Abstract
The importance of low energy design in large buildings has encouraged researchers to implement different methods for predicting a building’s thermal performance. Atria, as energy efficient features, have been implemented to improve the indoor thermal environment in large modern buildings. Though widely implemented, the thorough study of atrium performance is restricted due to its large size, complex thermodynamic behavior and the inaccuracies and limitations of available prediction tools. This study reviews the most common research tools implemented in previous researches on atria thermal performance, to explore the advantages and limitation of different methods for future studies. The methods reviewed are analytical, experimental, computer modelling and a combination of any or all of these methods. The findings showed that CFD (computational fluid dynamic) models are the most popular tools of recent due to their higher accuracy, capabilities and user-friendly modification. Although the experimental methods were reliable for predicting atria thermal and ventilation performance, they have mostly been used to provide data for validation of CFD models. Furthermore, coupling CFD with other experimental models could increase the reliability and accuracy of the models and provide a more comprehensive analysis.
Highlights
Different studies about atrium thermal performance discuss the importance of implementing low energy design for new large buildings to reduce energy consumption
Different types of methods have been implemented in previous studies for the investigation thermal performance of various atrium models
Another advantage of conducting field studies for atrium building is that it provides appropriate data for validation of the simulation software implemented in the atrium model
Summary
Different studies about atrium thermal performance discuss the importance of implementing low energy design for new large buildings to reduce energy consumption. It is difficult to rely on the results of previous studies alone to generalize those achievements for other atrium types with different conditions [3]. Each atrium models require specific experimental or computational studies to fulfill the concerns of the accuracy in predicting results. Different types of methods have been implemented in previous studies for the investigation thermal performance of various atrium models. These methods take into consideration the accuracy and capability to provide detailed information, cost and user-friendliness. The scope of this study is limited to previous researches on atrium which evaluated indoor thermal and ventilation conditions
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