Abstract
Glazed Double Skin Facades (DSF) offer the potential to improve the performance of all-glass
building skins, common to commercial office buildings in which full facade glazing has
almost become the standard. Single skin glazing results in increased heating and cooling costs
over opaque walls, due to lower thermal resistance of glass, and the increased impact of solar
gain through it. However, the performance benefit of DSF technology continues to be
questioned and its operation poorly understood, particularly the nature of airflow through the
cavity.
This paper deals specifically with the experimental analysis of the air flow characteristics in
an automated double skin façade. The benefit of the DSF as a thermal buffer, and to limit
overheating is evaluated through analysis of an extensive set of parameters including air and
surface temperatures at each level in the DSF, airflow readings in the cavity and at the inlet
and outlet, solar and wind data, and analytically derived pressure differentials. The
temperature and air-flow are monitored in the cavity of a DSF using wireless sensors and hot
wire anemometers respectively. Automated louvre operation and building set-points are
monitored via the BMS.
Thermal stratification and air flow variation during changing weather conditions are shown to
effect the performance of the DSF considerably and hence the energy performance of the
building. The relative pressure effects due to buoyancy and wind are analysed and quantified.
This research aims to developed and validate models of DSFs in the maritime climate, using
multi-season data from experimental monitoring. This extensive experimental study provides
data for training and validation of models.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of International Conference CISBAT 2015 “Future Buildings and Districts – Sustainability from Nano to Urban Scale” |
Place of Publication | Lausanne |
Publisher | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology |
Pages | 161-166 |
Number of pages | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Event | CISBAT - Lausanne, Switzerland Duration: 09 Sept 2015 → 11 Sept 2015 |
Conference
Conference | CISBAT |
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Country/Territory | Switzerland |
City | Lausanne |
Period | 09/09/2015 → 11/09/2015 |