London heat loss, West - East

Towards Passivity


Date: 2020

Type: Individual project

Programme: Architecture MArch, Architectural Association School of Architecture

Software: QGIS with data from Landsat 8 Satellite



9% of all global CO2 emissions come from operations of buildings, a profoundly unnecessary expenditure. Above is an image of the data gathered by the Landsat 8 Satellite of the surface temperatures of London. I processed the data with QGIS software, which used machine learning to classify types of surfaces after I manually tagged them a few times. The spatial map of surface temperature was then generated is visualized in the video.

The data was collected on Christmas day 2019 when there was no wind and the air was cold. The image, therefore, is the direct representation of heat loss, which could be prevented with better building fabric.

I then calculated that if all London dwellings were to be converted to Passivhaus (a German building standard for ultra-low energy usage), it would equate to planting 24 areas of London of temperate forest.

The final deliverable of the project was a 300-page book, exploring various conditions of UK policy, urban heat island and energy expenditure. Some pages from the book can be seen in the gallery below.

Heat loss (dark) through the building fabric of a Georgian home, captured with a thermal camera

 
 
 

London household heat loss carbon = 24 x areas of London in forest carbon capture

 
Graph and text explaining urban heat island effect in London and Dorchester, with temperature data from December 2019 and July 2019.
Satellite thermal images of London in winter with dates from November 2016, November 2017, and December 2019, showing temperature variations. Temperature scale from 0°C to 41°C is included.
Satellite heat map of London showing summer temperature averages, with red areas indicating higher temperatures and dark regions representing cooler zones. The River Thames is visible, traveling across the city.
Diagram and satellite image illustrating London's anthropogenic heat flux on December 25, 2019, showing energy components and a segment of the Thames River.
Side-by-side aerial views of Fitzrovia: on the left, a Google Maps satellite image showing detailed city layout; on the right, a surface urban heat island map highlighting temperature variations.
Left: Aerial view of Canary Wharf with high-rise buildings and urban landscape. Right: Topographical map illustrating urban heat island effect in a city area.
Cross-section and map of London showing elevation and structure outlines.
An image displaying a tall building with a damaged facade, possibly from an explosion, with people observing from a nearby structure. There is also a graph showing combined gas and electricity consumption from 1919 to post-2011, along with a descript
A comparison between Passivhaus and temperate forest CO2 reduction with a satellite map of the UK highlighting London.
Comparison between Passivhaus Plus and forest cover, with text on environmental impact and a map of the UK highlighting London.