PORTFOLIO CAROLINA PASTOR

THE SOLAR CHIMNEY
The building was designed in a way so that it integrates the
different aspects of technical building design in the design
as a whole. Its design highlights the interaction between
space, appearance, function, light, material, structure,
building mechanics and climate control arrangements. It
incorporates a combination of architectural devices and
building services appropriate to the desired physical and
spatial properties of the various spaces, to achieve a
comfortable indoor climate.
The façade was designed as a zone that takes into account
various features such as image, ability to exclude wind and
water, insulation, ventilation, outlook, admission of natural
light, building mechanics, clearance and installation space.
One of the most interesting building technology aspects is
a solar chimney located in the south façade. The chimney
helps cooling down the building during the warm months
by passively removing warm air and releasing it to the
outside, this also helps with ventilation which allows to
have a healthy and comfortable indoor air quality. During
the cold months, the solar chimney outlets close and the
solar chimney functions as a passive method for warming
up the building, by absorbing heat and releasing it inside
the building during the day. This, along with several
other features, allows the building to reduce its energy
consumption, making it into a sustainable building.
The solar chimney is not the only element which helps
reducing the energy consumption in the building, in the
center of the ramps there is a central shaft which will
provide the entire building with light, as a skylight would.
The central shaft also functions as a water spray cooling
system which works during summer in order to cool down
the building trough evaporation, this empty void will be
filled with plants which will purify the air that will enter the
cool air which will enter the building (see page 20)
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