capacity' (sensible & latent
heat) and 'sensible capacity'
are used to define a unit's
cooling capacity.
• During the cooling cycling,
condensation forms within the
unit due to the removal of latent
heat from the air.
SENSIBLE HEAT
• Sensible capacity is the capacity
When an object is heated, its temperature rises as heat is added. The
required to lower the
increase in heat is called sensible heat. Similarly, when heat is removed
temperature and latent capacity
from an object and its temperature falls, the heat removed is also called
is the capacity to remove the
sensible heat. Heat that causes a change in temperature in an object is
moisture from the air.
called sensible heat.

LATENT HEAT, or hidden heat, is the term used for the heat absorbed or
given off by a substance while it is changing its physical state.
When this occurs, the heat given off or absorbed does NOT cause a
temperature change in the substance
Sensible and latent heat
Heat transmittance through the building
fabric: Conduction of heat through
building fabric Convection via air
movement
Radiant transmission, typically through
glass
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
PHYSICAL & PSYCOLOGICAL COMFORT in
building:
Temperature
- Thermal comfort
Quality of Air
Lighting - Visual Comfort

Environment - Aural Comfort

Acoustic
Environment
 ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
 ASHRAE STANDARD 55: thermal comfort is define as the
state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the
surrounding environment.
 Humans- thermal comfort is maintained when heat
generated by human metabolism allow to dissipate
(maintaining the thermal equilibrium with the
Thermal sensation:
surrounding).
 Physical
Variables
(Air
Temperature,
Relative
Humidity,
Air
Movement
and
Personal Ventilation)
Variables
(activity,
gender, age Factors
, clothing)
Effectin
g
THERM
AL
COMFOR
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
 ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT
In context of building:

 High performance building; envelope must be able control the

heat gain in summer and heat loss in
winter.

 Optimal design of the building envelop fabric provide significant

reductions in heating and cooling loads-which in turn allowing
downsizing of mechanical equipment

 Good insulation reduces the flow of heat into a building when

there are differences of outside and inside air temperature
 Factors to be considered when determining the appropriate
insulation solution:
1. Effect on building design- impact of external wall thickness on layouts,
net
2. Sources of heat gain in buildings floor area and light penetration
through window
3. Balance between heavyweight and lightweight construction,
including considerations related to exposed thermal mass.
4. Performance in use and longevity.
5. Buildability and the risk of on-site work not meeting the required
design standards.
6. Sustainability implications of the production process including
sourcing of raw materials, ozone depletion, embodied energy and
eventual disposal.
ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT
ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT
Heat Transfer in building
Heat Transfer in Building
Thermal Conductivity (λ value or k value) and Resistivity (r)
 the measure of the rate at which heat is conducted through a
particular material under specified conditions
 property of a material that indicates its ability to conduct heat.
 Measured as the heat flow in watts across a thickness of 1 m of
material for a temperature difference of 1 degree K and a surface
area of 1 m²
 Unit :W/m K
λ= thermal conductivity (W/moC, Btu in/hr ft2 oF)
Thermal resistivity (r)= 1/λ m.K/W
r = thermal resistivity (moC/W, hr ft2 oF/Btu)
k or
 ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
Happens if there exist Fourier’s Law for Conductive Heat Transfer:


a
temperature gradient. q  kAdT / d
 Conductive heat flow
occurs in direction of q - Heat transferred per unit time
(W, Btu/hr)
the decreasing
-Thermal conductivity of the
temperature (higher k or
material (W/m.K or W/m °C,
temperature=higher Btu/(hr °F ft2/ft))
molecule energy) A - Heat transfer area (m2, ft2)
dT - Temperature difference across
the material (K or °C, °F)
d - Material thickness (m,ft)
 ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT
Thermal conductivity for a material calculated
using:

H  1  2  )
d
A( Heat supply
insulation Measured
heat
Sample flow
material
t d 1
insulati
2
on
 - Coefficient of thermal conductivity from the sample A
material (W/m K)
H - rate of heat flow between the faces (J/s=W)
t

A - Cross sectional area of the sample (m2)

(1
 d 2 - )Distance
- Temperature difference
between between
the faces (m) the faces (°C or
°K)
 ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
Example;
A plane wall constructed of solid with thermal conductivity 70
W/m
°C, thickness 50mm and with surface area 1m by 1m,
temperature 150
°C on one side and 80 °C on the other.

Conductive heat transfer can be calculated as:

q  kAdT / d
q = (70 W/m°C)(1m)(1m)[(150°C)- (80°C)]/(0.05)
= 98,000 W
= 98 kW
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT

 or e is the relative power Surface coefficients for building materials
of material surface to emit Surface Emissivity Absorptivity
heat by radiation.
 Rough black surfaces Aluminum 0.05 0.2
absorb most heat and emit Asphalt 0.95 0.9
least heat.
Brick-dark 0.9 0.6
 Color of most building
materials has an important Brick-black 0.9 0.9
effect on the heat Paint 0.9 0.3
absorbed by the building
from the sun. Slate 0.9 0.0
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
 Thermal transmittance (U-value) and thermal resistance (R-
value) indicate the design thermal performance of a building
material or assembly.

 R-value; resistance of heat flow through a building material

(m2 K/W)

 bigger the value, better insulation (greater resistance).

 U-value of a construction is defined as the quantity of heat that

flows through a unit area of a building section under steady-state
conditions.
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
Material Resistance
 Thermal resistance of each layer of material depends on the rate at which the
material conduct heat and thickness of the material;

d
R
Alternatively;
Rrd

R -thermal resistance of that component

(mK/W)
d -thickness of the material (m)
 -thermal conductivity
-resistivity of material of
= the
1/λmaterial
(mK/W)(W/mK)

r
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
ESTABLISHING THERMAL
COMFORT
Example
Find the thermal resistance of a 100mm
thickness of lightweight concrete block.
Solution:
value for given = 0.19W/m K

d for the block = 100mm @ 0.1m

Therefore; 0.1
R  0.19m 2 K /W
 0.526m2 K /W
ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT
Surface Resistances Airspace Resistances
 Depends on conduction, 1. Depends on the nature of any
convection and radiation of the conduction, convection and radiation
surface. within the cavity.
2. Factors affect airspace resistances:
 Factors affect surface • Thickness or airspace
resistance are: • Flow of air in airspace;
 Direction of heat flow; ventilated or unventilated
upward and downward • Lining of airspace; normal
 Climatic affects; surfaces of reflective surfaces of
low emmissivity.
sheltered
or exposed
 Surface properties; high or
low emmissivity
ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT

Total thermal Resistance Example of brickwall resistances;

(RT) is the sum of

thermal resistances of
all the components of
the structure elements
RT

RT= Rsi +R1+R2+Rso

 ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT

U-value of a construction is defined as the

quantity of heat that flows through a unit area of
a building section under steady-state conditions.
Unit:W/m2 K

1
U  RT
RT -Total thermal resistance.
 ESTABLISHING THERMAL COMFORT

Average U-Values
When a wall is composed of different
construction materials with different U-
value.
Overall insulation of the wall depends
upon the relative areas of constructions;

A1U1  A2U2  .. 
U (average) 
..AnUn
A1  A2  ..An
Exercise

A portion of wall which is facing west in direction. Composition of the wall

includes 20 mm glass window (R=1.1 m2 oC/W) and 150 mm of brick wall
(λ=0.77 W/m oC) covered with 15mm thick cement plaster (λ = 0.18 W/ m
oC) finishes on both sides. Determine the average U-value for the wall.

3.0 m
1.5 m

2.5 m

4.0 m

Plaster
λ=0.18 W/ m oC
d=15mm

Window glass
Brickwall R= 1.1 m2oC/W
λ= 0.77 W/m oC d=20 mm
d=150 mm
Quiz:

The north wall of an existing construction is designed for 110 mm

thickness of brickwork inner leaf whereas the south wall of the
construction with 200 mm thick of heavyweight concrete blocks.

Given: The thermal conductivity values (λ) for brickwork is 0.62

W/mK, heavyweight concrete block is 1.63 W/m K and fibreboard is
0.06 W/mK

Calculate the,

i. thermal resistance value of the brickwork (2 marks)

ii. thickness of the south wall if the heavyweight concrete blocks is

replaced with fibre board having the same thermal resistance
of the original design. (3
marks)
 Passive building design
Thermal Mass
 Materials that have the capacity to storage
thermal energy for extended periods.
 Absorb daytime heat gains (reducing cooling
load)
and release heat during night (reduce heat
load).
 Lower initial temperature than the
surrounding air (act as heat sink).
 Beneficial for country which had a big
different between day and night outdoor
temperature. (e.g. UAE).
Passive building design
 Optimal design of the building envelop fabric provide
significant reductions in heating and cooling loads-which
in turn allowing downsizing of mechanical equipment

 Materials that have the capacity to storage thermal energy

for extended periods.
 Absorb daytime heat gains (reducing cooling load) and
release heat during night
(reduce heat load).

 Lower initial temperature than the surrounding air (act as

heat sink).
 Beneficial from country which had a big different
between day and night outdoor temperature.
Energy efficient building

Energy efficient building/Green

Building
 Energy efficient building

Roof ;
Insulation serves to limit the conduction of heat through the building shell.
Infiltration ;
When outside air enters a building, it has to be cooled or heated to maintain
comfort. The more unconditioned air entering the building, the greater the
load on the heating and cooling system and the greater the cost.
Windows ;
Low-E windows provide excellent thermal insulation against weather
extremes and can effectively reduce solar heat gain as well. Window tints
and reflective films are efficient at reducing solar gain but can also reduce
the visual connection with the outdoors. External window screens are
excellent solar control devices for single- or two-story facilities, and
architectural features such as awnings and overhangs allow year-round solar
control without minimizing visual quality.
 Energy efficient building

Orientation ;
long, narrow buildings facing south with their long axis running east/west will have
lower peak cooling loads and electricity demand costs, and may be able to utilize
smaller cooling equipment.
Landscaping ;
Well designed landscaping can reduce cooling costs from summer heat gains in
building. Trees planted on the east, west and south sides of a one-or two-story
building can effectively reduce summer solar heat gains through windows which is
one of the major contributors to the cooling load on an air conditioning system. Trees
also produce a natural cooling effect in the areas surrounding a building by
evaporating water though their leaves.
Daylighting ;
Daylighting with skylights and other types of architectural glazing features can provide
natural lighting creating a pleasant working atmosphere. Daylighting strategies may
by particularly effective using skylights in large open areas such as warehouses and
manufacturing plants, and in office spaces where the electrical lighting system output
can be efficiently varied over a wide range of light levels. It is important to balance
daylighting strategies with good solar heat control in order to keep cooling loads
down.
Art School, Nanyang
Technological University,
Singapore

The glass facade provides a high performance

building envelope that reduces solar gain and heat
load while allowing the benefits of natural views
and daylight into creative spaces. The glass walls
provide a visual exchange between indoors and the
surrounding landscape or interior plaza as fluid
spaces. The diffused natural daylight is abundant
throughout studios and classrooms, thus making
them productive spaces for young creators.
The curving green roofs distinguish the building from among the other structures on campus but the line
between landscape and building is blurred. The roofs serve as informal gathering spaces. Besides that
purpose, the roofs serve as open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest
rainwater for the landscape irrigation.
This amazing design is surely going to be used more widely because it provides better and healthier
surrounding. In this particular example it offers a brand new experience in many perspectives, fulfilling the
intent that a school for art should inspire creativity, while solving the green surface deficiency.
END OF
CHAPTER 2