House In Design

[bbradsby]

Hi all,

Attached are some images 'snapped' from the building model for an Isaan house design in-process right now. Just wanted to share this as I'm kind pr proud of how it's turning out!

The house is designed to stay cool by:

-keeping the sun off the walls via proper orientation to largest degree possible, large overhangs and by exterior landscape shading.

-door & window sizes & locations,

-roof geometry & adequate attic venting

The design is intended to provide Western lifestyle amenities, while still having a sense of belonging in Thailand via traditional Thai design motifs & detailing. Let me know your thoughts.

[bbradsby]

The attached plan perspective shows the 3D BIM (Building Information Modeling) basis of the design, down to the foundation system & even the faucets/taps.

[bbradsby]

This image drops the 3D BIM 'model' into a pic taken on-site, to get a good feel for the design on it's actual site.

[bbradsby]

exterior perspective views. the model allows you to walk through & around in real time to get a real sense of the design and the feel of interior spaces.

Let me know your thoughts!

[sezze]

Hi , nice you show us your design . As far as i can see , you are right , this is more a western style house ( size etc ) with a Thai twist to it . Something i actually do like , and most people do not ( or do not know ) , is to have the design ready for high temp . Even all the new style luxury Thai houses are basically not suited to tropical living but are just western / us design . In the end , when they live inside they fit in aircons etc to keep the temp inside low . In the design stage is where you make the change , there is the clue to have a aircon free house ( elec , money , fuel consuming ) without any cost , by roof design , airflow and natural barriers .

[splitlid]

looks good, i see you are using a combination of whats probably 70mm and 140mm blocks, obviously for sound, insulation, etc. but i would consider using the 140mm blocks for the sink wall in the kitchen , as the positioning of the windows will not match the others in the room.(just an asthetics thing).

also the dutch gable at the entrance looks a little large? maybe the angle.but hey, thats just me.

[Naam]

Hi , nice you show us your design . As far as i can see , you are right , this is more a western style house ( size etc ) with a Thai twist to it . Something i actually do like , and most people do not ( or do not know ) , is to have the design ready for high temp . Even all the new style luxury Thai houses are basically not suited to tropical living but are just western / us design . In the end , when they live inside they fit in aircons etc to keep the temp inside low . In the design stage is where you make the change , there is the clue to have a aircon free house ( elec , money , fuel consuming ) without any cost , by roof design , airflow and natural barriers .

there is no such thing like an aircon free house in most areas of Thailand... except if you want to lead an uncomfortable sweaty life style or live in a cave deep inside a mountain.

by the way, aircons are not necessarily fitted "in the end" to keep temperatures and relative humidity at a comfortable level. people with some experience of living in tropical countries fit them before they move into a house. measures such as house design, ventilation by natural airflow, insulation. etc. do not cool any dwelling. all what is achieved is a slower heating up of the inside air. and finally one ends up with temperatures which are (because of inside heat sources) higher than the ambient temperature. the laws of physics are hard to bend!

[splitlid]

also, i know i dont have the house in context but the area outside the master bathroom is to be used for what?

it seems like alot of dead space that will never be used, have you considered moving the kitchen over and making the outside undercover area larger?

course everyones a critic, especially when we dont know what the brief is.

[bbradsby]

also, i know i dont have the house in context but the area outside the master bathroom is to be used for what?

it seems like alot of dead space that will never be used, have you considered moving the kitchen over and making the outside undercover area larger?

course everyones a critic, especially when we dont know what the brief is.

Good eye. The owners want a separate terrace at this location off the master suite for private time, including a big jacuzzi tub! It's all about maintaining a couples life as well as maintaining the family leadership responsibilities.

[bbradsby]

...there is no such thing like an aircon free house in most areas of Thailand... except if you want to lead an uncomfortable sweaty life style or live in a cave deep inside a mountain.

by the way, aircons are not necessarily fitted "in the end" to keep temperatures and relative humidity at a comfortable level. people with some experience of living in tropical countries fit them before they move into a house. measures such as house design, ventilation by natural airflow, insulation. etc. do not cool any dwelling. all what is achieved is a slower heating up of the inside air. and finally one ends up with temperatures which are (because of inside heat sources) higher than the ambient temperature. the laws of physics are hard to bend!

Agreed generally. But use of mechanical refrigeration can be substantially minimized, if not altogether deleted. Thermal comfort is very relative from one person to another.

A few thoughts on my natural cooling design strategies. As you said, once heat is present inside the house, it's a force to be reconned with. First choice is to not generate the heat in the house to begin with. Kitchen heat should isolated via doors from the main living spaces. Exterior Thai kitchens really 'get' this concept. Then, exhaust what heat there is inside. Windows on at least two sides in every room help exhaust heat in even gentle breezes, as well as providing better light without electrical lighting - another heat source. Exhaust fans should be used at point sources of heat & humidity, but create negative air pressure zones that can pull in hot air from outside mid-day! I'm looking at under-slab, cooled ducts to bring in compensating air to balance these.

More subtly, I'm using the 'mean radiant temperature' of the cool, shaded floor slab and walls to actively cool the people inside. There is some natural cooling (heat transfer) which occurs via radiation when warm bodies are even just in proximity to a cooler mass, since heat always transfers from areas of higher concentration to lower ones. Direct contact is not required for this to occur. Also, we experience cooling via conduction when in direct contact between a cool mass - floors typically. These shaded thermal masses - floors & walls - rest at approx the seasonal average temperature and act as a thermal flywheel effect in moderating the diurnal air temperature swings. They're not ice cold, but do moderate the tropical heat. Open the windows at night to 'recharge' their relatively cooler temperature. Whole house exhaust fans used at night time cool the wall & floor masses, as well as providing enough air movement that people are often comfortable without air con.

Combine the effects of heat leaving the body via radiation & conduction toward cooler wall & floor masses with air movement from fans or natural ventilation (evaporative cooling), and occupants can be comfortable without use of mechanical refrigeration (air conditioning) of the air.

Minimize air infiltration, a large heating influence in hot climates, via gasketing of doors & windows to keep the cooler, inside air inside. Don't have my tables in front of me, but I'm remembering that a five mile per hour breeze will exhaust 100% of the air inside your house in under an hour. If it's air conditioned air, your equipment is continuously working on a fresh charge of hot, outside air if your windows & doors are the typical, leaky Thai products. Inside of a year, you've wasted enough money on electricity that it would have paid for better windows.

There's lots more to develop a low energy house that's thermally comfortable, but it can get very site-specific, I've got to go, and I've probably bored any readers out of the room paragraphs ago!

[Naam]

There's lots more to develop a low energy house that's thermally comfortable, but it can get very site-specific, I've got to go, and I've probably bored any readers out of the room paragraphs ago!

reading your "essay" was not boring but interesting. never mind that it contains a few wrong assumptions. nobody is perfect... not even me!

[doglover]

Well you should feel proud of yourself! I think the house looks great and the design will fit in well in Issan. It actually reminds me of my house so I guess I'm biased. However the full hip roof with extended supported overhangs and lots of ventilation will be way more effective than my roof. My main entrance faces north the same as yours (assumption) and I also have two decks except mine have been flipped to the front two corners of the house. I like my decks on the front of the house as I live in the country and have a large front yard with various palms and a pond which has the better view compared to the back of the house. The main reason to locate the house at rear of the propery was to keep the house distanced from the dusty road. Having the decks on the back corners of the house makes more sense for keeping the morning and evening sun off the walls of the respective rear corner quadrants however as there won't be any walls. The two decks are nice in Issan. In the hot season I can always keep out of the sun. And in the cool season on the cooler days I can bask in the sun morning and evening. What is the predominant wind direction on site? At my house it is from the east but I really couldn't say if that is generally true or not for Issan.

I would have to feel the cool effects of the design to believe it. But my dream is to have a naturally "cooled" home in Thailand. I just didn't think it would possible in Issan. Regardless, even if air conditioning were to be utilized the design would really help the efficiency.

Would be great to hear about some of your building material choices, particularily windows. I paid a fair sum for PVC frames from Windsor. They are still leaky due to poor installation as the standard. The sliding glass doors are the worst. I can hear the frogs so loud at night I think I've left the door open!

I hope your essay turns into a bookf and this thread into a 10 pager...

Do you care to disclose where in Issan this house will be built?

[sezze]

Hi , nice you show us your design . As far as i can see , you are right , this is more a western style house ( size etc ) with a Thai twist to it . Something i actually do like , and most people do not ( or do not know ) , is to have the design ready for high temp . Even all the new style luxury Thai houses are basically not suited to tropical living but are just western / us design . In the end , when they live inside they fit in aircons etc to keep the temp inside low . In the design stage is where you make the change , there is the clue to have a aircon free house ( elec , money , fuel consuming ) without any cost , by roof design , airflow and natural barriers .

there is no such thing like an aircon free house in most areas of Thailand... except if you want to lead an uncomfortable sweaty life style or live in a cave deep inside a mountain.

by the way, aircons are not necessarily fitted "in the end" to keep temperatures and relative humidity at a comfortable level. people with some experience of living in tropical countries fit them before they move into a house. measures such as house design, ventilation by natural airflow, insulation. etc. do not cool any dwelling. all what is achieved is a slower heating up of the inside air. and finally one ends up with temperatures which are (because of inside heat sources) higher than the ambient temperature. the laws of physics are hard to bend!

1st laws of physics cannot be bend at all .

2nd , many many people live without aircon in tropical places without aircon and live a non sweaty life .

3th Insulation is something you have from a cold country bringin it to a warm country . As you stated and my 1st rule ( law of physics ) heat sources absorbing heat . Any material absorbs heat . Only some materials are much much better at it then others . For exemple , natural stone or tiles ( floor ) tend be be cooler then wood . Steel is also a cool material as it has no thermal mass ( roof ) incstead of the silly clay or cement tiles . Also airflow makes you feel cooler , without actually be cooler ( law of physics 30c is 30c ) . Combining the techniques are tiles on the floor , huge overhangs for the roof , high ceiling , and big open windows together with fans will let you feel comfortable . The heat during the day will go up where it is vented outside . Since no heat is trapped and you have bigairflows , it will cool down very quickly in the evening and makes it feel as cool and cold as you want ( if you are living in tropical enviroment ) . If you provide shadow on the roof , less solar radiation ( read heat ) is being put on the steel so it even heats up less during the hot hours of the day . Insulation can be put under the roof , but it is a 2nd degree point since there should be enough airflow and shadow provided to make it not necessary . Remeber , every mass has it's heat coeff and isolation does not let heat in but also traps a part in it ( making it less cool down at cooler times ) .

If you keep to these rules , it would not cost more to build and will even be cheaper ( allthough higher roof put's up the price , but no aircons etc ) and your electric bill will not be higher then a few 100 baht a month ( aircon is THE biggest power consumer in a house ) .

[bankruatsteve]

I suggest you modify the design to include an outside cooking/eating area - as in Thai style (perhaps adjacent to the inside one). I'll bet you end up with one anyway - so may as well plan for it. Cheers.

[bbradsby]

I suggest you modify the design to include an outside cooking/eating area - as in Thai style (perhaps adjacent to the inside one). I'll bet you end up with one anyway - so may as well plan for it. Cheers.

I would agree, on principals of good design for hot climates. Interestingly, the Thai owner said they didn't want an outdoor/Thai kitchen at the outset of the design phase. So we developed what you see here.

[bbradsby]

Well you should feel proud of yourself! I think the house looks great and the design will fit in well in Issan. It actually reminds me of my house so I guess I'm biased. However the full hip roof with extended supported overhangs and lots of ventilation will be way more effective than my roof. My main entrance faces north the same as yours (assumption) and I also have two decks except mine have been flipped to the front two corners of the house. I like my decks on the front of the house as I live in the country and have a large front yard with various palms and a pond which has the better view compared to the back of the house. The main reason to locate the house at rear of the propery was to keep the house distanced from the dusty road. Having the decks on the back corners of the house makes more sense for keeping the morning and evening sun off the walls of the respective rear corner quadrants however as there won't be any walls. The two decks are nice in Issan. In the hot season I can always keep out of the sun. And in the cool season on the cooler days I can bask in the sun morning and evening. What is the predominant wind direction on site? At my house it is from the east but I really couldn't say if that is generally true or not for Issan.

I would have to feel the cool effects of the design to believe it. But my dream is to have a naturally "cooled" home in Thailand. I just didn't think it would possible in Issan. Regardless, even if air conditioning were to be utilized the design would really help the efficiency.

Would be great to hear about some of your building material choices, particularily windows. I paid a fair sum for PVC frames from Windsor. They are still leaky due to poor installation as the standard. The sliding glass doors are the worst. I can hear the frogs so loud at night I think I've left the door open!

I hope your essay turns into a bookf and this thread into a 10 pager...

Do you care to disclose where in Issan this house will be built?

I would have to get the owner's clearance to give location information, so stay tuned if you'd like to know. The house entrance faces South-Southwest, so overhang design was difficult compared to a house oriented 'squarely' to the cardinal points. The 1-meter overhangs ensure that by the time the sunlight hits a wall, it's angle of inclination is steep enough that much of the heat spectrum has been stripped out by the atmosphere. Landscaping will do the rest on East & West facades. The entry porch's open gable is large to let light deep into the space and through the glazed entrance into the living space. It also encourages ventilation & heat exhaust in this outdoor living space.

For those planning to naturally cool their house, understand that thermal mass cooling operates at a subtle level, providing no extreme alterations of temperature in this climate, and you'll have to learn to actively 'operate' your home to respond to the day's thermal cycles and wind phenomena to maintain comfort. As the three factors affecting thermal comfort are temperature, humidity & air movement, all in a squishy relationship defining a comfort zone (wiki 'Psychrometric Chart') natural home-operators have to be actively involved. We open up the house in early evening and cool the slabs & walls through the night with outside air. We close up the house by late morning to seal out the day's increasing temperatures and turn on a fan by early afternoon and easily maintain comfort w/o mechanical air con until about 4:00PM. It can become more involved than some care to deal with, and will never create the instantly cool, dry interior environment that mechanical air con will provide at a touch of a remote button. All of this assumes you've first laid the groundwork by keeping the sun's heat away from your walls, windows & slabs, and have well insulated ceilings.

For cooling breezes, analyze your site's hot season air flow characteristics and maintain/create shade - not pave - as much of the site up-wind as possible. Tree saplings are cheap and grow like weeds in the Tropics, so consider an orchard, rubber tree rows, bamboo or banana plantation just upwind of the house. The shading and evapo-transpiration of trees & shrubbery markedly cool the breeze compared to sun-baked lawn or paving. If you can site a house at the base of a large, forested hill or mountain, you'll feel the 'mountain effect,' a cool breeze flowing down the hill as a result of this phenom. Without a hill to work with, plant lots of trees!

[doglover]

Being actively involved operating an intelligent home would be much more preferable for me. One of the benefits I see with this design is the occupants will stay in tune with the climate outside. The extreme sudden change of leaving an air conditioned environment to the outside heat and humidity in the hot season is enough to make knees buckle at times. Often leads to retreating right back inside or to the air conditioned vehicle and off to airconditioned dining and shopping.

Great suggestion on not paving up wind of the homes hot season predominant wind direction and instead filling with trees. Almost like you've done this before! Much appreciated and very interesting.

*I noticed there are not any sliding doors in the house plan. Maybe that's the solution to fix the dam_n things*

[petertucker48]

Just a few ideas to keep the house cool:

1 Try and get kitchen outer door in line with front door but off set,this allows ,a nice breeze right through the house at no cost.

2 If using cinder block because of the much lower cost to German block,on the west side of house only,consider a cavity wall construction because of the long time for the sun setting.Outside wall hot inside wall cool.

3 Keep the west side windows small.On my last house the east and west windows were large the east window to the main bed room a great sliding patio door a very Bad idea.After the glass had heated up in the morning it retained the heat for most of the day.(same with the east facing lounge door).

On this new house I,ve built I have changed this : To This

Now very much cooler at No extra cost.

Just ideas I learnt my my mistakes.

[T_Dog]

Bbrad... Looks good! Been thinking of the same thing for a while and the secret really is to keep the sun from heating up the house. We decided to put in a second floor garden just for that purpose. A friend has a very similar house to the concept images below and if there ever was a house that didn't need air conditioning, his would be it. We won't be building for a year or so but this is roughly what it will look like. This is certainly not final so if people have suggestions, fire away.

Couple of notes:

-Bathrooms are on the sunny side of the house to help keep it cool.

-Walk-in closet on sunny side too.

-Large overhangs and a first floor that is not too tall. (Helps with shade and lower A/C volume to cool.)

-Large sliders and windows to let the air move through.

-Outside dining area and no steps to allow ease of living outside and inside.

-Upper story bedroom and bathroom will have a concrete cap that serves as a storage area.

I am not a big fan of enclosed attic spaces as they will always heat up, even with insulation. I've got a temperature probe on my voltmeter and have taken a bit of data on the rental houses we have lived in. The temperatures that can develop in those spaces is pretty amazing.

[rolf2009]

Hi there,

nice design. What program did you use? Thanks

[T_Dog]

Hi there,

nice design. What program did you use? Thanks

Don't know about the other posters, but I'm using Home Design Studio running on a Mac, but it is available for Windows as well. If you have a dual monitor set up, you can make changes to the floor plan on one display while instantly seeing changes in a 3 axis view from a helicopter or person walking on the other display.

[bbradsby]

Hi there,

nice design. What program did you use? Thanks

Thanks! I'm using ArchiCAD, a fully configured BIM (building information modeling) application. It's really powerful, but the flip side of that is it's complex to learn to an extent. For those who don't want to invest a few solid weeks to get up to speed on an app, and just want to doodle on a house, I'd recommend Google Sketch-up Pro for Mac or PC. Fun & intuitive, and powerful enough for the layperson.

[bbradsby]

Just a few ideas to keep the house cool:

1 Try and get kitchen outer door in line with front door but off set,this allows ,a nice breeze right through the house at no cost.

2 If using cinder block because of the much lower cost to German block,on the west side of house only,consider a cavity wall construction because of the long time for the sun setting.Outside wall hot inside wall cool.

3 Keep the west side windows small.On my last house the east and west windows were large the east window to the main bed room a great sliding patio door a very Bad idea.After the glass had heated up in the morning it retained the heat for most of the day.(same with the east facing lounge door).

On this new house I,ve built I have changed this : To This

Now very much cooler at No extra cost.

Just ideas I learnt my my mistakes.

Nice house Peter. Your big overhangs help with the heat gain.

Regarding your last house, a West-facing window/glass door would really need external shading, sealed insulated glazing or at least a spectrally-selective window film - not just tinting, these strip out the heat component of the light rays. Cool stuff and great for a retrofit solution.

Seeing it's raised, is the structure wood or concrete?

Edited February 12, 2011 by bbradsby

[petertucker48]

Just a few ideas to keep the house cool:

1 Try and get kitchen outer door in line with front door but off set,this allows ,a nice breeze right through the house at no cost.

2 If using cinder block because of the much lower cost to German block,on the west side of house only,consider a cavity wall construction because of the long time for the sun setting.Outside wall hot inside wall cool.

3 Keep the west side windows small.On my last house the east and west windows were large the east window to the main bed room a great sliding patio door a very Bad idea.After the glass had heated up in the morning it retained the heat for most of the day.(same with the east facing lounge door).

On this new house I,ve built I have changed this : To This

Now very much cooler at No extra cost.

Just ideas I learnt my my mistakes.

Nice house Peter. Your big overhangs help with the heat gain.

Regarding your last house, a West-facing window/glass door would really need external shading, sealed insulated glazing or at least a spectrally-selective window film - not just tinting, these strip out the heat component of the light rays. Cool stuff and great for a retrofit solution.

Seeing it's raised, is the structure wood or concrete?

Concrete was used for the construction with Q block for the infill and had cavity external walls ,Ali windows with tinted glass and cement tiles for roof.Big ceiling fans for lounge/bedrooms.

[petertucker48]

You might want to try :

http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/download/index.html

Used that for my present house works well and is a good price; FREE !!!!

[T_Dog]

I used Google Sketchup for a few weeks, but felt the learning curve was pretty steep and it is not really customized for home design. Plus... after a month or so away from it, the re-learning doesn't seem intuitive. Maybe just me but Home Design Studio has about a 5 minute learning curve. Sketchup seems better for detailed mechanical drawings.

[splitlid]

heres some more free or cheap CAD programs,the last website has many free/cheap programs

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/#vid1

http://www.doublecad.com/Products/Doubl ... fault.aspx

http://www.eland.org.uk/pages/Misc/cadnotes.html

HOWEVER,

programs like these are great, theres plenty around for free or minimal cost.

they allow anyone with a little computer knowledge to start designing.

they can produce a 2d and 3d perspective of the design so the user can really visualise what they have made.

the only thing they cannot do is think.

that is down to the user.

and that really is the downfall of all the free design programs.

many people will do their designs, take them to a draughtsman and then get it built. The draughtsman is not there to think, only draw(thats what you are paying for) and therefore will not put in any input and if they do then oftern it will be because thats the way they want it done.

quiet oftern no real design basics have been taken into account, no fault of the user really because thats not their job

by design basics i mean-

orientation

room sizes

good flowing layout

passive design

zoning

budget

materials

etc etc

these are the job of a designer/architect

and without their services then the client is not getting the full potential that they can achieve on their plot of land.

A home is, probably for most, the biggest purchase that they will make.

They will be living, using, sleeping, eating in the house for some period of time, getting a good design should ensure the user enjoys all of these throughout its use.

START WITH A PENCIL AND PAPER BEFORE EVEN ATTEMPTING TO USE A CAD PROGRAM.

[Chris Lawrence]

Great Topic BB.

Enjoy the conversation exchange as I find informative in giving ideas on building a home in Thailand.

What are the building costs psm for these type of dwellings.

One fellow I met was involved in re-construction in East Timor. He too was using building design without air-con.

Regards

Chris

[bbradsby]

[snip] ...the only thing they [CAD programs] cannot do is think.

that is down to the user.

and that really is the downfall of all the free design programs.

many people will do their designs, take them to a draughtsman and then get it built. The draughtsman is not there to think, only draw(thats what you are paying for) and therefore will not put in any input and if they do then oftern it will be because thats the way they want it done.

quiet oftern no real design basics have been taken into account, no fault of the user really because thats not their job

by design basics i mean-

orientation

room sizes

good flowing layout

passive design

zoning

budget

materials

etc etc

these are the job of a designer/architect

and without their services then the client is not getting the full potential that they can achieve on their plot of land.

A home is, probably for most, the biggest purchase that they will make.

They will be living, using, sleeping, eating in the house for some period of time, getting a good design should ensure the user enjoys all of these throughout its use... [snip]

You're preachin to the choir, here! PEople wouldn't usually perform their own surgery, but quite a few think they can design a proper home...

It always amazes me that some people will scrape every way possible to avoid paying an architect's fee, but don't sneeze at paying 6% of total property cost to a realtor (or pay too much because they won't hire a realtor... they provide an invaluable service) even as an architect puts many many hours, love & care into a design & set of drawings, takes the bloodied nose for the owner with the planning & building departments, sources competent & properly-scaled contractors' pricing, writes an airtight contract & then administers it during construction for many months - for what is for most people the single most important & expensive investment they'll make in a lifetime.

A well designed, site & climate-responsive house - plus expert administration of the construction process for the owner's best interests - will pay for the nominal investment in an architect's fee - usually before the end of construction via change order management - and then will pay off in spades with the rising cost of energy. Lastly the owner should have a more easily salable house down the road due to proper design, detailing & construction quality.

Just remember that CAD apps are no more than technology, a tool of the profession, and certainly don't even vaguely help in the design process - which resides in the cranium of the mouser. In fact CAD is a roadblock to design as a layperson will get caught up completely in Left Brain, rational/non-creative mode while keying away on a computer. The professional, rockstar BIM apps (ArchiCAD & Revit, in that order) are better, more facile & powerful - but take true dedication to get up to speed on and get useable output. Don't know about the other apps referenced in this thread, besides Sketchup - haven't used 'em.

_ _'

.

[bbradsby]

I used Google Sketchup for a few weeks, but felt the learning curve was pretty steep and it is not really customized for home design. Plus... after a month or so away from it, the re-learning doesn't seem intuitive. Maybe just me but Home Design Studio has about a 5 minute learning curve. Sketchup seems better for detailed mechanical drawings.

Sketchup is actually a design modelling tool, not designed for construction documents (blueprints, as they say), but 'People" do use it for that, and of the 3D model apps it has been widely reported as being easy to learn. YOur results may vary, as they say... I don't use it as my BIM app ArchiCAD does what it can do, better, and then rocks at developing construction doc's & construction quantities from the 3D model.