Theoretical Basis of the Environmental Strategy for a Residential Hotel

Climate-Responsive Zoning and Building Form

The environmental strategy adopted in this residential hotel is deeply rooted in climate-responsive design, which prioritises passive strategies to reduce energy use and improve indoor environmental quality. In temperate climates—characterised by both heating and cooling demands across seasons—designing with natural light, cross ventilation, and thermal zoning is fundamental to performance (Olgyay, 2015; Lechner, 2015). All three options leverage spatial separation of apartment units into distinct zones, allowing each dwelling to function as an autonomous environmental cell. This approach ensures that every apartment benefits from natural cross ventilation, daylight access, and solar control. The use of gaps between units acts as air channels, improving ventilation rates and enabling oblique views—supporting both environmental performance and visual privacy in a dense urban context (Steemers, 2003). Rather than employing a traditional central lightwell—common in deep plan buildings but often ineffective in delivering high-quality daylight or airflow (Phillips, 2004)—the design integrates indented façades, enhancing façade surface area and creating opportunities for multi-aspect daylighting. The side-wall orientation of habitable rooms supports increased solar exposure while reducing reliance on artificial lighting (Ratti et al., 2003). These indentations also disrupt the form’s massing, introducing architectural character while supporting solar access and wind-driven ventilation (Hyde, 2000).

Daylighting, Privacy and Acoustic Optimisation

Each apartment is laid out on an environmental grid, a design method aligning plan organisation with daylight angles, ventilation paths, and privacy buffers. This grid-based planning allows for thermal zoning, where daytime living spaces are prioritised for sun exposure while nighttime areas are buffered from direct heat gains (Lechner, 2015). Separating ventilation openings from glazed window areas—a design often overlooked—improves acoustic attenuation while preserving airflow. This is especially valuable in urban environments with significant ambient noise, such as from traffic or nearby developments (Baker and Steemers, 2002). Such decoupling ensures that façade operability does not compromise indoor comfort or acoustic quality, aligning with best practices in bioclimatic facade design (Hyde, 2000; Givoni, 1998). In particular, differentiation in acoustic performance between blocks—as applied in the yellow block, which requires greater attenuation—demonstrates the fine-tuned nature of the environmental zoning strategy. Each zone is treated with a bespoke envelope strategy, considering site-specific conditions such as overshadowing and prevailing noise patterns, reflecting the contextual responsiveness critical to sustainable urban housing (Jenks and Dempsey, 2005).

Flexible Services Integration and Prefabrication

An innovative aspect of the environmental strategy is the integration of prefabricated mechanical and electrical service modules, which support environmental flexibility across the building’s life cycle. Services arrive on-site partially assembled, designed for rapid deployment using mobile cranes and mounted along the building’s edge structure. This modular approach enhances construction efficiency, reduces on-site waste, and allows for future adaptability—supporting long-term sustainability (Kieran and Timberlake, 2004; Gibb, 1999). The structural frame, made from hot-rolled steel, doubles as the support for the platform-framed facade modules, enabling a clean integration of glazing infill panels and opaque elements. This system supports passive strategies (e.g., opening windows, fan-assisted ventilation) while also enabling incremental upgradeability—key in maintaining the performance of a building over time (Hyde, 2000). The mechanical ventilation system is designed to respond to layout variations, allowing repositioning within each apartment. This flexible infrastructure ensures that natural ventilation remains viable, even as layouts change during occupation or over the life of the building—minimising reliance on mechanical cooling and aligning with adaptive environmental design principles (Lechner, 2015; Givoni, 1998).

Environmental Zones and Cross Ventilation Strategy

Each option implements zoned environmental control. In Option 1, the three blocks form independent environmental units, each calibrated to its solar orientation and exposure to urban noise and wind. Cross ventilation is enabled through building gaps and end-to-end airflow pathways, while shading and buffer zones control solar gain and heat loss (Olgyay, 2015; Baker and Steemers, 2002). Option 2 continues this zonal logic with a layout of three identifiable environmental zones (e.g., grey, green, and blue blocks), each oriented to introduce fresh air from one side into all rooms—facilitating single-sided and cross ventilation. This model is particularly efficient in temperate climates, where mild temperatures allow natural airflow to regulate indoor comfort for most of the year (Givoni, 1998). Option 3 further refines the strategy by relocating wet areas (kitchens, bathrooms) to external facades, thereby consolidating mechanical service paths and freeing internal space for larger, better-lit and ventilated living areas. This spatial shift supports passive stack ventilation in vertical cores and enables deeper penetration of daylight into the plan—enhancing indoor environmental quality without energy-intensive systems (Ratti et al., 2003).

References

Baker, N. and Steemers, K., 2002. Energy and Environment in Architecture: A Technical Design Guide. London: E & FN Spon.

Gibb, A.G.F., 1999. Off-site Fabrication: Prefabrication, Pre-assembly and Modularisation. London: Whittles.

Givoni, B., 1998. Climate Considerations in Building and Urban Design. New York: Wiley.

Hyde, R., 2000. Climate Responsive Design: A Study of Buildings in Moderate and Hot Humid Climates. London: E & FN Spon.

Jenks, M. and Dempsey, N. eds., 2005. The Compact City: A Sustainable Urban Form? London: Routledge.

Kieran, S. and Timberlake, J., 2004. Refabricating Architecture: How Manufacturing Methodologies Are Poised to Transform Building Construction. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lechner, N., 2015. Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Sustainable Design Methods for Architects. 4th ed. Hoboken: Wiley.

Olgyay, V., 2015 [1963]. Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism. Updated ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Phillips, D., 2004. Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture. Oxford: Architectural Press.

Ratti, C., Raydan, D. and Steemers, K., 2003. Building form and environmental performance: archetypes, analysis and an arid climate. Energy and Buildings, 35(1), pp.49–59.

Steemers, K., 2003. Energy and the city: density, buildings and transport. Energy and Buildings, 35(1), pp.3–14.