Passive Design Strategies: From Necessity to Design Trends

En. Muhamad Syakir Mahadzir

 

When I was little, I lived in a house built in the 60s. It had character, a split level for the living area, huge timber steps with gaps in between that allowed my brothers and myself to squeeze through the railings and risers (a feat in retrospect, I myself would not have allowed my kids to do the same). The house was rather small, utilitarian and compact in design, but what struck me was the use of vertical louvered windows, placed above all the windows and opening of the house. My cats made full use of these narrow openings as entrance and exit points in and out of the house with the occasional civet (musang pandan) also using these alternative entrances. Only when studying architecture, I realized these were passive design strategies in efforts to cool the interior of the house. It was apparent in almost all the houses in my neighbourhood, Petaling Jaya. I assumed it was normal back then, where ventilation blocks are placed above windows, other passive design strategies such as concrete brise-soleil, large overhangs, regardless of residential houses, landed or apartments, shop lots and even big government buildings. Passive design strategies were implemented throughout every building design.

Petaling Jaya was among the initial meticulously designed suburban communities that were created to accommodate the Modernist architectural style (Aman et al., 2017). Petaling Jaya saw the development of low and medium-housing estates, with the early neighbourhoods predominantly adopting the Tropical Modernism architectural style. Various design solutions were evident in single residential buildings, terrace houses, and walk-up flats to maximize passive cooling. These simple cottage style houses often used passive cooling design, with concrete brise-soleil and permanent openings such as concrete louvres and ventilation blocks placed strategically around the house, optimizing cross ventilation and stack effect.

  

                   

            Figure 1.1: Modernist Design and passive cooling elements (source: photo by author)

 

 

                     Figure 1.2: Modernist Design and cross ventilation according to orientation

                              (source: CAD drawing by author, measured on site).

 

 

Within a span of a couple of decades, the reliance of active cooling in residential homes has increased and is a contradiction to a more sustainable energy-efficient solution. As global climate is a major concern, the usage of active cooling increases carbon emission and just adds more problems. Studies have shown that the building sector accounts for between 23% to 47% of total primary energy consumption in developed and developing countries worldwide (Chen, Tong, & Malkawi, 2017). 70% of energy used in residential houses is due to active cooling and electrical appliances which require heating. Passive design elements are no longer required. Some, like the breeze block has been reduced to a design trend rather than its initial purpose.

 

                           

                   Figure 1.3: Vent blocks above window (Source: photo from author)

 

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Date of Input: 03/10/2025 | Updated: 03/10/2025 | marini