SOLVENT: development of strategies for the efficient use of solar and passive ventilation in urban buildings.

In the framework of SOLVENT project, work was carried out to develop strategies and dissemination material to assist the efficient application of solar and passive ventilation in urban buildings. The information gathered during the project is synthesized in a website designed for the 'informed' architect and also useful to HVAC engineers in their discussions with their clients. It includes information on the effect of urban environment on buildings, outlines the principles of solar and passive ventilation and how these could be adapted for application in urban buildings, describes design solutions in the form of case-study buildings and design components and reviews how current regulations encourage/restrict the application of solar and passive ventilation in urban buildings. The first section explains basic concepts of how the urban climate is created and some detail information about urban climatology and on the factors affecting the urban climate. The question of interest for the project is 'how does this affect building design' and 'where could a designer find this information'? The next two sections outline how principles of solar and passive ventilation traditionally applied to out-of-town buildings could be adapted to effectively be applied to urban buildings. A last section discusses the role of regulations and presents a summary of current regulations that encourage or prohibit the use of passive and solar ventilation. The overall structure of the website aims to be understood by the occasional user. The navigation tools are simple and it is easy to find the required information in a number of ways. For example, a search facility is provided as well as a traditional hierarchical menu.