ABSTRACT
An initial overview of Double Skin Façades (DSF) functions in buildings is followed by a case study of the potential to improve the resilience of offices using DSFs. A numerical study of the performance of a confluent jet system for Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) spaces, integrating and optimising the contribution of energy produced in a DSF for winter conditions was done. The thermal comfort, indoor air quality and Air Distribution Index (ADI) of system were simulated using a Building Thermal Response (BTR) model, coupled with a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Human Thermal Response (HTR) models to evaluate tissue, blood and clothing temperature distributions. The CFD provided air velocities, air temperatures, air turbulence intensities and carbon dioxide concentrations. The BTR model evaluated the thermal performances of opaque, transparent and indoor surfaces for a virtual office space occupied by six virtual manikins around a table. Calculated indoor environmental conditions in the office and DSF showed that acceptable thermal comfort and indoor air quality levels could be maintained indoors, as the ADI increased over a day. A final discussion addresses how DSF buildings can enhance genuinely resilient, low energy, and comfortable office design with existing simulation software and skills.
