Inkling Blog #1: What is Building Physics?

We are often asked what Building Physics is so it seems like a good subject to kick off the Inkling blog.

The short answer is that Building Physics is the science of analysing and optimising the metabolism of a building; how it keeps warm, stays cool, responds to daylight and breathes.

This analogy relates to the building form, fabric and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Cooling) systems which work together to maintain a comfortable environment for the building occupants.

Knowledge of heat transfer, air movement and psychometrics are coupled with the use of specialised predictive software and analysis tools, with the aim of improving thermal comfort, natural daylight and energy efficiency.

The Building Physics toolbox includes various software packages. These include software to model heat transfers in a building on an hour by hour basis, software to assess temperatures of building surfaces under particular worse case conditions and software to predict the lighting level in a room under particular sky conditions.

The art of Building Physics is in using these tools wisely and to a level of detail appropriate to the design stage. Common sense, knowledge of scientific fundamentals and an intuition for how buildings perform in real life add perspective and ensure that modelling work is well targeted to the questions being addressed.

Others have also tackled this question:

Jake Hacker gives a simple introduction to Building Physics and how it can assist with passive design with this accessible video: http://www.arup.com/Services/Building_Physics/Building_Physics_Film.aspx

Doug King makes a clever video showing how a displacement ventilation system works using smoke pumped through the AHU into a theatre auditorium. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev7GI5P4z-U