| Description |
This thesis explores techniques and strategies that can be used to passively cool buildings in Utah. The first portion contains a breif explannation of what passive cooling is, why Utah was chosen as the focus, a short history of air condition, and why passive cooling is important. The second part of this thesis goes into more depth by presenting and analyzing three case studies. The first case study is the Zion Canyon Visitor Center in Springdale, Utah and is a great example of a whole system approach to passive cooling. The second case study is the NREL RSF (National Renewable Energy Laboratory Research Support Facility) in Golden, Colorado which demonstrates a multitude of techniques regarding the rejection of heat and the treatment of windows in relation to passive cooling. The third case study is the Boroujerdi House in Kashan, Iran which demonstrates how buildings were designed to combat heat prior to modern day air conditioning, as well as showing how the layout of a building can contribute to passive cooling. Following this section is a presentation of a hypothertical winery. This winery take the techniques that were presented in the case studies, selects the ones that are the most relevant to the site in Park City, Utah, and brings them together to form a building that can be used as a reference for designing a passively cooled building in the Salt Lake Valley. The final part of this thesis seeks to reiterate the importance of passive cooling for buildings in Utah and why architects should care. Ultimately, the goal of this thesis is that architects, builders, those seeking to commission a building, those purchasing a building, and the general public as a whole, would see that value in passive cooling and turn away from a mindset of endless consumption and toward a mindset of sustainability. |
