The Korean architect Insoo Park, main of the architectural practice based on Seoul PARKiz, presents us a very interesting patent to turn the usually forgotten and repudiated installation shafts into opportunities for bringing air and light into the building’s core interior.
Because high-rise building usually uses most of its outside part as the occupancy zone, environment of central part of the building remains inferior conditions. That is, central part of the building utilizes artificial lights and ventilation system due to poor ventilation and dim environment. Using artificial lights and ventilation could be one way of creating livable environment. However, in terms of the ‘Quality of living’ satisfaction of the users from environmental quality decreases under the artificial ligthing and ventilation. In addition to this, there is another reason why core area of the building remains hardly utilized. High-rise buildings tend to set up important segments of structure in the core area of the building. Since structural segments take up significant amount of area, not much room left in the core area. Eventually, core area remains merely as a management room or storage.
If ‘Eco-shaft’ be introduced into core area, Eco-shaft will make occupancy zone at the centre of the building solving structural problem. Because the main function of the Eco-shaft is to bring in natural light and air to the core area, the structure should contain open top for the lighting and ventilation.
Shape of the Eco-shaft will be decided by design of the building alongside with engineering which may bring the most efiicient natural lighting and ventilation into the core area.
For further, Eco-shaft can be continuosly evolved as Smoke exhausting system and installed in high-rise building by adding up structural facilities. Also, wind power generator can be built into the Eco-shaft to control speed of air flow inside of the shaft. Therefore, Eco-shaft is a highly promising item for development of related industries in the proper sense of improving habitability of building and reducing energy use for maintenance.”
“Natural Lighting System”:
Sunlight comes into the building through Eco-shaft. The sunlight brightens not only core area but also each and individual room in the building with light cables.
We figured out a way to combine smoke ventilation duct with shaft. Combining shaft and smoke ventilation enlarges available area by reducing amount of room for separated smoke duct.
Natural Ventilation System:
Eco-shaft generates electricity with horizontal variations in air pressure which causes motion in air. Specially manufactured ventilation holes increase amount of air comes in. Eventually, increase of pulled in air causes more air pressure drastically increases with higher attitude and speed of the air flow grows faster enough to run the electric generators.”
Main air stream in the shaft draws air around the shaft. Pressure of the center remains lower than outer building, due to main air stream takes up all the air around the shaft. Lower pressure in the core area makes wind blow into the building and enables smooth circulation.”
Natural sunlight comes through the shaft. Once the sunlight reaches to the surface of reflecting mirror on the roof-top, pre-installed reflecting mirrors inside of the shaft bounce the light deep down to the bottom.”
*all the displayed material has been provided by Insoo Park