Dynamic compartmentalization of double-skin façade for an office building with single-sided ventilation

Abstract In this study, a compartmentalized double-skin facade (DSF) is developed for an office room with single-sided ventilation to enhance the performance of the passive design strategy. We designed a DSF that has both an inlet and an outlet to ensure compatibility with single-sided natural ventilation, increased the air cavity heights to overcome the effects of limited ventilation rate, and compartmentalized to suit seasonal conditions. The performance of the dynamically compartmentalized DSF was evaluated using four key parameters: cavity height, cavity depth, opening-to-glazing ratio (O/G ratio), and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). Two different seasons, namely summer and winter, were targeted. The results revealed the interdependency of each parameter and indicated the potential energy savings in terms of both cooling and heating. In summer, a greater cavity depth with a higher O/G ratio was helpful when the cavity height was increased. A higher SHGC increased the airflow rate, but it increased the room temperature because the solar heat gain was more influential than the increased airflow rate. In winter, the interdependency between the parameters increased with the SHGC. When airflow rate was restricted to fulfill the minimum ventilation requirement, a higher inlet cavity height helped increase the room temperature by 2 °C on average in winter.