The Benefits of Double-Skin Facades to Facilitate Natural Ventilation in Tall Office Buildings

Abstract

Tall buildings (i.e., buildings of, or taller than, 200 m [656 ft]) are on a rise worldwide and their energy efficiency and healthy environment has become an important concern, given the current environmental challenges and health considerations. Natural ventilation has proven to be an effective passive strategy in saving energy and improving the working environment in many types of buildings. However, it is still a challenge to apply the strategy in tall office buildings due to the unique unfavorable outdoor conditions, such as strong winds, that are experienced at upper levels. Double-skin facade (DSF) systems can provide an opportunity to apply natural ventilation strategy to tall office buildings, as they can regulate the wind speed and pressure through the openings. This study will investigate the benefits of DSFs to improve indoor airflow and facilitate natural ventilation in tall office buildings in two cities, Chicago and Shanghai, with different climatic conditions. In order to maximize the accuracy of the results as well as evaluate natural ventilation performance of tall office buildings with DSFs, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and wind tunnel tests will be conducted. The proper DSF configurations with quantified natural ventilation performance will lead to better understanding of how DSFs should be designed for tall office buildings under different climatic conditions in which DSFs have not been commonly applied. The qualified conditions of indoor spaces can make a natural ventilation strategy with DSFs more feasible for tall office buildings which still highly rely on mechanical systems.