UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
FACULTY OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSICS
(
ARC3600
ASSIGNMENT 1
PASSIVE BIOCLIMATIC DESIGN OF TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSES
JESHUA KYLE BAGUINANG
208638
Captivating the natural surroundings towards Rumah houses give several benefits to
the people that are living within. For example, natural ventilation, High ceiling and the usage
of sun as a source of illumination. Additionally, these benefits are vital to all humankind since
they will undoubtly lead to sustainable living and healthy lifestyle.
One of the leading benefits of captivating the natural surroundings towards Rumah
houses is natural ventilation. Natural (passive) ventilation is a means of supplying and
removing air from an indoor area without the usage of mechanical systems. According to Yang
T. & Clements-Croome D. (2020), Natural ventilation makes use of the natural powers of wind
and buoyancy to get fresh air into buildings and effectively disperse it for the good of the people
who live there. In addition, passive ventilation may ensure or promote sufficient breathing air,
adequate contaminant ventilation, adequate thermal insulation and moisture dissipation, and
lead to well-being via a link to nature's dynamics. In other words, ventilation promotes a
healthier life style while keeping its traditional structure of Rumah house.
Another factor is that Rumah house could be built with high ceiling design. The
structure of High ceiling is vertically elevated from ground to the rooftop depending on its
height. The advantages of having high-ceilings could give increased the number of windows
and the amount of natural light, and it saves energy that would result lower utility bills. In fact,
owing to the constant electricity demand of residential areas such as Rumah House, ceiling
height has a significant impact on energy use in indoor spaces (Ghafari F., & Heidari S., 2018).
In other terms, adding ceiling height would improve heating energy usage. Finally, their study
affirms the connection between heating energy usage and ceiling height.
Lastly, the usage of sun as a source of illumination towards Ruma Houses. A passive
solar home design is built to allow the sun penetrate as much as possible. Moreover, Sunlight
enters the building through the windows and warms the walls and floor. The thermal energy is
trapped inside, so the light will get in. The heat in a passive solar home is distributed without
the usage of mechanical devices. Awnings, for example, might be built to let light in during
the winter while the sun is lower in the sky, but cover the windows throughout the summer
while the sun is higher in the sky. Buildings that use passive solar energy are quiet, healthy
places to reside or function. They don't use machines and instead heat the walls or ground
instead of the air below. Similarly, to the Rumah house, it can utilize the ray of the sun during
the day time and use it until its thermal energy would be ran out. Furthermore, the sun will
provide 30 to 80 percent of the heat needed for passive homes and conserve the heat energy by
utilizing dense walls and heat-retaining traditional building materials (NEED, 2018).
In summary, one of the most notable advantages of enticing Rumah Houses are natural
ventilation. Passive ventilation is only providing and extracting oxygen. Yang T. & ClementsCroc (2020) claim that natural ventilation incorporates the strength of wind and buoyancy to
provide fresh air into buildings and efficiently distribute it to all. Secondly, some factors
include the high ceiling configuration vertically raised from street to rooftop. Having high
ceilings lets you get more windows which results in smaller power costs. For an instance, the
height of the ceiling has an important effect on energy consumption in urban areas such as
Rumah house (Ghafari F., & Heidari S., 2018). Finally, the source of energy from the sun
gives off a heating passive condition that would lead to illumination within the house, provides
warmth, and saves the electricity bill.
Reference:
Yang, T., & Clements-Croome, D. J. (2020, September 13). Natural Ventilation in Built
Environment. ResearchGate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301975067_Natural_Ventilation_in_Built_
Environment
Ghafari, F., & Heidari, S. (2018, July 17). Influence of ceiling height on heating energy
consumption in educational building. ResearchGate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325022206_Influence_of_ceiling_height_on
_heating_energy_consumption_in_educational_building?enrichId=rgreqc8e8edefa814b395859610a33cceb646XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzMyNTAyMjIwNjtBUzo2NDkzMjg1Njk4
OTI4NjRAMTUzMTgyMzQwMzIxNw==&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf
National Energy Education Development Project (NEED). (2018). Energy From the Sun
(Student Guide). Need.
https://www.need.org/Files/curriculum/guides/EnergyfromtheSunStudentGuide.pdf