Exterior louvers as a passive cooling strategy in a residential building: Computational Fluid Dynamics and Building Energy Simulation modelling

The implementation of shading devices is one of the passive strategies to improve indoor thermal conditions during summer. They can obstruct direct solar radiation while permitting wind flow inside the building. Therefore, its use implies two passive interventions for indoor thermal comfort: solar protection and natural ventilation. This study focuses on the implementation of exterior louver systems and the simulation, evaluation and improvement of indoor thermal comfort in an existing modern residential building in Palermo, Sicily. The implementation of the louver systems, the natural ventilation strategies and the evaluation and quantification of the (dis)comfort is performed by coupling Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Building Energy Simulation (BES) calculations. Values of indoor air speed and pressure coefficients are obtained from CFD calculations and further used as input in BES calculations and comfort analysis. The results show, for this particular case, that overheating problems could be improved by passive means by the application of several strategies like the use of existing balconies with external louver systems and whole day natural cross ventilation.

ISBN:9782763789392

Publication year:2009

Accessibility:Open