PASSIVE DESIGN: ROOF POND

A roof pond uses a store of water above the roof to mediate internal
temperatures, usually in hot desert environments. At night, the insulation is
removed and the water exposed, losing significant amounts of heat by
radiation to the night sky. Early in the morning, the insulating panels are
replaced to protect the water from the heat of the day and solar radiation.

The water remains relatively cool throughout the day, cooling the ceiling of
the space below. A cool ceiling is particularly effective in rooms where heat is
being generated as warm air always rises to the top, to lose its heat almost
immediately to the ceiling. The water is typically contained in black bags or
dark coloured containers to maximise radiant emissions and minimise
evaporation.

Application for Heating

A roof pond can also be used to provide heating. In this case, the store of
water above the roof is used to absorb solar radiation during the day.

At night, the water is covered with insulating panels and the stored heat
warms the ceiling and radiates down into the spaces below. No convection
current is created, however, as the warmed air tends to remain beneath the
ceiling. The distribution of collected heat is by radiation only, so proximity of

the ceiling to the individual being warmed is important as radiation density

drops off quickly with distance.

The water in a roof pond is typically surrounded by or contained within black

surfaces to maximise solar collection. Since thermal storage is the ceiling of
the building, it will radiate uniform low-temperature heat to the entire layout
in both sunny and cloudy conditions.

Roof pond cooling system / Roof sprinklers

The roof absorbs the highest amount of solar radiation during summer. On a
hot summer day the surface
temperature of the roof could reach up to 80 C. The roof also has the largest
exposure to the sky dome and
hence can be used effectively for night sky radiation.

Roof sprinkler

The roof gets hot in summer, to cool

the roof and the occupant space; Roof sprinkler system can be adapted. This
system works very well in hot and dry climate and also in moderate climate.
Roof sprinklers system adapts evaporative cooling technique to cool the roof
slab (Adiabatic process). A passive ventilation system with roof sprinklers can
achieve comfort temperature in summer hot and dry climate and also in
moderate climate.

Important Considerations

A large volume of exposed water, with the major living and sleeping
spaces directly beneath.

Moveable insulating panels to protect the water from heat losses when
undesirable.

A thin conducting ceiling immediately below, preferably with ridges or

corrugations to increase its interfacing surface area.

Sufficient structure to support a considerable load.

Not effective for heating at high latitudes as the Sun is at too low an
angle to effectively heat the water.