design tools

Prediction of the impact of building design parameters on the thermal behaviour of a building in the early design stage

Submitted by on Sat, 07/06/2013 - 16:39

The thermal performance of a building depends on a number of building design parameters. Development of ‘energy efficient building concepts’ therefore requires insight in the here mentioned interrelation. In the recent past many advanced simulation tools

A simple design tool for determining the effectiveness of thermal mass and night ventilation as passive cooling design strategy.

Submitted by on Sat, 07/06/2013 - 16:31

We calculate the influence of thermal mass and night ventilation on the maximum indoor temperature in summer. The results for different locations in the hot humid climate of Israel are presented and analyzed. We find that the maximum obtained indoor temperature depends linearly on the temperature difference between day and night at the site. The fit can be applied as a tool to predict from the temperature swing of the location the maximum indoor temperature decrease due to the thermal mass and night ventilation.