Passive ventilation
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about passive ventilation
News • Specification • 22 Feb 2024
10 public buildings that rely on natural ventilation
The climate emergency necessitates an approach to architecture that looks at all aspects of a building’s design from an environmental perspective. There is an increasing desire to reduce the energy loads on a building, making it more cost effective, climate friendly, and sustainable. One area of focus is ventilation, particularly natural ventilation — this is determined by wind and temperature variations in and around a building. To reduce energy consumption, passive techniques will help to enhance a building’s thermal comfort and indoor air quality.
A naturally ventilated building is the antithesis of one that is hermetically sealed — it speaks to a desire to enjoy fresh air, to improve the well-being of a building... More
News • News • 14 Jan 2022
Sculptural Stormwater Facility by gh3* architects in Toronto tells a compelling story of urban water treatment
Treating urban run-off from Toronto’s new West Don Lands and Quayside neighbourhood developments, the Stormwater Facility (SWF) by gh3* architects houses state-of-the-art water treatment systems while architecturally adding to Toronto’s list of historic infrastructure works.
Adrian Ozimek
The monolithic, cast-in-situ concrete building both compliments and acts as a striking counterpoint to the infrastructural and aesthetic complexity of its surroundings which include railways to the north, the ramps and roadways of Lake Shore Boulevard and Gardiner Expressway to the south, and the industrial Port Lands across the Keating Channel.
Adrian Ozimek
Carefully positioned openings in the façade provide a g... More
Project • By Studiohuerta • Private Houses
Casa Escondida
Located off the desert coast of Los Cabos, Casa Escondida is a project of multiplicities. Mediating between complex and competing demands imposed by climate, program, and neighborhood regulations, the design overlays strategies of disguise and duality to construct the concept of a house within a house.
Roland Halbe
Roland Halbe
Roland Halbe
The discreet exterior displays a compliant structure, conforming to the requisite roof type, limited apertures, and stone cladding stipulated by community guidelines, while inside, architectural freedoms of form and materiality unfold. Carved out of the house’s conceptual massing, a composition of voids creates a second, protected exterior space; a courtyard covered by skylights tha... More
News • News • 18 Jul 2021
Earth House by Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates presents a response to the urban density of Osaka
Located in Osaka, Earth House by Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates considers architecture to be a social asset, a human-like activity in the city that continues to live onward for a long time. The project is a response to the crowding of medium-rise buildings and land development in Osaka.
Toshiyuki Yano
Earth House responds to elements of the earth such as wind direction, sun angles, and trees. The structure is a series of stacked slabs, manipulated to respond to environmental conditions. These slabs are supported by a structural system of branching columns.
Toshiyuki Yano
Versatility is key with the design allowing for transformable open plans and a scheme that optimizes passive ventilation and light penetration to the in... More
News • News • 3 Jun 2021
Innovative development with community and sustainability at its core comes to Mexico’s Riviera Maya
This development of 8 family homes with community and sustainability at its core is part of an evolving masterplan for Tulum on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. The project by Holland Harvey Architects sets a new standard for environmentally conscious design on the Riviera Maya.
Studio Archetype
The footprint of the development is minimized with 60% of the site retained as permeable landscaping or natural jungle floor. The ground floor comprises singular stacked stone walls that support the upper levels. Made primarily of local limestone, the stacked stone walls include construction waste material from other developments in the area.
Studio Archetype
Traditional boundaries between inside and outside are reworked. The ground floor... More