Metric Data 01: Average dimensions of man and woman standingIn Metric Data 01 we look at the average dimensions of a man standing and the average dimensions of a woman standing. This includes details such as average male height, average female height,...
Understanding and measuring U-values has become increasingly important as we aim to improve the sustainability and performance of our buildings. What is a U-Value? U-Value - is the measure of the overall rate of heat transfer, by all mechanisms under standard...
You can download a handy pdf of this post Understanding Scale Drawings by clicking the download button below! Understanding the concept of architectural scales and scale drawings Scale drawings allow us to accurately represent sites, spaces, buildings and...
What is biomass? Biomass is a fuel that is produced by organic means. It is derived from burning of trees or plants which have absorbed CO2 during their lifetime. So, the CO2 that is absorbed during the life of the tree or plant, is then re-released when...
What is a heat pump? A heat pump is a system that extracts heat from a source, such as the ground, and upgrades the heat to a useful temperature. The heat is then used for space heating. Electricity is required to convert the heat that is harvested into...
What is Combined heat and power (CHP)? Combined heat and power (CHP) generates electricity by burning fuel, and captures the usable heat that is produced in the process. Essentially, it is a system that is able to produce both electricity, and heating....
Solar Energy Using the energy of the sun is one of the most effective strategies of the renewable technologies, in part because buildings can benefit from both passive and active systems. Passive solar design can provide between 20% and 40%...
What are low and zero carbon technologies? Low and zero carbon technologies (LZC) are systems that emit low levels of CO2 or no net CO2 emissions. The application of these systems are more effective when designed with an efficient building fabric, and...
What is thermal mass? This post will give you an introduction to thermal mass and night cooling. Energy efficiency, rising temperatures and CO² emissions are very much on our minds in this current climate. As we look at the performance of...
I have curated a list of some of the tools and resources I would strongly recommend for anyone studying or working in Architecture.