How to use natural ventilation to cool narrow office buildings

Concern about global warming has resulted in a resurgence of interest in naturally ventilated offices. Windows opening can, most of the time, be enough to cool the buildings. To compare various strategies, simulations with the software TAS were made to analyse zone air flows, temperature evolution and needs for cooling in an office. Simulations show that sufficient day or night ventilation rate can be reached by window opening, even if wind characteristics are unfavourable. We studied which should be the size, shape and location of the window apertures to reach sufficient ventilation rates. We finally analysed the impact of the wind orientation and the degree of wind protection of the building on these ventilation rates. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.