Marcello Caciolo

Progress on single-sided ventilation techniques for buildings

Single-sided natural ventilation is a free cooling solution which accommodates readily to most office building layouts. However, this technique is often ruled out by building designers since its ability to maintain comfort conditions is difficult to assess. Indeed, the cooling effect of this technique driven by wind and stack effects is highly dependent on outdoor conditions. This article intends to review the techniques of single-sided natural ventilation and the tools available to assess the performance of this technique. Then, the performance of single-sided natural ventilation is assessed for low-energy office buildings in two European climates. The methodology is based on the use of a building energy simulation program coupled with a recently developed correlation for single-sided ventilation. Several cases of office buildings are assessed, taking into account the main factors influencing the natural ventilation potential such as building loads, thermal inertia and orientation. For each building case, the energy-saving potential of a mixed-mode cooling system is analysed compared with the same building case with a full air-conditioning system. The comfort level of non-air-conditioned buildings is then studied for each building case. Finally, the impact of the window type on the performance of single-sided natural ventilation is assessed.