Hong Kong’s rapid population growth and land scarcity have led to an increase in urban densification. However, these solid extrusions produce repetitive and homogeneous towers that remove cities’ ability to ventilation, despite the incredible densities they achieve. This further cause rising temperature in the city and will lead to the acceleration of global warming. As Hong Kong gets hotter each year, urban inhabitants rely more and more on mechanical cooling to stay in comfort. Therefore, a new approach is needed to create more open and breathable habitats that not only benefit occupants, but also the urban environment in the future.
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Exterior view of proposed tower
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Hong Kong’s climate zone mapping based on Köppen climate classification
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Address issues of temperature rising & overuse of mechanical cooling
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Effective passive design strategies for hot and humid climate
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Concept Diagram & Environmental Section – challenge the conventional tower design
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Massing Development – apply passive strategy within the context
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Computational fluid dynamics analysis is conducted to assess airflow efficiency
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Solar irradiation analysis is conducted to assess effectiveness of overhangs
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Thermal energy analysis is conducted to assess thermal comfort of housing units throughout the year using passive means
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Cooling Demand comparison between base case and improved case
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Vertical Neighborhoods & Programmatic Functions
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Adaptive Openings – building skin can open and close depending on weather condition
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Proposed Unit Design
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