Passive Comfort Lab

The Passive Comfort Laboratory (PC-Lab) covers fundamentals of building physics which are essential for understanding the energy interaction of the building with its interior and exterior environments. A variety of topics such as climate analysis, shading analysis, heat transfer, moisture transfer, load calculations, psychrometry, etc., are discussed in detail in this studio. Students carry out measurements of environmental variables such as temperature, relative humidity, air velocities, solar radiation, etc. Factors influencing thermal comfort of occupants are studied and field measurements are also carried out. Additionally, students apply theory concepts to carry out a course project where they measure and quantify the thermal performance in relevant metrics. Finally, in simulation module, students learn to geometrically model and simulate buildings at the envelope level. Schedules for occupancy and equipment are also incorporated in the simulations. Parametric studies are carried out to predict the building performance in different scenarios. Site visits are also conducted to connect the theory with real life