For townhouses, ventilation is of great significance because they often have a small area, lack of open space, and are secretive.
Ventilation is an important physical and architectural element in housing. Ventilation helps the indoor air environment to circulate and circulate regularly to push the old gas (which has high CO2 concentration) and welcome new and fresh air (rich in O2) in.
Good ventilation makes the air fresh, increases the comfort value of living space, improves health and saves energy for homeowners (reducing the use of fans, air conditioners). Therefore, ventilation design for townhouses is very important to pay attention to.
General principles
The general principle for ventilation is to create or take advantage of the difference in air pressure so that the air – the wind moves from one place to another, namely from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.
Next is in the spaces, where there are places to catch the wind in, and there are places to push the wind out. That means creating open positions, such as doors, windows, open spaces, and open spaces to circulate the wind. Theoretically so, but in fact, townhouses have very few open sides, usually only one or two open sides, so ventilation is not easy, but must be studied on architectural and technical solutions in each specific case. body.
Natural ventilation solutions
Natural ventilation is an architectural design solution that, in addition to meeting usability and aesthetics, also creates elements that enhance air circulation in the rooms and living spaces of the house. Natural ventilation solutions in townhouses include:
– Reasonable door system design (including area, location, orientation, structure, opening specifications) indoors, in function rooms. Accordingly, each required space has at least two door positions on two different walls (preferably opposite but staggered).
– Designing open spacesconnecting spaces (eg living room and dining room, living room and kitchen…) to create a large space for easy air circulation.
– Use materials with ventilation properties such as brick holes, flower walls, shutters/flashes. These types have the feature of discreet shielding, blocking sunlight, insulating heat while still ensuring ventilation.
Using brick holes, flower walls is also one of the natural ventilation measures for tube houses in the street. Image: Ha Thanh.
– Design of air ducts and skylights, technical slot for vertical ventilation to the roof. This solution is very suitable and popular with townhouses that lack open space. According to the principle of convection, hot air will rise to the top, forming a suction wind through the duct, skylight, and exiting to the roof. If there is a large space at the bottom of the skylight, it will enhance the efficiency of air circulation.
– Arrange green trees, design gardens, courtyards (with a house with a large enough area) to create a large, airy space and fresh air because the trees release O2. Trees also help to purify dirty / toxic air and regulate the temperature in the hot season.
– Design ventilation doors between the roof layer and the ceiling, especially for houses with tiled roofs, sloping roofs that have a ceiling underneath. Normally, the middle layer of air will be heated, radiating down to the usable space below. Therefore, it is necessary to ventilate to cool this air mass by ventilation openings.
– Take advantage of the stairwell as a skylight for vertical ventilation. This solution requires an open roof door for ventilation. This solution is also very effective because the stairs are often attached to the halls and floors, common spaces, so they contribute to large-scale ventilation in the house.
– Incorporating horizontal ventilation solutions (doors, corridors) and stands (stairs, skylights) to allow air to circulate freely and flexibly, effectively venting spaces.
Solutions for forced ventilation (mechanical ventilation)
Should not completely depend on natural ventilation because sometimes, this method is not effective (especially for townhouses), forced ventilation is required (mechanical ventilation – using ventilation equipment) support.
Also do not think that only the kitchen and bathroom need ventilation, but every other space used in the house such as the living room, bedroom, office… also needs ventilation. The most common types of ventilation devices are exhaust fans. To use the exhaust fan effectively, the following points should be noted.
– Choose the right fan for the function room (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom…), based on the area/volume of the room along with the corresponding capacity (calculated by flow rate m2)3 gas per hour). With a large space, it is advisable to install many small and medium capacity fans in many locations rather than one large capacity fan in one location. A ventilation specialist should be consulted.
Using a ventilation fan for the toilet enhances the ability to exchange air, push moisture out, and keep the air fresh and cool. Image: Ha Thanh
– Select equipment specifications suitable for installation capabilities in a specific space: like a wall or ceiling fan, with air ducts or without ducts. Architects should be consulted.
– Choose a suitable fan installation location to achieve the most effective ventilation, ie create the most beneficial airflow in the space. This needs to be based on the wind direction and air environment around the house, as well as the specific architectural plan. Usually, install in a position with little ventilation such as opposite the door, in the corner of the room to achieve the best effect. If the room is air-conditioned, the fan should be located at the farthest distance from the air conditioner. The position of the fan switch must be in a convenient place that is easy to use and operate.
– With a wall exhaust fan, avoid placing the fan in a location where there is rain on the wall, which can cause a fire or damage the device; Fans should be placed in places with outside roofs or walls next to the loggia. The position of the wall exhaust fan works best when it is about 17.5 to 22.5 cm from the floor and 25 to 30 cm from the ceiling
– For new construction, it is necessary to calculate the location of the machine in advance to prepare good technical infrastructure (such as power source, air duct)
– With renovation and additional installation works, it is necessary to carefully survey the current status so that the installation is convenient, avoiding much damage to the structure or architectural-interior aesthetics.
– The installation should follow the instructions and recommendations of the manufacturer.
– For fans that do not have a thermal sensor (automatically disconnects when the fan is too hot), the fan should not be turned on for too long, affecting its lifespan and possibly overloading the device and causing a fire.
– After a period of use, about 1-2 years, depending on the type of fan, maintenance is required (cleaning of dirt, dust, and grease on the bearing) to reduce noise and increase lifespan.
The selection of fan types, reasonable installation location, and proper use not only create high efficiency for ventilation, bring fresh air, and improve health; but also save power, avoid noise, make the equipment durable.
Architect Nguyen Tran Duc Anh
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
