Performance evaluation of a quarter-spherical buffer space Trombe wall

• Novel quarter-spherical Trombe Wall for Mediterranean winter climates. • Thermal performance assessed on three real critical winter days. • TW-BS raises thermal efficiency from 0.3 % to about 11 %. Passive system labeled Trombe Wall is incorporated into building envelopes to assist in decreasing consumption of energy for heating. To improve the thermal performance of traditional Trombe Wall, a novel design with a quarter-spherical buffer space (TW-BS) was proposed and investigated over critical winter days under Mediterranean climates. Results show that the novel TW-BS system significantly improves thermal performance, increasing the thermal efficiency from 2 % to 11 % on the winter solstice day at 16:45 compared to a conventional rectangular Trombe Wall, and from 0.3 % to 11 % on January 22 at the same time. The innovative TW-BS design also raises the indoor temperature by approximately 13 °C, 15 °C, and 18 °C on November 22, December 22, and January 22, respectively, thereby ensuring comfortable indoor conditions throughout the winter season. Future developments of the Trombe Wall in architecture engineering will be guided by the findings of this study's thermal evaluation. Results have shown that the novel Trombe Wall façade is both cost-effective and practical in a variety of locations with wildly disparate Mediterranean climates.