E N e R G Y

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Energy is an elusive concept. While being universally recognized it is rarely understood. We

continually misinterpret our thermal interactions with the surroundings. We have curated
interfaces that elucidate often overlooked aspects of energy - from the potentials of low
exergy buildings to the misperceived heat transfer from surfaces around us - contextualized
within a framework of energy opportunities that are literally ever y where, but nowhere to
be seen. This exhibition reveals the manifestations of energy by unexpected means at three
radically different scales: the human body, the building scale, and the urban scale. The various
projects displayed explore the transfer of thermal energy which connects all three into an
interdependent network of exchange.

ENERGY AND THE HUMAN BODY radiation all play major roles in defining how
The human body utilizes energy for you easily your body can operate at its requisite
to move, think, and operate. It does so in temperature. Additionally, the varying clothing
constant thermodynamic exchange with its levels and metabolic rates can dramatically shift
C U R AT O R S surroundings. As with any engine, your body the perception of comfort and the desire for
Forrest Meggers & Dorit Aviv, Princeton University cannot use energy at 100% efficiency. This is warmth or cool. Managing that desire has now
dictated by the second law of thermodynamics. become a central component of architecture
PA RT I C I PA N T S The inefficiencies are manifested in the heat and its heating and cooling infrastructures.
Andrew Cruse, Ohio State University your body must dissipate to operate. Your Current techniques though, still only consider
Kipp Bradford, MIT Media Lab body is therefore generally warmer than its air temperature, and neglect the many other
Marcel Brülisauer, ETH Zürich surroundings, as can be viewed on a thermal factors that can be influenced by design.
Kiel Moe, Harvard University camera.
Salmaan Craig, Harvard University

Your comfort is the sensation of how easily ENERGY & BUILDINGS

TEAM your body is rejecting heat. Although it is The vast majority of energy demand in buildings
Eric Teitelbaum, Tyler Kvochick, François Sabourin, always operating at the same temperature, is used for maintaining thermal comfort. Thermal
Sean Rucewicz, Hongshan Guo, Melanie Daguin, your body must adjust to many thermal inputs. comfort is what demands the heat transfers
Yshai Yudekovitz Air temperature is what we consider first driven by modern heating and cooling systems.
in terms of comfort, but it is one of several But most will agree that thermal comfort is not
GRAPHIC DESIGN factors that all have significant impacts. Along readily achieved, even when nearly every building
Georgina Baronian with air temperature, humidity, air speed, and has automated heating and cooling systems.
Buildings are the largest single sector of energy Heating and cooling are in fact relatively benign Even at the scale of entire countries, places intermittency of renewable electricity sources
demand. In the US, 40% or primary energy forms of energy, but when they are produced like Iceland and Denmark deliver heating and like wind and solar. Understanding how the
is generated for buildings. Energy in buildings with electricity or high temperature boilers cooling hundreds of kilometers. Planners and occupant’s need for thermal energy can be
now has an importance that rivals that of the and furnaces a lot is wasted. This is recognized designers can engage in those systems to align delivered through a system that acts as an
occupants and the architecture. This has led to a in the difference in temperatures needed to thermal resource supply and demand across intermediate thermal sink matched to both the
sentiment that energy systems complete with create these forms of energy, and is quantified regions. heat transfer most relevant to the user as well
occupant needs or the architectural design by the concept of exergy that recognizes the as to the locally available temperatures while
process, and has resulted in architecture often added value of energy forms created from high Understanding the inherent changes in system at the same time requiring electrical inputs only
sidestepping energy rather than engaging with temperatures or high-potential generation capacity and the ability of thermal energy to when available on the grid is a way that energy’s
it. But we argue and demonstrate that energy techniques. be stored at the large regional scale can also role can truly be considered everywhere while
is not an independent concept to be dealt with have huge benefits to managing the inherent remaining nowhere to be seen.
only through technical engineered solutions. ENERGY & THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND
units: kg of oil equivalent per annum
Energy is full of potential, both physically Energy is in fact everywhere - its complex range
and literally. The understanding of both the of potentials is present at the urban, regional,
physically measurable potential along with and global scales. District energy systems can
the architectural and human interactions that leverage common potentials to reduce the
influence potential are necessary to successfully demand place on high quality energy resources.
address the energy challenge in buildings. District heating and cooling systems have
evolved over the past decades to match the
The enormous primary energy demand of waste sources of heat at the community scale
buildings results in buildings also being a with the demand for low temperature heating
significant greenhouse gas emissions source. in buildings. For cooling, the ability to use the
59.1 - 600
Both in operation and construction there is a latent energy of evaporation to access moderate
601 - 1000
vast amount of latent potential found in the temperatures with much better cooling capacity 1001 - 2000
overlooked forms of energy, which can help has long been used to improve large system 2001 - 3,300

mitigate negative environmental impacts. The performance, but has rarely been considered for 3,301 - 19,120

form of energy being thermal or electrical its application so smaller and residential systems, no data

may present similar absolute energy quantity, which would experience the same performance
but there usability is dramatically different. gains. Across cities, there are numerous sites
Transforming high quality electricity into the where latent thermal energy from industry has GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND

tempering of room air is a huge loss of potential. potential for urban district heating and cooling. units: kgs of oil equivalent per annum
 BODY BUILDING THERMAL EFFUSIVITY
andrew cruz kiel moe

Comfort is an energetic and symbolic collective comfort conditions maintained Even if they are the same temperature, a boundary. So when we do touch architecture,
nexus between citizens and cities. Its within a building’s envelope, clothing allows block of wood “feels” warmer than a block the transient behavior of our skin and adjacent

ENERGY & THE HUMAN BODY

definition simultaneously contains the for varied personal comfort at the scale of the of steel or concrete. While seemingly a materials becomes very important. For
thermal relationship between a body and its body. Such improved comfort can also result subjective experience, there is a quantifiable example, in the handrail leading to the upper
environment, and our individual identities in improved energy efficiency as less demands material property that explains this difference level of the exhibition, a series of high and
as part of larger societies. Architects are are made of building HVAC systems. Personal in sensation: thermal effusivity. Thermal low effusivity materials are designed to trigger
professionally predisposed to see architecture Architecture links physiology and fashion, effusivity is a measure of a material’s ready varying sensations of warmth and coolth as
as the primary context for comfort. However, individual and collective, indoors and outdoors ability to exchange heat with its milieu. When your hand moves up and down the handrail.
shifting focus from the building to the as the introductory exhibition in the Energy touch the steel, we transiently transfer more The specification of materials according to
body highlights how clothing—our personal Pavilion. heat than when we touch the wood. This is the thermal effusivity yields not a range of thermal
architecture—shapes contemporary notions basis of our sensations of warmth and coolth. experiences even at the same temperature, but
of comfort in ways that buildings cannot. The Because the sensation of heat transfer plays can also make a much cooler space feel warmer
exhibition Personal Architecture examines such an important role in the perception of and vice versa. Thermal effusivity is way to
how the comfort of clothing presents design human comfort, so does this material property. quantitatively incorporate our qualitative
opportunities for rethinking the relationships sensations of materials and our thermal milieu.
between the body, energy and architecture But the implications of this property are much
from the scale of the individual to the city. bigger than our localized, individual experience
ENERGY & THE HUMAN BODY

of a material. Even if two rooms are at the

The body’s skin is a thermally active surface. same operative temperature, a wood room will
Clothing mediates the microclimate between physically feel quite different from a concrete
the skin and the surrounding environment one. Or, to state it another way, the wood
to provide comfort. While building comfort room could maintain the same level of comfort
standards typically considers only the with less input exergy. This material property,
insulation value of clothing (with the CLO in fact, could be the basis of a very different
unit) this exhibition examines a range textile approach to human comfort, one deeply
technologies, and the different conditions they connected to the materials we use to build and
create at the skin: breathability, absorption, to the physiology of our bodies.
heat release, layering and stretchiness. Such
features allow clothing to satisfy individual Rather than temperature, our hands and
comfort preferences, and to adapt to varying other sensory organs sense relative rates of
climatic conditions. Instead of the fixed thermal exchange or flow across our body- H A N D R A I L : Alex Timmer & Kiel Moe
 T H E R M A L LY A L I V E S PA C E
forrest meggers & dorit aviv

Our goal is to reconsider heat transfer as a in that wavelength. The radiation emitted is anything but silent in this game of energy
fundamental part of space creation, by making from a warm person has more energy than exchange and surfaces are not real limits, but

ENERGY & BUILDINGS

visible the constant hidden exchange between surrounding lower temperature surfaces a layer of interface between themselves and
our body and the architectural elements causing a net heat exchange independent of their surrounding. The architectural elements
surrounding it. The human body is a complex the exchange with the air in immediate contact. that bound the void also constantly fill it and
thermal engine, with multiple sophisticated By placing someone in view of a surface that is transform it.
mechanisms for exchanging energy with its ten degrees cooler than the air temperature,
environment. The air temperature is just one they will have the sensation that the space is To make this invisible fullness visible, we
of many factors that have significant physical cooler. If all surfaces around an occupant were create a darkened space where the sense
impact on perceived comfort, yet thermostats dropped by ten degrees, research has shown which always overwhelms all others in
measuring only air temperature control they will predict the temperature of the room architecture - vision - is subdued. Instead
how buildings deliver thermal amenities, to be five degrees cooler than the actual air we construct the space out of hot and cold
completely disengaging the architects temperature. The same goes for warming the surfaces, heightening the thermal senses of the
opportunity to influence that interaction. It surfaces. occupants. To achieve this, we install a highly
has been left to the engineering consultant discretized and controllable series of radiant
to deliver a fixed solution to control the This means that the “undifferentiated” space, heating and cooling surfaces. Asymmetric
temperature of a room within a set of artificial in fact becomes activated by walls, ceilings radiant fluxes guide people around the room.
criteria for temperature. These solutions aim at and other surfaces around it. The shape of Thermal sensations become the differentiating
conditioning the space, not the occupant. They the void determines the thermal interaction element in a space that visually looks quite
are also delivered as independent solutions between its defining surfaces and the human repetitive. In this space, the human beings
ENERGY & BUILDINGS

that do not appreciate the many ways they beings occupying it. If the contemporary are not disinterested observers as they move
impact the actual space of the room. convention is that within the domain of the through the room. Movement and proximity
architect are the walls, the floors and the of bodies and surfaces become triggers for
Here we exploit heat transfer by radiation, roof, and within domain of the mechanical action. As soon as a hot body comes into the
whereby higher or lower temperature surfaces engineer is thermal control by manipulation view of a cold surface, they both must engage
exchange heat through blackbody radiation of air temperature, we divert here the ability with one another in an exchange of energy.
of electromagnetic waves. This exchange and responsibility for thermal control back
is independent of any interaction with the to the domain of the architect. The walls, Meanwhile infrared thermal cameras record
air temperature or movement. Like the floors, roofs, and windows, store heat or the thermal interactions as they take place. As
sun, people are glowing masses emitting reflect it, emit it to people through radiation people move through the room, the cameras
electromagnetic radiation, we just don’t see or convect it into the moving air. Architecture Thermal map of installation space record the bodies’ and surfaces’ radiant
 temperature. Radiative heat exchange is and gains, that heat can be compensated by demand, but the thermal potential to achieve
dependent on optics. In other words, surfaces the system with much less effort if it is done that quantity is lower as the temperatures are

ENERGY & BUILDINGS

will exchange heat in this manner only if they so at less extreme temperatures. less extreme. This added efficiency is shown
“see” each other. We make use of this fact to by displaying the performance of an actual
control the amount of cold or hot sensations Performance is a second critical aspect of the heat pump and chiller as they operate moving
that visitors experience throughout the exhibition, revealing the concept of exergy heat at different temperature levels to supply
room. Just like an op-art installation, where and the inherent low-exergy nature of building the heating and cooling, which will be linked
different colors are revealed as the position conditioning. Radiant heating and cooling can to the operation of the hot and cold surfaces
of a person changes in space, so would the require the same quantity of heating or cooling and space.
amount of radiation change in relation to a
person’s position in the room. Infrared camera
projections will make this hidden play visible
to the human eye.
structural
frame
Radiant heating and cooling systems leverage
the ability to shift thermal perception, while
also operating more efficiently with system
temperatures much closer to room air. These
systems can integrate with the architecture to
activate surfaces – typically ceilings or floors –
ENERGY & BUILDINGS

creating an alternative experience of thermal

comfort. Thanks to the larger surface area of
heat exchange into the room, the system can
transfer heat into the room with much lower
reflective
temperatures than in an air-based heating surfaces

system, or vise-versa for cooling with much

higher temperatures. This greatly improves
the performance of the system as these
temperatures are much easier for the system
hot and cold water
to deliver, so even if two buildings have the pipes connected to
Body mean radiant temperature at a specific point in space based
heat pumps
exact same shell creating the same heat losses on the reflections of infrared radiation from the reflective surfaces.
 CREATING CLIMATE A N E W T Y P E O F V E N T I L AT I O N
kipp bradford salmaan craig & forrest meggers

Heating and cooling are essential elements condensing gas, then evaporating liquid to Moving air is inherently complex. The flows warm air column rising up the chimney. On a
of modern life. The thermal environment remove heat against its natural flow, heat are almost universally turbulent in buildings, hot day, when the occupancy is high, there may

ENERGY & BUILDINGS

determines our comfort and productivity— pumps are so integrated into our lives that and the exchange of energy is dependent on not be enough wind to flush out the interior.
and sometimes even our ability to survive we often ignore the value of this technology both the air temperature, and its velocity. But buoyancy ventilation is different: as the
in a space. However, as vital as heating and and take it for granted. The effort required to Supplying adequate air has driven much of the occupancy increases so does the driving force.
cooling are, these systems are never part of maintain a controlled, comfortable thermal technological evolution of mechanical systems In other words, buoyancy is a force you can
our building aesthetic. They are designed to environment means that heating and cooling in buildings over the last century. Generally engineer. By design, we can reliably sustain a
be out of sight and therefore out of mind. We represent the majority of the energy flow in the complex dynamics of air have been ‘breeze’ in the absence of wind.
take thermal systems for granted, only ever and around buildings. It should therefore also overcome with brute force rather than elegant How does one know how to size the chimney
thinking about them when they don’t work. command a significant portion of our attention. designs. Natural ventilation is commonly and the windows? If the openings are incorrectly
Here, we subvert this norm by showing off the used to passively ventilate buildings. One of sized, there will not be enough air flow, and the
technology system and revealing the magic the major challenges of natural ventilation interior will overheat. This used to be a difficult
that we all depend on. is the unpredictable frequency, direction, problem, especially for multistory buildings.
and strength of the wind. Buildings can often But new research has provided new insights.
Modern life requires readily available cooling, receive enough fresh air exchange through their We now have simple mathematical models that
but cooling is a contradiction: everything we shells, but for cool comfort a certain level of retain the most important physics. Now design
do to make cold ultimately makes more heat. breeze is necessary. In the last decade, progress teams can easily decide if buoyancy ventilation
This is the reality of physics. It is not possible has been made in understanding a more is feasible, early on in the design process.
to conjure up cold like we can conjure heat reliable driving force — buoyancy. Buoyancy
from a flame or friction, because cold is not isn’t powered by the wind. It’ s powered by the We have constructed a two buoyancy
ENERGY & BUILDINGS

the opposite of heat. Rather, it is the absence waste heat from occupants, computers and ventilation stacks to show how adding heat
of heat—and heat will flow to where it is cooler. other internal heat gains. can drive air upward and adding cool can drive
Thus to cool a system, we must transport air downward. This heat and cold are simply
heat against its natural flow. This transport Hot air rises. We can design our buildings the residual energy from our heat pump
requires work, and work requires energy. The to exploit this. Heated by occupants and installation and could represent any variety
flow of energy and the technology system computers, the interior air rises naturally up of sources available in the built environment.
that generates it deserves to be seen and a chimney that connects all the floors of an You can observe and feel the free movement
understood, which is why we’re showcasing it office building. As it escapes at the top, fresh of the air, that although seemingly complex is
here. The technology, the heat pump, is often air is pulled in from the windows and across now coaxed, not forced, into performing the
listed as one of the most important inventions the floor plates. With buoyancy ventilation, ventilation and human conditioning we need
of humanity. Relentlessly compressing and the fresh air is sucked in from the sides—by the without additional energy input.
 RECLAIMING BACKLANES
marcel brülisauer

Shophouses clusters, built from rows of historic would not only allow increasing energy
buildings with mercantile-type occupancy efficiency by up to 50% but also freeing

ENERGY & THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

common in South East Asia, are increasingly the backlanes from excess heat, noise and bulky
subject of urban regeneration, often situated in installations on the back façades. A key
prime areas of the city. The shophouses are element is to reject the heat in a centralised
grouped around and separated by small lanes at evaporative cooling tower on a rooftop, thereby
their back, which are noisy, dirty and thermally reducing the temperature lift of the chillers and
uncomfortable because of the number of air- improving their energy performance. While
conditioning units, other infrastructures and shared cooling infrastructures – either district
COOLING SYSTEMS - CENTRALISED, DECENTRALISED, HEAT BUS (LEFT TO RIGHT) ISOMETRIC OF CLUSTER (TO
service functions. By extending the dialogue cooling systems with central chillers or heat bus
between heritage conservation, urban design systems, a combination of decentralised water-
and building technology beyond the physical cooled split units connected to an evaporative
mass of shophouses, these backlanes offer a cooling tower, – are a novelty for low-rise
ENERGY & THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

remarkable prospect to act as strategic urban neighbourhoods in the tropics, our studies have
attractors. demonstrated their technical, economic and
operational feasibility.
While the thermal conditions of the tropical
climate require some sort of air-conditioning This technical refurbishment can be used as
of these buildings, the prevalence of air-cooled a trigger to improve the overall pedestrian COOLING SYSTEMS - CENTRALISED, DECENTRALISED, HEAT BUS (LEFT TO RIGHT) ISOMETRIC OF CLUSTER (TOP) SECTION (BOTTOM)

split type air-conditioners results in entire connectivity, increase the spatial quality and
COOLING SYSTEMS - CENTRALISED, DECENTRALISED, HEAT BUS (LEFT TO RIGHT) ISOMETRIC OF CLUSTER (TOP) SECTION (BOTTOM)

façades being covered in this simplest and usability of the backlanes. While all these
cheapest cooling equipment, at the lowest aspects have their value and justification on
energy efficiency. It also creates a hotter their own, only their synergetic combination
urban microclimate, nudging the conditions can unlock the full potential hidden in these
of valuable urban spaces beyond acceptable neglected urban spaces and reprogram the
outdoor thermal comfort, a visible and backlanes into a viable space. Originating from
perceptible consequence of the energy used speculative, interdisciplinary studies at the
for air-conditioning. Future Cities Laboratory, the design team uses Cooling systems: centralised, decentralised, heat bus (top- bottom)
COOLING SYSTEMS - CENTRALISED, DECENTRALISED, HEAT BUS (LEFT TO RIGHT) ISOMETRIC OF CLUSTER (TOP) SECTION (BOTTOM)
the backlane model and the book to showcase
TEAM: Marcel Bruelisauer, Sonja Berthold, Gideon Aschwanden, Zuliandi Azli, Iris Bell, Kees Christiaanse, Matthias Mast, Forrest Meggers,
A systems approach to building climatisation visions for different backlanes in Singapore.
COOLING SYSTEMS - CENTRALISED, DECENTRALISED, HEAT BUS (LEFT TO RIGHT) ISOMETRIC OF CLUSTER (TOP) SECTION (BOTTOM)
Edda Ostertag, Patricia Pontau, Christian Ribback, Arno Schlueter, Cheng-Kai Wang, Lei-Ya Wong
through neighbourhood-scale cooling systems Future Cities Laboratory, Future Resilient Systems, ETH-Singapore Centre, ETH Zürich
 E N e R G Y
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e v e r y w h e r e
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UPPER LEVEL

3 Thermally Alive Space Dorit Aviv & Forrest Meggers

4 Creating Climate Kipp Bradford

LOWER LEVEL

7 1 Body Building Andrew Cruse

2 Thermal Effusivity Kiel Moe

5 A New Type of Ventilation Sal Craig & Forrest Meggers

6 Reclaiming Backlanes Marcel Brülisauer

6
7 Reference Library