Abstract
Opaque ventilated façades (OVFs) are increasingly gaining in importance in the design of sustainable buildings, given that they can lessen the building´s environmental impact. Opaque ventilated façades can reduce thermal gains in hot climate zones, improving the thermal comfort indoors, and reducing air conditioning demand. Nevertheless, the thermal behaviour of the opaque ventilated façade depends on the climatic conditions and the building´s specific design. This study analyses the effect of opaque ventilated façades in office buildings using 30 constructive configurations under eight tropical climate conditions. The study considers three options for the external layer of cladding (ceramic, stone, and aluminium composite material) and two configurations for the inner layer (plasterboard with mineral wool and ceramic). Simulations were carried out using the software tools TRanNsient SYstem Simulation program (TRNSYS) and TRNFlow. The model developed considers bioclimatic characteristics, including solar radiation and wind conditions for each climatic zone. The operating temperature was selected from within the range established by occupant comfort regulations. The findings suggest that it is possible to select the best office building opaque ventilated façade configuration for each of the specific climate conditions in Brazil.
Highlights
The building’s envelope characteristics, its suitability, have great influence on the buildings annual heating and cooling consumption, which influences dependence on the grid energy supply [1,2], especially in detached and high-rise buildings, which are common in tropical climate zones, where the atmosphere is usually hot and humid
According to European research [3,4,5,6], the opaque ventilated façade’s (OVF) potential to reduce heating gains is quite large in the summer, ranging from 20% to 40%
OVF systematic design approaches in tropical and subtropical climates are missing out on the state of the art developments and a complete study is necessary, which includes a range of climatic zones and layer compositions, to verify if, in this heterogeneous country, it is worth investing in OVF to obtain a more efficient building, given the lack of data on the OVFs thermal behaviour to support design decisions
Summary
The building’s envelope characteristics, its suitability, have great influence on the buildings annual heating and cooling consumption, which influences dependence on the grid energy supply [1,2], especially in detached and high-rise buildings, which are common in tropical climate zones, where the atmosphere is usually hot and humid. According to European research [3,4,5,6], the opaque ventilated façade’s (OVF) potential to reduce heating gains is quite large in the summer, ranging from 20% to 40%. This type of envelope was introduced in the early 2000s in many countries from the Southern Hemisphere based on proven efficiency in Northern Hemisphere countries. OVF systematic design approaches in tropical and subtropical climates are missing out on the state of the art developments and a complete study is necessary, which includes a range of climatic zones and layer compositions, to verify if, in this heterogeneous country, it is worth investing in OVF to obtain a more efficient building, given the lack of data on the OVFs thermal behaviour to support design decisions
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