Urban solarium : thermal performance in Boston

Abstract

This thesis addresses the issue of energy efficiency through the lens of thermal performance in the context of urban housing in the city of Boston. Located in the historic brick row house neighborhood of the South End, the project utilizes brick for its inherent property of high heat capacity - a material's ability to store radiant energy and release it later due to the temperature difference between day and night - as a thermal battery for heating and cooling domestic spaces. In Boston where the temperature frequently goes below freezing in winter time, this thesis challenges existing housing typologies by incorporating thermal mass as a passive solar strategy at the scale of an entire structure. The urban solarium produces an interstitial zone in housing that promotes a new lifestyle by bringing together thermal performance and urban farming.