A Sensitivity Analysis of Natural Ventilation Design Parameters for Non Residential Buildings

Designers can use natural ventilation to reduce building energy use and improve occupant comfort. This study aims to provide guidance for designers of naturally ventilated buildings on the impact various design parameters have on natural ventilation performance.

We modelled a naturally ventilated reference office building, under a range of climate conditions and ventilation strategies. We performed a sensitivity analysis of a range of unknown design parameters used in the early design stage.

The results underline the most important parameters and their effect on natural ventilation strategies in difference climate types. Of the parameters assessed, airflow network parameters had the most significant impact on improve thermal comfort. Envelope characteristics were found to have a significant impact also on night cooling strategies in climates with large diurnal swing.

The results showed a dominant influence of the parameters that directly impact solar and internal gains on natural ventilation performance.

Quantitative measures of the impact of various input parameters are presented here which with the use of dynamic building simulation, can be used to support natural ventilation design.