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3. CLIMATE ANALYSIS

3.1 Use of Climatic Data

Different design situations will require different weather data for the study.

Climate analysis carried out at initial design stage may be used for:

• develop design strategies

• check condensation problems in some cases

• optimisation of insulation

Load and energy calculation carried out at outline and detail design stages will require weather data

for:

•calculation of cooling and heating requirements

• design of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning !"#C$ systems

• energy estimation of buildings

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3.2 Sunshade Analsis 

E!AM"LE #$ SUNS%ADE ANALYSIS 

olar paths requiring shade 

dying the sun path diagram for each climatic &one, the shadedas represent the periods of overheating , related to undesirable

ar gain. 'n the lower latitudes, there is total overheating,

ereas in the higher latitudes overheating only occurs during themmer months.

3. Insolation 

(he sunpath becomes more southerly as we movenorth, changing from a )bow-tie) pattern near the

equator to a heart-shape pattern in the temperate

&ones.

unshade analysis (vertical and horizontal) 

diagrams show the optimum location of vertical sun shading,

elding the building from low sun angles in the morning andning, and hori&ontal sun shading blocking the high midday

. (ropical regions need both vertical and hori&ontal shading

oughout the year. 'n higher latitudes, hori&ontal and vertical

ding is only needed during the summer on the south-facinges of buildings.

4. Sun requirements during winter 

(here are obviously seasonal variations near the

equator. %olar heating becomes more important thanin the upper latitutdes. *eginning at the equator and

moving north, the need for solar heating increases

while the need for solar shading dimishes.

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3.3 &ind Analsis 

ind direction 

Desirable and undesirable winds in each the climatic &ones depend largely on local conditions. #ny

 bree&e in the lower latitude tropical and arid climates$ is beneficial for most of the year whereas inhigher latitudes most wind is detrimental and has to be screened. (here is also a small percentage of

the time in a year spring and+or autumn$ when comfortable conditions can be achieved naturally,

without any need for wind screening or additional bree&es.

!ross ventilation Cross ventilation is far more important in the tropics than in temperate &ones. (he theoretical strategy

for blocking or inducing wind flow into a building is based on local prevailing wind conditions. 

enerally, for the tropical &ones as much ventilation as possible is desired. or the arid &one crossventilation is required, but care has to be taken to filter out high-velocity winds. 'n the temperate

&one, cross ventilation and shielding are both necessary for summer and winter, respectively$. 'n the

cool region, the building should be protected from cold, high-velocity winds, although cross

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ventilation is still required.

3.' %umidit( )ainfall and Seasonal *a+iations 

"nnual "verage #elative $umidity (he curve on the left represents the annual average relative humidity in the four climatic &ones. 'n the

arid &one, the low level of humidity can be beneficial for evaporative cooling . 'n the tropical &one,

the high level of humidity can be very uncomfortable.

"nnual "verage #ain%all (he middle curve represents the annual average rainfall in the four climatic &ones. ainfall level can

 be seen to have a direct relationship with humidity levels.

"nnual Seasonal &ariations 

(he distance of the angled line from the vertical represents the annual seasonal variations in the fourclimatic &ones. !igher latitudes, the cold and temperate &ones, have pronounced seasonal variations.

(he lower latitudes have constant climates throughout the year.

3., Influences on -uilt $o+m 

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1. 'oning %or transitional spaces (he black areas represent the traditional spaces

used for lobbies, stairs, utility spaces, circulation, balconies, and any other areas where movementtake place. (hese areas do not require total

climatic control and natural ventilation is

sufficient. or the tropical and arid &ones, thetransitional spaces are located on the north and

south sides of the building where the sun)s

 penetration is not as great. #n atrium can also be

used a transitional space. 'n temperate and cool&ones, the transitional spaces should be located on

the south side of the building to ma/imi&e solar

gain.

3. se o% atrium (he diagram show the optimum position for atrium

spaces in each building form in each of theclimatic &ones. 'n the tropical &one, the atriumshould be located so as to provide ventilation

within the built form. 'n the arid &one, the atrium

should be located at the center of the building forcooling and shading purposes. or the cool and

temperate &ones, the atrium should be at the center 

of the building form for heat and light.

2. 'oning %or solar gain 

(he black areas are spaces that can be used for

solar heat gain. (hey follow the varying path of

the sun in each of the climatic &ones: in thetropical and arid &ones the east and west sides0 in

the temperate and cool &ones the south side.

4. otential o% roo%*ground %loor as usea+le

e,terior space 

(he distance of the angled line from the vertical

represents the potential of each &one)s roof andground planes to be used a e/terior spaces. 'n

tropical and arid climates, there is a high potential

to make use of all e/ternal spaces, whereas movingtowards the northern latitudes the e/ternal spaces

have to be covered to be used.

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1. -orm 

(he diagrams show the optimum building form for 

each climatic &one. esearch has shown that the

 preferred length of the sides of the building, wherethe sides are of length /:y, are:

• tropical &one - 1:2

• arid &one - 1:3

• temperate &one - 1: 1.4

• cool &one - 1:1

#nalysis of these ratios shows that an elongated

form to minimi&e east and west e/posure is neededat the lower latitudes. (his form slowly transforms

to a ratio of 1:1 cylindrical$ at the higher

latitudes. (his is a direct response to the varyingsolar angles in the various latitudes.

2. rientation 

5rientation as well as directional emphasis

changes with latitude in response to solar angles.

3. &ertical cores and structure 

(he arrangement of primary mass can be used as a fator in

climatic design as its position can help to shade or retain

heat within the building form.

or the tropical &one, the cores are located on the east and

west sides of the building form, so as to help shade the

 building from the low angles of the sun during the ma6or part of the day. 'n arid &one, the cores should also be

located on the east and west sides, but with ma6or shading

only needed during the summer. (herefore, the cores arelocated on the east and west sides,but primarily on the

south side.

(he arrangement of the primary mass in the temperate&one is on the north face, so as to leave the south faceavailable for solar heat gain during the winter. (he cool

&one requires the ma/imum perimeter of the building to

 be open to the sun for heat penetration. (herefore the primary mass is placed in the centre of the building so as

not to block out the sun)r rays and to retain heat within the

 building.

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7one*uilding)s main

orientations

Directional

emphasis

(ropical5n an a/is 8o north

of eastnorth-south

#rid 5n an a/is 38o

 northof east

south-east

(emperate5n an a/is 19o north

of eastsouth-south-east

Cool5n an a/is facingsouth

facing south

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'. %#N /#N &EAT%E)

'.1 Climate Cha+acte+istics

!ong ong is located at latitude 33° 19) north and longitude 11;°1ovember. (he winds become more easterly in direction. (he amount of cloud in

sky and humidity decrease rapidly at this time.

@%ee also Climate of !ong ong by !5A

http://www.info.gov.hk/hko/wxinfo/climat/climahk.htmhttp://www.info.gov.hk/hko/wxinfo/climat/climahk.htm

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 Figure 4.1 Summary of Hong Kong weather  

@ Figure 4.2 Annual wind roses for weather stations in Hong Kong A

'.2 #utdoo+ Desi0n Conditions

ecommended outdoor design conditions for !ong ong is shown in (able 3. Bssential informationfor the assessment of the climate and determination of design strategies is given. (he =design

temperatures= are usually the most commonly used and two sets of design temperatures one for

comfort !"#C and one for critical processes$ are provided. 5ther data provided include e/tremetemperaturs, diurnal ranges of temperatures and wind data.

/0a+le 4.1 #ecommended outdoor design conditions %or $ong ong

#s interpreted from the climatic data, ma6or considerations for architectural design in !ong onginclude:

• %olar load is important for air-conditioned buildings.

• (emperature and humidity is high and will require outdoor air control.

• # little bit of winter heating is required for some buildings.

• (he diurnal range of temperature is about 8 °C.

'.3 +ahical Analsis

(he climate of !ong ong can also be studied using graphical methods. B/amples of the graphs and

charts are provided here:• @ Figure 4.3a - Contour ma of dry-!ul! temerature "#$%&A

• @ Figure 4.3! - Contour ma of wet-!ul! temerature "'$%&A

• @ Figure 4.3( - Contour ma of relative humidity ")H&A

• @ Figure 4.3d - Contour ma of glo!al solar radiation "*S)&A

• @ Figure 4.4 - Fre+uen(y distri!utions of #$% A

'nformation relating to sun path and solar design is of much interest to #rchitects and the following

figures show e/amples of the graphs indicating the sun paths.

http://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/windrose.gifhttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/table2.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3a.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3b.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3c.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3d.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig4.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/windrose.gifhttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/table2.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3a.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3b.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3c.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig3d.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig4.jpg

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 Figure 4.,a - aths of the sun throughout the year 

• @ Figure 4.,! - Sun ath diagram for Hong Kong A

• @ Figure 4.,( - Solar geometry and sun anglesA

• @ Figure 4.,d - Sun ath diagram at 24 deg. north latitudeA

http://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig5b.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig5c.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig5d.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig5b.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig5c.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig5d.jpg

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,. "SYC%)#MET)IC C%A)T

,.1 "sch+omet+ics

(he atmosphere is a mi/ture of air o/ygen and nitrogen$ and water vapour. sy(hrometry is thestudy of moist air and of the changes in its conditions. (he psychrometric chart graphically

represents the interrelation of air temperature and moisture content and is a basic design tool for

 building engineers and designers. %everal terms must be e/plained before the charts can be fully

appreciated.

•  Absolute humidity #!$ is the vapour content of air, given in grammes or kg of water vapour 

 per kg of air, i.e. g+kg or kg+kg. 't is also known as moisture content or humidity ratio. #ir at

a given temperature can support only a certain amount of moisture and no more. (his isreferred to as the saturation humidity.

•  Relative humidity !$ is an e/pression of the moisture content of a given atmosphere as a

 percentage of the saturation humidity at the same temperature.• Wet-bulb temperature *($ is measured by a hygrometer or a sling psychrometer and is

shown as sloping lines on the psychrometric chart. # status point on the psychrometric chart

can be indicated by a pair of dry-bulb temperature D*($ and *(.

•  Specific volume %pv$ , in m2+kg, is the reciprocal of density and is indicated by a set of

slightly sloping lines on the psychrometric chart.

•  Enthalpy !$ is the heat content of unit mass of the atmosphere, in k+kg, relative to the heat

content of < deg ?C dry air. 't is indicated on the psychrometric chart by a third set of sloping

lines, near to, but not quite the same as the web-bulb lines. 'n order to avoid confusion, there

are no lines shown, but e/ternal scales are given on two sides.

•  Sensible heat  Esen$ is the heat content causing an increase in dry-bulb temperature.  Latent

heat  Elat$ is the heat content due to the presence of water vapour in the atmosphere. 't is theheat which was required to evaporate the given amount of moisture.

@ Figure sy(hrometri( (hart and (limate (lassifi(ationA

Fsychrometric processes, i.e. any changes in the condition of the atmosphere, can be represented by

the movement of the state point on the psychrometric chart. Common processes include:

• %ensible cooling + sensible heating

• Cooling and dehumidification + heating and humidification

• !umidification + dehumidification

•Bvaporative cooling + chemical dehydration

http://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig6.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig6.jpg

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 Figure / sy(hrometri( ro(esses

,.2 Analsis Usin0 "SYC%&IN

(he program F%GC!'> see =Bnvironmental Controls= program in our Computer Laboratory and

student L#>$ can be used to learn about psychrometric and do some analysis. (hese are somee/amples.

@ Figure 0a Analysis of (ooling strategies using SCH' A

@ Figure 0! Analysis of thermal (omfort ones using SCH' A

,.3 -ioclimatic Analsis fo+ %on0 /on0

*ioclimatic approach is used to compare the given climatic conditions with the desirable comfortconditions. 5peration strategies can be determined from the psychrometric chart. (he following

figures shows the charts developed for !ong ong and the analysis on !ong ong)s climatic

conditions.

http://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig8a.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig8b.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig8a.jpghttp://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/fig8b.jpg

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. U)-AN CLIMATE

Hrban areas have particular climatic conditions with a higher temperature than e/posed countryside,

weak winds, and an amount of sunshine that varies according to the degree of pollution, the urbandensity, the orientation of the streets and the shade provided by other buildings.

.1 U+an Mic+oclimates

Hrban microclimates are comple/ because of the number and diversity of factors, which come into

 play. %olar radiation, temperature and wind conditions can vary significantly according totopography and local surroundings. 'n addition, layout density can provide further constraints: the

 precise plot division, the need for access and privacy, and the noise and impact of atmospheric

 pollution must all be taken into account.

'n winter, most urban microclimates are more moderate than those found in suburban or rural areas.(hey are characteri&ed by slightly higher temperatures and, away from tall buildings, weaker winds.

During the day, wide streets, squares and non-planted areas are the warmest parts of a town. #t

night, the narrow streets have higher temperatures than the rest of the city. 'n summer, green spacesare particularly useful in modifying the environment during the late afternoon, when the buildings

are very hot inside.

%trong local winds can modify the temperature distribution described above. Hsually winds in towns

are moderate because of the number and range of obstacles they face. !owever, a few configurationssuch as long straight avenues or multi-storey buildings can cause significant air circulation. (all

 buildings rising above low-rise building can create strong turbulent wind conditions on the ground as

the air is brought down from high levels. %trong winds can flow through gaps at the base of tall buildings. (o protect pedestrians from this, the turbulent flow has to be prevented from descendingto street level, for e/ample by modifying the building form or by using wide protective canopies. 'n

semi-open areas, ad6acent buildings can be used as protective screens against some winds.

.2 U+an %eat Island

"isit any city on a hot summer day, and you will feel waves of blistering heat emanating from roadsand dark buildings. %tay in the city past nightfall, and you will notice that the streets are still

radiating heat, while surrounding rural areas are rapidly cooling.

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 Figure 15 - 6r!an heat island 

#lmost every city in the world today is hotter - usually between 1 to ; deg C hotter - than its

surrounding area. (his difference between urban and rural temperatures is called the =urban-heat-

island= effect=, and it has been intensifying throughout this century. During hot months a heat islandcreates considerable discomfort and stress and also increases air-conditioning loads and the

incidence of urban smog do you notice this in !ong ongI$. esearch shows that for every degree

of increased heat, electricity generation rises by 3J to ; J, and smog production increases by ;J to1

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5ne should attempt to perform the control task by assive (ontrols i.e. by the building itself$, and

resort to a(tive (ontrols i.e. by energy-based heating or cooling systems$ only when the passive

controls cannot ensure comfort. (his approach is suggested for three main reasons:

•  Economic - the installation of mechanical equipment means a capital cost and also the

recurrent cost of energy consumed and system maintenance.

• Ecologicalenvironmental  - passive buildings impose the least load on the ecosystem,consume less energy, and produce less amount of waste.

•  Aesthetic - passive buildings are more likely to be in sympathy with their environment, and

more likely to increase diversity and interest.

4.1 ene+al Climate Cont+ol St+ate0ies

Fassive control of heat flows:• hen cold discomfort underheated$ conditions prevail:

o minimise heat loss

o utilise heat gain from the sun and internal sources

• hen hot discomfort overheated$ conditions prevail:

o  prevent heat gain

o ma/imuse heat dissipation

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 Figure 3 *eneral (limate (ontrol strategies

4.2 "assi5e 5s. Acti5e Cont+ols

'n most climates, any attempt to ensure thermal comfort by passive means would reduce the active

control requirements. 'n a cold climate or in the winter of temperate climate, passive solar heating,good insulation, and careful control of air infiltration would reduce the heating requirements. 'n a

hot-dry climate the massive building, evaporative cooling and good shading may succeed in ensuring

comfort.

(he only e/ception is the warm-humid climate. !ere, a building designed for passive cooling would be as open as possible, to ensure the ma/imum possible cross-ventilation, consequently it would be

totally unsuitable for air-conditioning. 'f the building is to be air-conditioned, a completely differentdesign approach must be adopted. (he result would be that the building would be closed, sealed andwell insulated. 'n such a climate therefore an early decision must be made whether passive or active

controls would be used, whether cross-ventilation would be relied on, or air-conditioning.

(he recommended procedure for warm humid climates is to compare the psychrometric chart

climate plot with the air movement control potential &one. 'f the climate lines are fully or nearlyfully$ covered by this &one, we can confidently proceed with the passive system design. 'f this is not

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the case, the client should be advised of the two alternatives: either air-conditioning will be required,

with a closed building, or the upper comfort limit would be e/ceeded at some of the time.

(he length of climate lines beyond the control potential &one should give an indication of what proportion of time such overheated conditions could be e/pected. (he decision will have to involve a

value 6udgement and can only be reached in consultation with the client or the future users.

4.3 Desi0n St+ate0 in &a+m6humid Climates

'n warm-humid climates, the nights are usually warm and there is very little diurnal variation often

less than 8 deg C$. #s the humidity is high, evaporation from the skin is restricted. Bvaporativecooling will be neither effective nor desirable as it would increase the humidity.

(he designer should ensure that the indoor temperature does not become higher than the outdoor.

#dequate ventilation may ensure this by removing any e/cess heat input, but this is not enough.

Hndue increase of ceiling temperature may be prevented by:

• using a reflective roof surface

• having a separate ceiling

• ensuring adequate ventilation of the attic space

• using reflective surfaces both for the underside of the roof and for the top of the ceiling

• using some resistive insulation for or on the ceiling

(he whole building should be lightweight to allow rapid cooling down at night. Bast and west walls

should have minimum or no windows in order to e/clude the low angle east and west sun. (hey

should be reflective and+or well insulated. >orth and south walls should be as open as possible, toallow for cross ventilation. (his requires that the plan arrangement should avoid double-banked

rooms. (he spacing of buildings should be carefully considered to avoid obstruction of the wind. (heopenings require protection from the sun and driving rain but also from mosquitoes and other insectswhich abound in these climates.

#t times orientation for wind and for sun give conflicting requirements, solar orientation should take

 precedence, as there are ways of deflecting wind, but no ways of altering the sunKs movement. ith

oblique wind incidence a pro6ecting wing wall at the downwind end of the building would create a positive pressure &one. 5n the leeward side a similar wing wall at the upwind end would help to

create a negative pressure &one. (he combined effect of these may ensure a better cross ventilation

than that given by wind with normal incidence.

&e Lin7s • Fassive Cooling in (ropical Climate 

8. C#NCLUSI#N

http://arch.hku.hk/research/BEER/passcool/cool.htmlhttp://arch.hku.hk/research/BEER/passcool/cool.html

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# building may be considered as a )(limate modifier ) which shields the indoor environment from the

e/ternal climate. *efore designing a building in once place, the changes of weather from season to

season i.e. the climate$ must be well understood so that the building can be built to shelter people allthe year round.

(o assess the climate in a certain location, one must study the climatic data and, sometimes, makeuse of them for evaluating design options and determining design strategies. nowledge about

climatology and engineering design is required to achieve better understanding of the informationand climatic properties. #rchitects and building designers are, perhaps, also =part-time=

climatologists.

H(!B B#D'>

• #ronin, . B., Climate and Ar(hite(ture, einhold Fublishing Corporation, >ew Gork, 182.

• ivoni, *., 7an8 Climate and Ar(hite(ture, %econd Bdition, #pplied %cience Fublishers,

London, 1M4.• oulding, . ., Lewis, . 5. and %teemers, (. C. Bdited by$, 9nergy Cons(ious #esign: A

 rimer for Ar(hite(ts, *. (. *atsford, London, 13.

• ut, F., Climate )esonsive $uilding: Aroriate $uilding Constru(tion in %roi(al and

Su!troi(al )egion, irst Bdition, %wiss Centre for Development Cooperation in (echnology

and ?anagement, %t allen, %wit&erland, 12.

• oenigsberger, 5. !., et al., 1M2. 7anual of %roi(al Housing and $uilding , Longman,

London.

• Lam, . C. and !ui, %. C. ?., 5utdoor design conditions for !"#C system design and energy

estimation for buildings in !ong ong, 9nergy and $uildings, 33 18$: 38-;2.

• Loftness, "., Climate;9nergy *rahi(s, orld Climate #pplications Frogramme, CF-2ostrand einhold, >ew Gork, 13.

• %&okolay, %. "., %hermal #esign of $uildings, #'# Bducation Division, Canberra,

#ustralia, 19M.

• atson, D. Bd.$, %he 9nergy #esign Hand!oo

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PO Box 310 Cruz Bay, St !ohn"S #irgin $slands 00%31tel: &%00' 3()*(00+ &-1)' 3+%*++00 .ax: &-1)' 3+%*(33/ 

email: mahoaymahoorg ht tp:22mahoorg2indexhtml 

Desc+ition 

Harmony Resort, located adjacent to the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, is aluxury resort emloying the latest in energy! and resource!e""icient technologies in #oth itsconstruction and oeration. $uilt using recycled materials and lo%!imact constructiontechnology, the resort uses only rene%a#le energy generated #y the %ind and sun,maximi&es e""icient use o" %ater and minimi&es %aste roduction. Harmony ser'es as therototye "or en'ironmentally sustaina#le resorts in sensiti'e ecosystems and landscaes.

(he genesis "or Harmony can #e traced #ack nearly )* years %hen o%ner StanleySelengut decided to #uild an en'ironmentally!resonsi#le camsite on + acres at -aho$ay on St. John. -y original intent %as simly to o""er an inexensi'e 'acation that %asclose to nature #ut ro'ided a degree o" com"ort and con'enience not "ound in a traditionalcamground, says Selengut. Insired #y his success in de'eloing a community o" three!room tent cottages using en'ironmentally!sound technologies, Selengut recently set outto de'elo a "ull!scale resort dedicated to the rinciles o" sustaina#le de'eloment. (heresult is Harmony Resort.

Harmony Resort "eatures +) t%o!story housing units constructed %ith the green hilosohy

ioneered #y Selengut nearly t%o decades ago. /onstruction %as designed to minimi&esite distur#ance to ensure the reser'ation o" natural #eauty and ha#itat, %hile theinstallation o" en'ironmentally sound technologies ensures lo%!imact oeration. 0lectricityat Harmony is generated #y the sun and %ind, %ith timers and sensors to maximi&ee""iciency. (he architecture emloys assi'e solar design and %ater and light "ixturesminimi&e resource use.

(he Research and 0ducation /enter 1R0/2 at Harmony is heling researchers learn morea#out e""icient resource use, and their "indings %ill #e made a'aila#le to other #uilders.3ocal school children 'isit Harmony4s R0/ to learn a#out sustaina#le de'eloment,rene%a#le energy resources, and recycling. 5inally, in!room comuter systems, another

roject o" the R0/, allo% guests to recei'e in"ormation a#out the numerous technologiesand roducts they encounter at the resort.

"+o0+am %i0hli0hts 

En5i+onmental and Efficienc $eatu+es 

mailto:mahobay@maho.orghttp://www.maho.org/index.htmlhttp://www.maho.org/index.htmlmailto:mahobay@maho.orghttp://www.maho.org/index.html

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• 0nergy "or each house is ro'ided #y a hoto'oltaic array, %hile assi'e cooling is

achie'ed through the use o" %ind scoos, cross!'entilation, generous o'erhangs toro'ide shade, the reser'ation o" trees and other 'egetation and the use o" heat!rejecting gla&ings.

• 6ater "or each unit is heated through solar o%er and each unit has a solar o'en on

the deck.• 0lectrical aliances are ket to a minimum.

• 3ighting "ixtures emloy the latest energy!e""icient designs and technologies.

• /isterns in each #asement collect rain%ater, %hich is "iltered #e"ore use. Harmony

uses no ground%ater.• 7ray %ater is catured and used to "lush toilets and %ater lants.

• 6hene'er ossi#le, %aste is comosted and returned to the soil.

• Recycled materials ha'e #een ut to maximum use in the construction o" the Resort8

o (he "loor decking is made "rom +**!ercent recycled ne%saer.o (he siding and roo" shingles are made "rom a comosite o" cement and

recycled card#oard that comes %ith a 9*!year guarantee.

o $athroom tiles and "urniture tos are made "rom recycled glass #ottles.o :ther materials used in construction include recycled lastic "or lum#er,

recycled steel nails, and sal'aged %ood scras and ru##er tires "or the rugs.• (he Resort "eatures a solar!o%ered ice machine.

Const+uction • Regenerati'e landscaing ractices %ere used during construction to hel reduce

the si&e o" the Resort4s en'ironmental "ootrint.• ;uring construction, solar hoto'oltaic energy %as used to o%er all electric

construction tools.• 0ach house %as designed and #uilt so that no trees needed to #e cut during

construction. 0le'ated %ooden %alk%ays connect the #eaches and #uildings,lea'ing the soil and 'egetation undistur#ed.

• Pies and ca#les are hidden under the %alk%ays instead o" #eing #uried to minimi&e

distur#ance to the en'ironment.

$utu+e • /urrently, all %ater consumed at Harmony !! #eyond %hat is catured as rain%ater

runo"" !! is #rought in #y truck. In the "uture, a solar!o%ered desalini&ation lant %ill#e constructed to meet the Resort4s %ater needs.

)esea+ch and Education Cente+  

(he Research and 0ducation /enter, a "acility #eing constructed adjacent to the HarmonyResort, %ill ena#le researchers to er"orm engineering and system er"ormance analysisregarding resource use at Harmony. (he o#jecti'es o" the research center are to e'aluatethe adatation o" humans to sustaina#le li'ing, to e'aluate the er"ormance o" the recycledmaterials used in the construction o" Harmony and to e'aluate the er"ormance o" theResort4s o""!the!grid energy system.

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• 0ach unit contains a comuter so guests can monitor and adjust their energy use

deending uon re'ailing conditions.• In"ormation collected "rom each d%elling unit at the Resort %ill #e collected to

de'elo a comrehensi'e data#ase regarding resource use atterns o" Resortguests.

•Researchers %ill e'aluate all solar and %ind resource data in a 'ariety o" %eatherconditions to determine the #est %ay to achie'e otimum er"ormance "roma'aila#le resources. (o ro'ide a #asis "or this analysis, instruments collect energyand %eather data e'ery minute on a )!hour #asis.

*ital Statistics 

• "+o0+am Mana0ement:"a+tne+shis; (he Harmony Resort is a roject o" -aho

$ay /ams, Inc. in artnershi %ith the U.S. National Park Ser'ice, the U.S. VirginIslands 0nergy :""ice and Sandia National 3a#oratories 1