An Analytical Investigation of the Energy Performance of Double-Skin Façade Systems in a Mild-Humid Climate: The Trabzon Case

This study quantifies the effect of Double-Skin Façade (DSF) systems on building energy performance and indoor thermal comfort under temperate-humid, diffuse-radiation climatic conditions, using Trabzon, Turkey, as a case study. A four-stage methodology was applied: (i) climatic characterization using Climate Consultant; (ii) BIM-based geometric modeling in Autodesk Revit 2024; (iii) coupled Revit Insight–EnergyPlus energy simulations; and (iv) comparative performance analysis between a multi-story DSF-equipped office building (S1) and a geometrically identical single-skin reference building (S0). Simulation results show that the DSF configuration reduced annual heating energy consumption by 15–22% and cooling energy consumption by 12–18%, corresponding to an overall annual energy performance improvement of 14–20%, while the proportion of thermally comfortable indoor hours increased by 10–14% relative to S0. These gains originate from the dual seasonal behavior of the façade cavity, which acts as a thermal buffer zone in winter and as a stack-driven natural exhaust channel in summer. Unlike prior DSF studies, which are concentrated in hot-arid or cold climates, this work provides quantitative, climate-specific evidence for temperate-humid, diffuse-radiation regions, offering transferable design criteria for cavity configuration, ventilation strategy, and glazing selection in similar climates.