Evaluation of parametrics for the development of vertical solar chimney ventilation in hot and humid climate

In terms of housing passive cooling design, tropical climatic regions present the most difficult problem to solve. A good dwelling design can keep the indoor environment favorable and comfortable during most of the year without the use of any mechanical devices. This can be accomplished by various techniques such as the use of radiant barrier, insulation materials, and natural ventilation. Depending on ambient conditions, natural ventilation may lead to indoor thermal comfort without mechanical cooling. However, in cases where the wind effect is not well captured especially in single side ventilation, then solar–induced ventilation may be a viable alternative. Solar induced ventilation standing involved temperature difference experiments which can be done using both physical modeling and computer simulation (Computational Fluid Dynamics). Solar induced, especially vertical solar chimney ventilation combined air movement and solar radiation simulation. They have different input data which depend on the climatic data of the selected location. This paper evaluates the parametric study strategies in pilot testing, terrace house model and previous research model by simulation and experiment for solar induced ventilation in tropical condition. Comparison of the results of simulations and experiments illustrate a good agreement between numerical and experimental results. These results encourage further research to develop the vertical solar chimney suitable for tropical condition

Possibility of using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for urban canyon studies in tropical climate

This paper gives an overview of research methods for urban street canyon studies, from the commonly used field experiments and scaled models methods to numerical simulation models. Review of field experiments and scaled models showed identical weaknesses in dealing with urban canyon studies i.e. cost, time consuming and data or information obtained is rather limited or specific and often do not yield all of the designers’ requirement. Numerical simulation on the other hand is an effective tool of understanding the complicated processes within the urban canopy layer. Numerical simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is reviewed. CFD is well-known for its ability for evaluating either internal or external air flow and pollutant dispersion. In this paper instead, the possibility of using this model for urban canyon thermal environment studies in tropical climate is emphasized

Defining the Garden City of Kuching

Since a new idea and new vision of “Garden City� has been benchmarked for the city of Kuching, it is also our responsibility to study this idea first before any wrong steps taken, by any party. From observation, the city center is loosing out due to a typical crisis faced by other major cities all over the world, which is urban sprawl and decentralization. Clear land use zoning and decentralization are outdated ideas in urban design and it is important that we can provide a better solution towards this crisis, not by abandoning wholly the idea of Garden City, but to recuperate or reanalyze this idea in our modern society