Eve G. Farrugia
Building Technology
Thermal Morphology: A Geometrically Optimized Trombe Wall
‘Thermal Morphology’ originates from the current research efforts invested into innovative designs for comfortable and energy-efficient buildings. This project focuses on using geometry and its effect on thermal mass, whereby changes in geometry could effectively enhance its thermal performance. A translucent phase-change material is used to achieve a lightweight thermal mass component which is implemented into a south-facing trombe wall situated behind a glazed façade.
The challenge is to identify intricately-linked geometrical and thermal parameters through a series of heat transfer analyse s which guide the morphological process of a flat block of thermal mass. This form-finding analysis is implemented in two different climates, whereby a flat mass is distinctly formed into two designs for optimized thermal walls. By optimizing the material distribution - thereby controlling heat transfer solely by geometry - it is possible to achieve material efficiency whilst simultaneously lowering the energy demand.