EVALUATION OF VENTILATED CAVITY WALL DESIGN FOR PASSIVE COOLING OF INDOOR SPACES

The function of building facades includes the regulation of solar-radiated heat. It also includes regulating the ranges of heat transfer from the exterior to the interior of a building. The primary functions of building facades promote energy conservation, hence making the art of façade design a vital energy-efficient option in sustainable building. The concept of a ventilated cavity wall is presented in this paper as an option that functions as a barrier for trapping excessive heat radiated naturally through building envelopes, while at the same time utilizing ventilation of the cavity space in its double layer to control the heated façade through aeration of the cavity space. A review of modern active multi-skin façade systems adopted by designers reveals the climate-responsive ideas associated with double-skin facade designs. This study emphasizes the function of the ventilated cavity wall as a climate-responsive system that passively enables the cooling of indoor spaces. For this purpose, a study of a sample of this design was conducted to ascertain the thermal control properties. The study includes an experimental evaluation and thermal simulation of the sample model using the Phoenix-VR application. The results of the interior air temperature and internal façade cavity conditions reveal that this façade system may substantially reduce the thermal effect on building walls. This is seen in the significant decrease of the indoor room temperature by up to 5oC compared to the cavity air temperature. The result provides a good premise for designers to adopt the principles of the ventilated cavity wall system in building designs. For application, residential homes that adopt the ventilated cavity wall option may further improve indoor thermal conditions through whole building orientation or by indoor space orientation. The indoor spatial orientation if properly managed during the building design process may add to the energy conservation potential