A passive solar building for ecological research in Argentina: the first two years experience

Abstract An energy-efficient building, featuring energy conservation, passive solar heating, and natural cooling strategies, was designed and built in La Pampa, a province in the temperate semi-arid region of central Argentina. Of compact design, it houses 350 m 2 of useful floor area in a roughly linear scheme, with the main spaces facing north and ancillary spaces (services) facing south. Solar windows running from above spandrel and up to ceiling height are provided for all the main spaces, and clerestory windows are provided for the solar gain to the south-facing spaces. An integrated sunspace is incorporated into the centre bay of the north facade, providing additional heat to inner spaces as well as functional and visual expansion. In the design stage, a simulation analysis was performed to assess the environmental and energy performance of the alternatives. The main energy features of the resulting building are a volumetric loss coefficient of 1.09 W m −3  °C −1 , and a predicted solar savings fraction of 70%. The summer cooling strategy includes the passive induction of exterior air into the building through earth-coupled ducts. Cooling by cross-ventilation is made possible during the night, but to preserve the security of the building from sudden storms, this occurs only when the building is occupied. Shading devices protect all windows in summer. Provisional monitoring, started during the 1995 winter period, showed encouraging possibilities of energy savings with adequate comfort conditions, demonstrating the technical feasibility of the scheme.