Building form is one of the most critical factors influencing natural ventilation potential in an urban context, and thus has a significant impact on building energy consumption. This paper describes a genetic algorithm based building form optimization methodology that could respond to urban wind environments and achieve the highest natural ventilation potential. To accomplish this goal, script...

The main objective of this article is to present the calibration process of a computer model of a naturally-ventilated house built in southern Brazil. The house was monitored over two seven-day periods by using Hobo data loggers. The EnergyPlus computer program was used to create a computer model for the house; parameters related to air infiltration and natural ventilation were modeled by using...

A key component in low energy houses is the heat recovery from the ventilation air. Over recent years, the most frequently used ventilation type is the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. This kind of ventilation results in high heat recovery but does unfortunately consume a considerable amount of electrical energy. Natural or hybrid ventilation has the potential to consume less electric...

The roof solar chimney (RSC) is a low cost passive ventilation technique for reducing the energy consumption for cooling buildings. This study examines the performance and level of energy savings by simulating a detached home in four climates with RSC, cross-ventilation, and standard ventilation strategies. Each case was simulated in ESP-r for baseline and high efficiency construction, detached...

With the discovery of many economic, environmental, and health problems in sealed and mechanically ventilated buildings, the concept of natural ventilation has been revived. "Buildings that breathe" have become more and more desired by ordinary people and architects. Although natural ventilation is conceptually simple, it is difficult to design and control. At present, methods to study natural ...