The 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference,

01-014 Tokyo, 27-29 September 2005 (SB05Tokyo)

DEVELOPMENT OF A PASSIVE COOLING STRATEGY USING DOUBLE-ROOFING SYSYTEM

WITH RAINWATER SPRAYING AND ITS FIELD TESTING IN TERMS OF THE INDOOR
THERMAL ENVIRONMENT

1
Itaru TAKAHASHI Ph.D
2
Akihiko KUROIWA

1
Department of Architecture, Tokai University, 1117 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan
2
Architect°A, 3-18-53-301 Iguchi, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0011, Japan, arck@nifty.com

Keywords: double-roofing, passive cooling, rainwater, evaporation, exergy

Summary
This paper describes passive cooling effect of double roofing-system with rainwater spraying. The upper roof
is thermally-well insulated so that it functions as shading. The lower roof, namely the ceiling is composed of
glass-fiber cloth of 1mm and zinc board of 0.5mm so that it functions as a radiant cooling panel. The
evaporation of rainwater taking place on the external surface of the ceiling provides the occupants with the
coolness into indoor space. The authors made a couple of field measurement of the indoor thermal
environment of a wooden house in Tokyo the roof of which is equipped with double-roofing system. The
following are findings. In a room with the double-roofing system, the residents did not feel discomfort during
the period of the measurement, in which the MRT ranged 27~32°C, the indoor air velocity 0.5~1.0m/s, the
room air temperature 28~32°C, while outside air temperature 26.5~37°C. The residents felt comfortably cool
due to the combination of solar control of the upper roof and also bamboo made “sudare” screen, natural
ventilation and radiant cooling by the ceiling. The internal surface of the ceiling absorbed heat of
20~70W/m2 of the sum of radiation and convection from indoor space. The internal surface of the ceiling of
the double-roof emitted radiant “cool” exergy of 0.065W/m2 and convective “cool” exergy of 0.19W/m2 and
thereby the residents might feel comfortably cool.

1. Introduction
In tropical and temperate regions including Japan, the excessive use of air conditioners in summer causes
increase of electricity use, bad influence on the temperature regulation of human body and urban heat island
phenomenon, so that it is vitally important to develop passive cooling strategies that can provide us with both
of thermal comfort and low energy use, namely low exergy consumption (IEA-ECBCS-Annex37, 2004).
From this point of view, various passive strategies such as shading, natural ventilation, evaporative cooling
and so on have studied, developed and tested. Roof spraying is relatively often used among the strategies of
evaporative cooling. However, the amount of heat that the internal surface of the ceiling absorbs from indoor
space becomes small, because the roof sprayed is necessarily thermally-well insulated for both of winter and
the period without spraying in summer.
Therefore, the authors developed a passive cooling strategy using double-roofing system with rainwater
spraying. We designed and completed a wooden house with this cooling system in the suburb of Tokyo
in1999 (Takahashi, 2001). The upper roof is thermally-well insulated so that it functions as shading, and the
lower roof, namely the ceiling is composed of glass-fiber cloth of 1mm and zinc board of 0.5mm so that it
functions as a radiant cooling panel. The evaporation of rainwater taking place on the external surface of the
ceiling provides the occupants with the coolness into indoor space. The device for thermal insulation and the
device for evaporative cooling are separately equipped with this double-roofing system, so that the
temperature of the internal surface of the ceiling can go down at most the wet bulb temperature and the
combination with natural ventilation and shading can provide the occupants comfortable coolness.

2. Double-Roofing Cooling System

Figure 1 shows a sectional view of the living room and the kitchen in which this cooling system is installed.
Photo 1 shows the house in which double-roofing cooling system is installed.
The upper roof is composed of the surface cover of 2mm of galvanized steel board, a closed cavity of 90mm
and a foamed polystyrene board of 75mm at the bottom and functions as shading and thermal insulation.
The lower roof, namely the ceiling is composed of glass-fiber cloth of 1mm and zinc board of 0.5mm the
internal surface of which is painted white so that it functions as a radiant cooling panel.

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Figure 1 Sectional view of the living room and the kitchen Photo 1 Façade of a house using double
using double-roofing system with rainwater spraying. -roofing system with rainwater spraying.

The surface temperature of the ceiling can immediately decrease, if the evaporation occurs. A thin glass-
fiber cloth is placed on the external surface of the thin zinc ceiling board in order to keep the external surface
of the glass-cloth and the zinc board wet and evaporating. The four covers consisting of surface cover
galvanized steel board of 2mm and foamed polystyrene board of 60mm enclose the air gap between the
upper roof and the ceiling for thermal insulation in winter.
The screens made of bamboo and called “sudare” are installed at the south and the east windows as
shading. The windows are placed on the south wall and the west, and also the north so that the air breezes
through from the south. The walls are thermally-well insulated by a glass-wool cloth of 50mm thickness. The
combination of shading, natural ventilation and radiant cooling by the ceiling can effectively provide the
residents with acceptable and comfortable enough range of coolness.
The rainwater is collected by the rainwater collector installed on the rooftop, when it rains. The rainwater to
be used for evaporation is supplied into the glass-fiber cloth from the rainwater tank by gravity; so that there
is no use of electricity. A solenoid valve connected with the rainwater pipe alone uses electricity. Therefore
this cooling system uses very little electricity. The solenoid valve is controlled by a remote control device
equipped with the bath room which is located at the second floor. The rainwater is supplied four times a day:
4:50~4:54, 10:50~10:54, 16:50~16:54, 22:50~22:54.
The bed room is located at the west of the second floor. This room has a single roof which is the same as
the upper roof of the living room.
The residents open the windows alone during the daytime in summer for natural ventilation because of
security.

3. Measurement of Indoor Thermal Environment

The authors made a couple of field measurement of the indoor thermal environment of the wooden house in
Tokyo which is equipped with the double-roofing cooling system from the 19th to the 22nd of August in 2000
and from the 6th to the 12th of August in 2002. We measured horizontal solar radiation, outside air
temperature and humidity, air temperature and humidity in the air gap between the upper roof and the ceiling,
room air temperature and humidity, temperature of the internal surfaces of the walls, temperature of the
internal and external surface of the upper roof, temperatures of the internal surface of the ceiling, room air
velocity and so on every one minute during the period of the measurement.
We gave five placards which are written as “discomfort”, “hot”, “neutral”, “slightly chilly” and “comfortably
cool” expressed in Japanese. The residents are husband and wife over 70 years old. They wore a short
sleeve shirt and a short pant or a summer skirt. The value of clothing insulation was 0.3~0.4clo. Whenever
the resident feels some sensation which is similar to the sensation written in the placards, he (she) is asked
to stand the similar placards in a bottle on the dining table in the living room. When the resident feels a
sensation excluding five sensations, we also asked them to stand no placards. The votes and behaviors of
the residents were recorded by a digital camera every 10 minutes during the period of the measurement
(Takahashi, 2000). We asked the residents to open the windows in the nighttime during the period of the
measurement in 2002.

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4. Passive Cooling Effect Measured

Figure 2 shows outdoor climate, indoor thermal environment of the double-roofing room (living room and
kitchen) and thermal sensation vote in the double-roofing room measured in 2002.
The highest of the horizontal solar radiation is about 1000W/m2 from the 8th to the 11th of August in 2002.
The outside air temperature measured under the rainwater collector ranges 26.5~37°C. The outdoor
environment was very severe during the period of the measurement.
The room air temperature varies 28~32°C and becomes close to the outside air temperature in day time due
to natural ventilation. The temperature of the internal surface of the ceiling varies 24.5~28°C excluding the
period from 16:00 to 17:00 of the 8th and the 10th. In the period from 16:00 to 17:00 of the 8th and the 10th,
the external surface of the ceiling became partially dry because it was just before spraying, so that the
temperature of the internal surface of the ceiling suddenly went up and down. The mean radiant temperature
(MRT) varies 27~32°C and goes between the room air temperature and the internal surface of the ceiling. In
contrast with convective air conditioning, the MRT becomes lower than the room air temperature and indoor
radiant environment is improved by the combination between evaporative cooling on the external surface of
the ceiling and solar control of the bamboo screen of “sudare”.
Most of the room air velocity becomes 0.5~1.0m/s, so that the air sufficiently breezed. Relative humidity of
the living room varies 45~75%. The residents voted “neutral”, “slightly chilly” or “comfortably cool” excluding
“hot” voted during the period from 16:00 to 18:00 of the 10th. They voted no “discomfort”.

Figure 2 Outdoor climate (upper), indoor thermal environment of the double-roofing room (middle) and
thermal sensation vote (lower) measured in 2002.

Ceiling 30˚C Ceiling

27˚C Ceiling
Wall 29˚C
Wall Wall
32˚C 28˚C
Human
Human
body
body
Single-roofing room Double- roofing room
(Bed room) (Living room and kitchen)

(Outside air temperature 31˚C, at 14:00 on the 20th of August in 2000)

Photo 2 Thermograph of the single-roofing room (left) and the double-roofing room (right) measured in 2000.

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Photo 2 shows the thermograph of the single-roofing room (left) and the double-roofing room (right)
measured at 14:00 on the 20th of August in 2000. In the single-roofing room, the surface temperature of the
ceiling and walls are 1~2°C lower than the outside air temperature. On the other hand, in the double-roofing
room, the surface temperature of the ceiling and walls are 3~4°C lower than the outside air temperature.
Table 1 shows the consciousness and lifestyle of the residents in passive and active cooling that was
grasped by having interviews with the residents. The residents originally do not use and like air conditioners.
In the double-roofing room, the residents feel comfortably cool around their heads. On the other hand, in the
single-roofing room, the residents feel hot and discomfort around their heads. The residents have felt
acceptable cool in summer except a few days in the double-roofing room without use of air conditioner since
2000. The residents feel hot and use a small fan, when air does not breeze around noon, or internal heat
increases by cooking.

Table 1 Consciousness and lifestyle of the residents in passive and active cooling
The residents originally do not use and like air conditioners.
In the double-roofing room, the residents feel comfortably cool around their heads.

In the single-roofing room, the residents feel hot and discomfort around their heads.

The residents have felt acceptable cool in summer except a few days in the double-roofing room
since 2000.
The residents feel hot and use a small fan, when the air does not breeze around noon, or internal
heat increases by cooking.

Figure 3 Vertical temperature distribution of the living Figure 4 Heat absorption of the internal and the
room measured on the 9th of August in 2002. external surface of the ceiling of the double roof.

Figure 3 shows the vertical temperature distribution of the living room measured on the 9th of August in 2002.
The surface temperature of the floor and room air temperatures at the height of 0.1m, 0.6m, 1.1m, 1.6 and
2.1m are about 28°C and the surface temperature of the ceiling at the height of 2.6m is 24.5°C at 6:00. While
the outside air temperature is 27.3°C. The surface temperature of the ceiling is 24.5°C and is alone lower
than the other temperatures also at 15:00. In contrast with convective air conditioning, the surface
temperature of the ceiling is alone lower than the other temperatures due to evaporative cooling at the
external surface of the ceiling, so that it makes residents feel comfortably cool around their heads.
Figure 4 shows heat absorption of the internal and the external surface of the ceiling. Red circles show the
amount of the heat that the internal surface of the ceiling absorbs from the indoor space by the sum of
radiation and convection. Blue dots show the amount of the heat that the external surface of the ceiling
absorbs from the air gap and the lower surface of the upper roof by the sum of radiation and convection.
Horizontal axis shows the amount of the heat that the external surface of the ceiling emits into the outdoor
space by evaporation. The sum of the heat absorption from the internal surface of the ceiling and the heat

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absorption from the external surface of the ceiling is equivalent to the heat emission from the external
surface of the ceiling by evaporation.
The heat absorption of the internal surface of the ceiling varies 20~70W/m2 and is equivalent to about 40%
of the heat emission of the external surface. On the other hand, the heat absorption of the external surface
of the ceiling varies 20~110W/m2 and is equivalent to about 60% of the heat emission of the external surface.
It is necessary to make the amount of the heat absorption of the internal surface of the ceiling more than the
heat absorption of the external surface for cooling of indoor space.

5. Exergy Flows through Roofs

There are various energy flows and matter flows such as solar radiation, convective heat, effective radiation,
rainwater, water vapor and so on in buildings with passive cooling strategies. Exergy is the concept, in which
quantifies the potential of energy and matter to disperse in the course of their diffusion into their environment,
so that we can discuss the potential for cooling contained by thermal energy, the potential for heating
contained by thermal energy and the potential for diffusing contained by matter such as water in a unique
index as values of exergy (Shukuya, 2002, 2004).
The exergy balance of the upper surface of the roof is given by the following equation.

2 2
hro Tsou  To  hco Tsou  To  Co Tsou  Tsol Tsou  To 
^ `
D ITRF  To  sdir  sdif   H  qer  To ser   s gouTo
Tsou  To 

Tsou

Tsou
(1)

where D is solar absorptivity of the roof [-] (=0.7), ITRF is solar radiation flowing into the surface of the roof
[W/m2], To is the environmental temperature [K] (=outside air temperature), sdir is the entropy of the direct
solar radiation [W/m2K], sdif is the entropy of the diffuse radiation [W/m2K], H is mean emissivity of the roof [-]
(=0.9), qer is the energy of effective radiation [W/m2], ser is the entropy of effective radiation [W/m2K], sgou is
the entropy generation rate caused by the heat transfer on the upper surface of the roof [ W/m2K], hro is the
radiant heat coefficient of the upper surface of the roof [W/m2K] (=6W/m2K), hco is the convective heat
coefficient of the upper surface of the roof [W/m2K] (=16W/m2K), Co is the thermal conduction of the of the
upper surface of the roof [W/m2K] (=0.476W/m2K), Tsou is the temperature of the upper surface of the roof [K],
Tsol is the temperature of the lower surface of the roof [K] (Shukuya, 2004).
On the left-hand side of equation (1), the first term means solar exergy absorbed, the second the exergy of
effective radiation absorbed and the third exergy consumption rate. On the right-hand side, the first term
means thermal exergy of radiation flowing into outside air, the second thermal exergy of convection flowing
into outside air and the third the exergy of thermal conduction flowing from the upper surface to the lower
surface. Equation (1) mathematically expresses that the solar exergy and the exergy of the effective
radiation flow into the upper surface of the roof, a large portion of them is consumed by heat transfer and the
rest is discharged out of the upper surface.
We also derived exergy balance equation of the external surface of the ceiling of the double roof, exergy
balance equation of the internal surfaces of the ceiling of the single-roof and exergy balance equation of the
internal surfaces of the ceiling of the double roof.
The exergy emitted by body whose temperature is higher than its environment is an ability of thermal energy
emitted by the body to disperse into the environment. On the other hand, the exergy emitted by body whose
temperature is lower than its environment is an ability of thermal energy absorbed by the body to let the
thermal energy in the environment flow into it and to cool space or body. We call the former “warm” exergy
and the latter “cool” exergy. The exergy contained by liquid water is an ability of water to evaporate and to
diffuse into its environment such as outside air. We call it “wet” exergy (Shukuya, 2004).
Figure 5 shows exergy balances through the single roof (left) and the double roof (right) which are the results
of the exergy analysis using the data measured at 14:00 on the 20th of August in 2000. Orange arrows show
“warm” exergy, dark blue arrows “cool” exergy and light blue arrows “wet” exergy.
In the case of the single-roofing room, solar exergy of 472 W/m2 and the exergy of effective radiation of 0.33
W/m2 are absorbed by the upper surface of the roof and 91% of the sum of them is consumed by the heat
transfer from solar radiation and effective radiation to thermal conduction, convection and radiation at the
upper surface of the roof. As a result, radiant “warm” exergy of 0.13 W/m2 and convective “warm” exergy of
0.1 W/m2 are emitted from the internal surface of the ceiling. All of the radiant exergy flows which flow from
the walls, the windows and the floor into the internal surface of the ceiling is “warm” exergy. “Warm” exergy
flows from the ceiling might make the residents feel hot and discomfort around their heads as shown in
Table 1.
In the case of the double-roofing room, the values of solar exergy and the exergy of effective radiation
absorbed by the upper surface of the upper roof are the same as the case of the single-roofing room.

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effective radiation
Effective radiation
8.4 0.33
effective radiation
Effective radiation
8.4
0.33 34
34 472
472 Wet
wet 6.3
430 warm 436
Warm Cool
cool
0.1 0.065
0.0001 0.13 0.0005 0.19
0.009 0.00085

0.006 0.005
0.00002 0.002 0.0003 0.0004
(west wall) 0.002 (east window)
0.0066 0.00004 (east window)
(East window) (West wall) (East window)
(west wall) 0.007 (east wall) (east
(Eastwall)
wall)
(West wall) (East wall) 0.015

Single-roofing room Double-roofing room

Figure 5 Exergy balances through the single roof (left) and the double roof (right). Orange arrows show
“warm” exergy and dark blue arrows “cool” exergy. Wavy arrows show radiant exergy and the arrows curved
thermal exergy of convection. Light blue arrows show “wet” exergy of water and values in squares show
exergy consumption.

“Wet” exergy of liquid water sprayed of 6.3 W/m2 is thrown into the external surface of the ceiling and a
large portion of its exergy is consumed by evaporation. As a result, the surface temperature of the ceiling
becomes lower than outside air temperature. Radiant “cool” exergy of 0.065 W/m2 and convective “cool”
exergy of 0.19 W/m2 are emitted from the internal surface of the ceiling. Radiant “cool” exergy of 0.015 W/m2
alone from the floor flows into the ceiling, because its angle factor between the floor and the ceiling is the
largest among the angle factors between the other parts and the ceiling. “Cool” exergy flows from the ceiling
might make the residents feel comfortably cool around their heads as shown in Table 1.

6. Conclusion
Followings are findings. In the double-roofing room, the residents did not feel discomfort during the period of
the measurement, in which the MRT ranged 27~32°C, the indoor air velocity 0.5~1.0m/s, the room air
temperature 28~32°C, while outside air temperature 26.5~37°C. The residents felt comfortably cool due to
the combination of solar control of the upper roof and also bamboo made “sudare” screen, natural ventilation
and radiant cooling by the ceiling. The internal surface of the ceiling absorbed heat of 20~70W/m2 of the
sum of radiation and convection from the indoor space. The internal surface of the ceiling of the double-
roofing room emitted radiant “cool” exergy of 0.065W/m2 and convective “cool” exergy of 0.19W/m2 and
thereby the residents might feel comfortably cool.

Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Sugiyama who are the residents of the house with double-roofing
system for their cooperating on our field measurement. We would also like to thank Dr. Masanori Shukuya
who is a professor of the graduate school of Musashi Institute of Technology and Mr. Kazuaki Mori who is a
researcher of Hazama Corporation for their cooperating on our planning and field measurement.

References
IEA-ECBCS-Annex37. 2004, Guidebook for Low-Exergy Heating and Cooling of Buildings.
Takahashi, I. and Kuroiwa, A. 2001, Natural Cooling System Utilizing Evaporation of Rainwater,
Regenwassernutzung und bewirtschaftung im internationalen Kontext fbr (International Regenwassertage
2001 in Mannheim), pp. 217-110.
Takahashi, I., Saito, M. and Shukuya, M. et al. 2000, Difference in Thermal Sensation and Behavioral
Pattern of the Occupants between Passive and Active Cooling Strategies, Proceeding of the 17th
International PLEA Conference, pp. 593-598.
Shukuya, M. and Hammasche, A. 2002, “Introduction to the Concept of Exergy – for a Better Understanding
of Low-Temperature-Heating and High-Temperature- Cooling Systems”, VTT RESEARCH-2158, pp. 1-41.
Shukuya, M., Nishikawa, R., Takahashi, I., Saito, M., Asada, H. and Isawa, K. 2004, Theory on Exergy and
Environment, HOKUTO Publisher (in Japanese).

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