Introduction:
Each region has its own way of achieving comfortable environment. Japanese traditional houses have been designed to be open and passive for the summer. Seaside villas are characterized as dwellings in nature with magnificent views and fresh wind. In such villas, you can see various combinations of window constitution: a window facing the sea with the role of taking both views and wind, and windows with different roles like a seaward window for taking views and a landward window for taking wind.
Focusing on the constitution and placement of such windows would clarify the balance of different patency by views and cross ventilation. This study aims to clarify how to utilize seaward views and cross ventilation in contemporary Japanese seaside villas, focusing on morphological characteristic of the windows.
Methods:
First, views were examined. Views being classified by the placement of glazing in a room facing the sea, the area of the glazing facing the sea as well as the rate of patency was examined. Then, for furnished rooms, the number and kinds of the furniture, the distance to the seaside front of the villa, and views seen from the place where the occupants gather, were examined. Based on these results, the characteristics of view patterns by the placement of glazing were discussed.
Second, cross ventilation was examined. The positional relation among the windows taking wind and the relation between the windows and sea breeze were examined. To catch cross ventilation path regarding the place, the rate of the area with cross ventilation as well as the inclusion relation of the place where the residents gather, was discussed. Furthermore, the characteristics of cross ventilation were discussed.
Third, based on all these results, we discussed the patency by the combination of view patterns and cross ventilation patterns and sorted the patency patterns by the index of the directivity to the sea.
Results:
1) For rooms facing the sea, view patterns were classified into three. Through the investigation of the patency of glazing of the seaward side, we have demonstrated the characteristics of view patterns: Fixed windows and windows that are capable of opening and closing on the seaward side were main streams. Catching the relationship between places in which people gather in a villa and other architectural elements, we discussed the characteristics of view patterns.
2) By the combination of places taking wind, cross ventilation was examined morphologically. Cross ventilation was classified into four by its path. We have demonstrated that the path following the sea breeze was often found. Furthermore, through the investigation area occupying the room as well as the inclusion characteristics of peoples gathering places, the characteristics of cross ventilation patterns were discussed.
3) Forming a matrix that sets view patterns in a vertical line and cross ventilation in a horizontal line, we obtained twelve patterns of patency. Arranging the patency patterns from the directivity, we clarified the followings: the basic pattern is cross ventilation following sea breeze: when views are limited to the seaward side, windows on the seaward side are for taking both views and wind: when windows play the role of more expansive views, the views of windows on the seaward side tend to have priority over wind.
Conclusions:
The present study has demonstrated twelve patency patterns of the utilization of seaward views and cross ventilation in contemporary Japanese seaside villas. Furthermore, we clarified the characteristics of the window compositions by arranging the patterns from the directivity to the sea.
