In this chapter two main case studies of climate responsive buildings will be analysed in depth; in particular, they have been selected as close as possible to the assigned locations, in fact one is in the Pacific North-West, near Alaska, and the other one is in Malaysia.
  1.   CLIMATE-RESPONSIVE THERMAL MASS DESIGN FOR PACIFIC NORTH-WEST SUNSPACES
The first case study is located in North-West Pacific, in the Cold Subarctic climate; as already explained in the previous chapter, in these kinds of climates the thermal mass of the building elements is essential in passive solar spaces designed to store heat. So far, the rules for the design of this passive technology have been developed in the dry, sunny American South-West; since this latter climate is quite different from the Cold Subarctic one, the purpose of \citet{shaw2016} is to employ a series of field-validated Pacific North-West sunspace models to quantify limitations of conventional thermal mass design in the region and to reveal more suitable parameters with respect to the sizing and ground configuration of floor-based thermal mass.
First of all, thermal mass is an essential component of a passive solar space designed to store heat; by converting solar energy into its own molecular motion, a massive material allows indoor air to remain cooler during solar gain. Later, when outdoor temperatures drop, the mass returns some of its energy to the space through radiation and convection.
In this case study, to reveal thermal mass design parameters more suitable to the Pacific Northwest, conventional massing has been first evaluated, in addition to a wider range of floor mass thicknesses and multiple ground contact alternatives in a series of field-validated sunspace models. Then they redesigned and rebuilt a previously-studied sunspace in light of these results, monitoring indoor air and mass surface temperatures, slab-edge soil temperatures and mass surface heat fluxes through the following heating season. Field data were then used to validate a revised EnergyPlus model, allowing it to reveal mechanisms underlying the redesign's new thermal behaviour.
The field site is the Gates and Shaw sunspaces in the Pacific North-West area, from Eugene, Oregon (44°N, 123°W) to Vancouver, B.C. (49°N, 123°W), so the climate can be considered approximately similar to the one of Nome (Alaska). This site has been previously investigated in Spring 2011, revealing higher than expected solar collection, but also substantial heat losses through glazing, infiltration and thermal mass in direct contact with moist clay soils. The Gates redesign, completed later in 2011, sought to address its ground heat loss and infiltration issues, as well as model indications that the mass was undersized for the space's solar collection potential through installation of under-slab gravel drainage, full under-slab and perimeter insulation and construction of a thicker slab.