Experimental and Computational Evaluation of the Thermal Performance of DoubleSkin Façades

Double Skin Facades (DSF) have been a recently developed technology to improve the thermal performance of conventional façades of buildings which use large glazed areas. However, there has been a lack of test information on the behaviour and performance o

Environmentally responsive architecture; passive design for school in southern India

This paper outlines the findings of a research project undertaken as part of the design for St. Anthony’s School, a primary school in the town of Gudalur situated in tropical southern India. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate a design approach

Dynamic sensation of comfort in buildings: the temperature changes effects

The sensation of comfort in buildings depends on externaland internal variables: the well-known PMV method relates the expected temperature with the physiological behavior of the human body. Some models have discussedthe relevance of adaptation factors, in order to explainthe higher expected good temperature of users living in warm climates. The same PMV method has been modified for these climatic situations.

Double skin façade glazed office buildings; A parametric study for optimized energyand thermal comfort performance

Highly glazed buildings are often considered to be airy, light and transparent with more access to daylight. Their performance, however, regarding to energy use and thermal comfort issues is often questioned. Passive solar systems such as Double Skin Faades are likely to improve the overall building performance if integratedproperly. This article deals with energy and indoor climate simulations of double skin office buildings in Sweden using a dynamic energy simulation tool.

Daylight availability in an office interior due to various fenestration options

Adoption of daylight as an energy efficiency strategy is especially relevant for a climate like Malaysia, as the country experiences long sunshine hours throughoutthe year. An important aspect of effective daylight strategy is the performance of the window in permitting daylight entry. This paper presents a study conducted to account daylight availability in an office interior undervarious fenestration options; namely window-wall-ratio (WWR), glass types and application of external shading devices of varying depth.

Cooling of outdoor spaces by means of evaporative-cooling ceramic-pillars

This document presents the theoretical study of evaporativecooling designed for the outdoor spaces in the Spanish pavilion of the coming International Exhibition in Zaragoza 2008.

Cooling by underground earth tubes

It is a well notorious fact that if you get below the surfaceof the earth a few meters, the temperature tends to be constant and at 8 to 12 degrees, depending on latitude.So, it does not take an architect to appreciate that if you could move outside air through a buried pipe, you could alter its temperature and then move it into a house where it can warm or cool the homes interior.Underground temperatures can be very beneficial in balancingthe thermal comfort of the house.

Control of temperatures in air-conditioned indoor spaces using reduced order model

Real-time control of comfort in indoor spaces needs models of temperature distribution and air-velocity velocityfield. Currently, a one zone model is used assumingthat the temperature is homogenous in the whole space. If the heterogeneity of air velocity field and the temperatures distribution is to be taken into account by the control system, a direct or indirect measurement of the temperature in the occupancy zone is needed. The purpose of this study is to control the temperature in the occupancy zone by integrating a low order model into a feedback control loop.

Contribution of shading in improving the energy performance of buildings

The effect of shading in reducing the energy consumptionof office buildings in Athens is investigated in this article. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the role of shading devices in the improvement of energy efficiencyof urban buildings especially in Southern Europe.The first phase of research consisted of detailed data collection from 10 office buildings in the region of Athens, employing questionnaires, in-situ visits as well as interviews.

Comparison of energy load demand and thermal comfort levels in Athens, Greece and London, UK

This paper presents a comparison of the characteristics of the energy demand for London, UK and Athens, Greece and explores its relationship with both climate and non-climate related factors. Year-to-year trends for both cities are identified, associated mainly with economic, social and demographic factors. In addition, several other effects such as weekly and holiday effects, unrelated to weather conditions are detected and are examined in comparison for the two cities.

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