Seasonal optimization of a dynamic thermo-optical ETFE façade system

Jung Min Han, Daekwon Park

Research output: Chapter in Book/Entry/PoemConference contribution

Abstract

In typical high-rise commercial buildings in moderate climates such as that of New York City, over 50% of the annual electricity consumption is used for space cooling and heating (Kontokosta, 2007). Most of the cooling load in office buildings originates from solar heat gain on the building envelope. To date, passive solar heat gain and loss has been overlooked by researchers. Yet controlling solar radiation is important to reducing building energy consumption. Admittedly, ETFE membranes are increasingly being used in architecture in everything from extensive roofing to façade systems, due to their transparency and light weight. Research proposed by Park (2016) developed a lightweight and low-energy dynamic thermal insulation (DI) system for tall building envelopes. The system consists of a series of air cavities divided by ETFE membranes with a Low-E coating. The still air captured within the air-tight cavities functions as thermal insulation material, and radiant barrier films reduce radiant heat transfer through the air spaces. This system has the potential to save energy throughout the year because of its ability to consider seasonal variations. Importantly, the system is flexible enough to adequately adapt to future climate changes. By taking one representative future weather scenario as an example, the present parametric study was carried out on a DI system to investigate the adaptive building envelope and its impact on building performance. The results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed envelope system with various U-values of heating and cooling load reductions, along with additional mitigation of the carbon footprint.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication16th International Conference of the International Building Performance Simulation Association, Building Simulation 2019
EditorsVincenzo Corrado, Enrico Fabrizio, Andrea Gasparella, Francesco Patuzzi
PublisherInternational Building Performance Simulation Association
Pages4887-4893
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781713809418
StatePublished - 2019
Event16th International Conference of the International Building Performance Simulation Association, Building Simulation 2019 - Rome, Italy
Duration: Sep 2 2019Sep 4 2019

Publication series

NameBuilding Simulation Conference Proceedings
Volume7
ISSN (Print)2522-2708

Conference

Conference16th International Conference of the International Building Performance Simulation Association, Building Simulation 2019
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityRome
Period9/2/199/4/19

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Building and Construction
  • Architecture
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Computer Science Applications

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