REPORT NO.

101

A
REPORT ON
PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN
FOR JUMLA

PREPARED BY:
BIJAY K. PRAJAPATI
066/ B.ARCH/ 07

HIMALAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

CHYASAL, LALITPUR

AUGUST 18, 2013

Preface
HIMALAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CHYASAL, LALITPUR

[PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN]

Our Ref.:

Page

Your Ref.

Date: August 18, 2013

Subject teacher,
Passive Solar Architecture
Subject: Passive Solar Design for Jumla
Dear Sir,
With due respect I would like to request you to accept this report
prepared on the basis of my research and design on the topic to find out
the various passive design strategies for the mountainous region in Nepal.
The report is based on the secondary research tools such as web
and internet surfing, report reading, books, etc. The finding of the
research has revealed the fact that the traditional building material and
technology being used in the mountainous region such as Jumla has
already been using the various passive technology to obtain insulation
and heat gaining and retaining methods.
But what they lack is the excess to modern material and technology
which can help them achieve more insulation, better heat and comfort to
live more comfortable life. Thus Ive tried to incorporate various passive
design strategies with local material and modern technology to achieve
the necessary comfort throughout the year.

Bijay K. Prajapati

ABSTRACT

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The present report has been submitted to the concerned authorities

to provide my passive design ideas over the mountainous region, Jumla
Where I have used various passive design strategies.
Various case study has been done of the residences in mountainous
region before doing my own final design. A lot of research has been put in
play for this design. I have studied various passive design related books,
researched the old reports, internet surfing, etc. and I also have consulted
my design various design ideas with our subject teacher.
From the research and case study I found out that the locals have
already been using the passive strategies through their local material and
technology. Thus I further improvised their local material and technology
responding more to wind, sun, rain and other various natural and
environmental element to achieve more thermal comfort and cozy life.

Acknowledgement
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Ar. Arjun Basnet,
our respected subject teacher who has helped me a lot and encouraged
me to carry on the design process by giving me his very precious
suggestion whenever I was in any problem or during the dilemma.

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I am also grateful to Ar. Umesh Dhimal , the

Head of Department who always inspired and
motivated me to accomplish my work as speedily as
possible.
Last but not the least, I want to thank my dear
colleague for sharing their invaluable ideas, studying
materials without which I could not have completed
my design as it is now and give my report the final
shape.

CONTENTS
S.
N.
1.
2.

PARTICULARS
ABSTRACT
Acknowledgement
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4.

5.
6.
7.

Introduction of Passive design

Principles of Passive design
Case study: Residence of Jumla
SITE INVENTORY/ANALYSIS DATA
Houses in Jumla
Architecture plan
Construction Detail
Passive design for jumla
Conclusion
Bibliography

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INTRODUCTION
Passive Design regards the particular way to construct a building
using the natural movement of heat and air, passive solar gain and
cooling in order to maintain a good internal comfort. Through the use of
passive solutions it is possible to eliminate, or at least reduce, the use of
mechanical systems and the energy demand by 80% as well as the CO2
emissions. Building a passive house takes careful planning, which includes
the introduction of five basic principles:
- orientation
- overhangs and shadings
- insulation

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- double or triple glazing

- thermal mass

The Passive House Concept is defined as follows: A Passive House is a

building in
which thermal comfort can be guaranteed by post-heating or postcooling
the fresh-air mass flow required for a good indoor air quality.
The standards must be adapted to the climate and geographic situation.
The local building traditions and the specific climatic conditions of each
region must be analysed in order to achieve the best passive solution.
Integrating passive design solutions at the very early design stage add
little or nothing to the cost of the building construction. Eventually these
solutions help in reducing the CO2 emissions from the building and the
use of mechanical systems for heat up and cool down the house.
Following below in more detail the explanation of each passive
design principle:
Orientation.
The first basic principle in a passive house is the orientation, in
which the southern faade of the building should be oriented towards the
equator in the northern hemisphere (and the northern faade towards the
north in the southern hemisphere.
By facing the longer axis of the building in the east/west direction, the
longer dimension of
the home faces will be more likely to gain the maximum solar radiation.
For that reason,
areas which are most frequently used, such as the kitchen and the living
room, must be
located into this part of the building. This orientation is also advantageous
for summer cooling conditions because it minimizes the east-west faades
to morning and afternoon sunlight.

Fig. Orientation and solar

gain

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Overhangs and Shading

Overhangs and
shadings are important
devices in a passive house
because they help in
reducing overheating during
the summer season.
Therefore, it is very
important that the devices
are properly sized.

Fig: Shading concept

Insulation
A well insulated building helps in reducing heat loss during the
winter and keeping the house cool during the summer. Insulated
materials, so called because they are poor conductors of heat, form a
barrier between interior and exterior spaces, by means between warmed
interior and cool exterior, and cool interior and hot exterior according to
the season.

Rockwool Insulation

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Sheep wool insulation

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Windows
Glazed surfaces play an important role in a passive house because
they serve as solar collectors bringing in light and heat while also
providing natural ventilation. The way how windows are positioned, in
relation to the landscape, the wind
and
the

movement of the sun can effectively

increase the energy efficient and provide a good internal comfort.

Typical triple-glazing
Thermal mass
The concept of thermal mass regards a solid or liquid material which
absorbs and store warmth and releases it when is needed. By means that,
the excess solar heat gain can be stored and used when the sun is not
shining or where there is no sun at all, as during the night. It actually
works as a battery because during the summer season it absorbs heat
keeping the house comfortable, while in winter it stores the heat gained
and gives it back at night keeping the house warm. Basically in a passive
house a thermal mass can work in two ways: by direct solar gain or by
indirect solar gain.

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How thermal mass works

CASE STUDY
OF HOUSE IN
JUMLA
SITE INVENTORY/ANALYSIS
DATA
Jumla lies within the Far-Western Region of Nepal
Latitude(deg/min)- 29degree 17min.
Longitude(deg/min)-82degree 10min.
Elevation(m)2300
Sunshine duration-(hr)
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
2011 8.4 7.6 8.7
7.2 7.2
5.5 3.8
3.6
6.3
9.2
8.7
0.3
Temperature-(o C)
Month Jan Feb
Mar Apr May Jun JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
DEC
T max 10.9 14.3 19.3 21.0 25.0 28.2 25.5 24.9 25.5 22.4
19.5 17.8
T min -6.3 -4.1
-0.5 4.3 6.7 13.3 16.4 15.5 13.3 2.0
-3.2
-5.1

Wind speed (m/s)

Year
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
DEC
2011 3.4 3.7 4.8
4.9
4.9
4.7 4.0
3.1
3.3
4.9
4.5
3.7

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Rainfall-(mm)
Year
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
JUL
AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
2011 21.1 91.3 38.8 52.8 60.2 93.5
205.2 260.4 119.1
2.3
0.0
0.0
Relative humidity-(%)
Month Jan Feb
Mar Apr May Jun
JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
DEC
R.H.
71.7 67.7 57.1 65.3 60.9 64.6
83.4 82.7
80.9 65.4
58.4
70.0
HOUSES IN JUMLA
Jumla is cold, since it is situated between two Himalayan ranges at
an altitude of about 2,400 masl. One has to cross the Annapurna range to
reach Jumla from Kathmandu.
Houses are built facing the south-east to receive the early morning sun
and to continue
receiving it until late in the afternoon. The ground floor is preceded by
open courts and
is used for cattle with special provisions for horses.
Access to the upper floor is by an outside timber stem ladder.
Houses like these with
cattle on the ground floor and access to the upper floor by an outside
stone stairway
were built on the borders of England and Scotland and were known as
bastle houses.
The house described here is 73 sq. m. on the ground floor and 200 sq. m.
in total.
The upper floor consists of a terrace at the front called an atlo leading to
the living
room, known as the ubra. This room is used for social gatherings. The
kitchen is the
next in line with the living room. Adjoining the living room is the store. The
living room
is in the front while the bedroom
is on the side of the open terrace.

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The space at the front over the first floor is open, and this open
space is used for drying
crops. There is a storeroom on the second floor towards the rear of the
house which
is used for storing grain if it rains while drying it in the sun. Only rich
people have this
kind of a storeroom, known as panda, and it also serves as a status
symbol. There are
no stairs inside and both floors are approached from the outside by a
wooden ladder.
Perhaps people in this region did not have the technique for making an
opening in the
floor. It forms a striking feature of the house, despite being such an
appendage.
The structure of the house is very interesting. Both load-bearing
walls are used as framed
structures for support. Joists
are used and on the top of
these are placed wood
shavings which are then
finished with mud and made
into a levelled floor. The
joists rest on the beam
spanning the timber posts,
two of which are placed at
each of the four
corners of the room, usually
over a stone base rather
than being driven straight into the ground as one would ordinarily expect;
there are eight in all. One of the twin posts ends in the ground floor
ceiling, while the other one continues to the first floor and ends in the
second floor ceiling in the spanning cross-beams which receive the joists.
These joists extend further into the rest of the wall.
The cantilever of the roof is about 50 cm all
around. On the top of the roof, mud plaster is used
as a finish. On the wall, timber ties are used, two of
which, one on the exterior face and the other on
the interior face, are tied to each other by
transverse timber
pieces by simply nailing over the horizontal ties.
These ties occur on two levels, one
at sill level and the other at lintel level. The
practice of providing such ties can be seen
only at Chainpur in Bajhang in the west of Nepal.

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The houses in Jumla are distinct in terms of their structure. While

there are timber posts at the centre of the interiors in other houses in the
country, these are conspicious by
their absence in the houses in Jumla. The timber posts are in the corner
instead. The
provision of the ties is another striking structural difference. Such ties are
also found in
the houses in Afghanistan.

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PASSIVE DESIGN FOR JUMLA

DOME BUILDING
Dome buildings have great strength due to the natural strength of the
arch, thus is more earthquake resistant.
Dome buildings have good insulation due to minimum surface area of
the spherical section.
Dome buildings cover large floor space with economical use of
materials of construction, about 25% to 40% less material. Thus is
cost effective.
Energy efficient as minimum amount of light and sound energy is
sufficient because of its close curve surface.

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Jumla is a windy area
where the harsh wind
blow throughout the
year.
Dome has a dynamic
form which is highly
resistant to windy
forces such as tornado,
cyclone, hurricane, etc.
Dome building
experiences less wind
load, which is very high
in case of Jumla.
Minimum level of air
pressure is generated
in dome which makes it
more safer and durable
for windy area.
Tree plantation on west
helps to control the
wind.
Cross ventilation over
the building keeps the
building cool during
winter.
Stack effect for

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Minimum surface area,
thus good insulation in

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Animal shed on G. floor . thus heat dissipated by body of livestock rises

up to adjacent rooms.
Central kitchen to radiate heat generated in kitchen to all the other
rooms.
Sun space over terrace area transfer further heat to the living room,
also used for direct sun gazing.
Use of heat absorbing panel placed such that it obtains heat only by

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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we can say that various passive strategies has been
experimented, improvised, tried on the building from the history of our
time to achieve human comfort and livable space. And in this modern era
people are still using and experimenting various passive strategies to
achieve maximum level of comfort because of its absolutely relevant
outcomes and benefits.
Similarly, the houses in Jumla have also reached the certain state of
thermal comfort using various passive strategies by taking various steps
of passive strategies throughout the history of Jumla. Thus in my design
Ive tried to take it a step further in their context of using passive
strategies to achieve more comfort and workable spaces.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Meteorological data of Jumla from Meteorological Department

www.weatherforyou.com/clickcast/international/np/jumla.html

Tropical housing
Passive solar design
Passive solar building in mountains
Internet world wide web

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