Abstract
Natural ventilation through window openings is an inexpensive and effective solution to bring fresh air into internal spaces and improve indoor environmental conditions. This study attempts to address the “indoor air quality–thermal comfort” dilemma of naturally ventilated office buildings in the Mediterranean climate through the effective use of early window design. An experimental method of computational modelling and simulation was applied. The assessments of indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and adaptive thermal comfort were performed using the British/European standard BS EN 15251:2007. The results indicate that when windows were opened, the first-floor zones were subjected to the highest CO2 levels, especially the north-facing window in the winter and the south-facing window in the summer. For a fully glazed wall, a 10% window opening could provide all the office hours inside category I of CO2 concentration. Such an achievement requires full and quarter window openings in the cases of 10% and 25% window-to-floor ratios (WFR), respectively. The findings of the European adaptive comfort showed that less than 50% of office hours appeared in category III with cross-ventilation. The concluding remarks and recommendations are presented.
Highlights
In urban areas, people spend most of their time indoors while performing different daily activities, where the concentration of most indoor pollutants is about 20% higher than in the outdoor environment [1]
When the 10% window-to-floor ratio is closed at all times, none of the zones provides any office working hours that the CO2 concentration appears under the category I (
When the 10% window-to-floor ratios (WFR) is opened by 10% during occupancy hours (08:00–17:00), considerable improvement can be seen for all window orientations
Summary
People spend most of their time (nearly 90%) indoors while performing different daily activities, where the concentration of most indoor pollutants is about 20% higher than in the outdoor environment [1]. Indoor air quality (IAQ) has a significant impact on human health and comfort. Modern lifestyle requires paying more attention to the provision of better thermal comfort and healthier indoor conditions for occupants, while advancements in technology and mechanical systems have created the means of achieving this goal. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most common gases found in our atmosphere It can be used as a good indicator of human bio-effluent concentration. An indoor CO2 measurement provides a dynamic measure of the balance between carbon dioxide generation in the space, representing occupancy, and the amount of low CO2 concentration in the outside air introduced for ventilation. Field studies suggest that the elevated airspeed within an occupied zone can possibly achieve thermal comfort even at higher temperatures and improve the perceived indoor air quality [3]
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