Building Physics

Heat, light and sound. Conduction, the thermal envelope, U-values and glazing, lighting and daylighting, and building acoustics.

• Conduction — Conduction is heat flow through a solid (or still fluid) by molecular contact. Learn Fourier's law, thermal conductivity, plane walls, cylinders (pipes and insulation), and transient heating.
• Building Physics & the Building Envelope — How heat, air and moisture move through buildings. Learn conduction, convection and radiation in buildings, thermal resistance and U-values of layered walls and roofs, thermal mass and time lag, solar heat gain through glazing (SHGC, WWR, shading), sol-air temperature, infiltration, condensation and dew point, insulation materials, cool roofs, and envelope performance under ECBC — with Python for U-values, the effect of insulation and envelope heat gain.
• Lighting, Daylighting & Building Acoustics — Designing for seeing and hearing. Learn photometric quantities (lumen, lux, candela, luminance), recommended illuminance levels, the lumen method with utilisation and maintenance factors, lighting power density, LED efficacy and controls, daylight factor and daylight autonomy, glare, colour temperature and CRI, then acoustics — sound levels in dB, noise criteria, reverberation time with Sabine's formula, absorption coefficients, sound insulation (STC, mass law) and HVAC noise — with Python for luminaires, daylight factor and RT60.