USA: Passive design improves infrastructure and community resiliency during extreme weather

By Krissy Govertsen, PhD candidate, Interdisciplinary Engineering, Northeastern University; and Michael Kane, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University

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Long-term solutions require passive design

National efforts have been made to increase the resilience of the power grid and natural gas lines. However, these systems are still vulnerable. In addition to residents losing fuel access, their mechanical equipment often struggles to meet the demands of temperature extremes. The possibility of infrastructure failure always exists. Historically, however, homes relied less on real-time supply chains, stored more energy locally (e.g., a winters supply of wood stacked out back), and were designed to leverage local conditions to reduce energy demands (e.g., the shading porches of southern homes and low ceilings and large chimneys of the Cape Cod style). These homes were optimized with available passive systems—systems that are simple in design and do not involve mechanical or electrical devices, such as pumps or fans, to condition the indoor environment.

Examples of passive systems include:

• Solar design—the building’s location and orientation are studied and used to maximize and/or minimize natural effects, such as solar heat gain. These decisions can reduce heating and cooling costs.
• Thermal mass—the building’s mass is used to store heat energy in order to reduce temperature swings; it can supplement solar heat gain to radiate heat at night.
• Natural ventilation—wind-driven pressure differences are used to move air through the building without mechanical assistance, reducing cooling costs.
• An improved building envelope—the interior of the building is separated from the exterior with minimal air leaks or thermal bridges to reduce the demand for indoor mechanical conditioning.

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Outside the engineering offices, we can actively participate in local-government disaster preparedness committees, providing our expert knowledge of our community’s vulnerabilities. Government officials and community leaders can improve community resilience during extreme weather events by increasing passive design requirements in the building code, facilitating well-neighbor-check programs, informing constituents, and ensuring adequate community resources are available when buildings fail to meet occupants needs. Strengthening the passive survivability of the community as a whole will reduce the risks associated with extreme temperatures, decrease the impacts that these weather events, and certainly save lives.

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