This paper describes a two-dimensional numerical study, by finite-volume method of buoyancy-driven flow in a half-scale model of a stairwell. The stairwell forms a closed system within which the circulation of air is maintained by the supply of heat in the lower floor. The heat loss takes place from the stairwell walls. The mathematical model consists of the governing equations of mass, energy, momentum and those of the k - E model of turbulence. The predicted flow pattern and the velocity in the stairway are presented and compared with the authors' experimental data.
The importance of the climate to general health and wellbeing has long been understood. The ultimate goal for planning, building, renovation and administration of the housing stock is to satisfy people's needs. When this goal is not attained, the results will be human sacrifices, social problems and losses to the national economy. This, of course, also applies to the issues of climate and the environment. Research and development work on these questions is nothing new for the Swedish Council for Building Research (BFR).
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