Operation and control strategies for multi-storey double skin facades during the heating season

The implementation of the double skin facade (DSF) has been the object of broad study in recent years. However the performance of DSF is often questionable because of the lack of experiment and monitoring data, especially regarding multi-storey DSFs. In this study, the actual behavior of a multi-storey double skin facade was measured during the heating season in an office building located in South Korea. The validation of the simulation model was made against measured data with the three statistical indices of the mean bias error (MBE), the root mean squared error (RMSE), and the coefficient of determination (R-2). The wind pressure coefficient for the airflow network simulation was calculated using computational fluid dynamics. Based on the control scheme and operation strategies, three types of models were proposed and analyzed with the validated simulation model. These models include a model using DSF as a thermal buffer space (Case 1), a model applying a control scheme on the operable windows (Case 2), and a model using a cavity space as a preheating space for an HVAC system (Case 3). It was found that significant energy saving is possible if multi-storey DSF is integrated with an HVAC system as a preheating space. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.