DESIGNING FOR NATURAL VENTILATION: AN EARLY DESIGN STAGE TOOL

Juan Vallejo Natural Cooling Ltd. juanan.v@naturalcooling.co.uk

Brian Ford Natural Cooling Ltd. brian@naturalcooling.co.uk
Pablo Aparicio Ruiz Universidad de Sevilla pabloaparicio@us.es
Camilo Diaz WSP Group Camilo.Diaz@WSPGroup.com

Fig 1: Natural Ventilation Steady-State Calculation Tool

WHICH ARE YOUR ARCHITECTURAL (R)SOLUTIONS TO THE SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC
CHALLENGES OF TODAY?
Research summary
Early design stage decision making proceeds very quickly, and strategic decisions regarding the
feasibility of natural ventilation must be supported by speedy and reliable evaluation. There are a
limited number of such early stage design tools for evaluating natural ventilation options, and none of
them are widely used in practice. This paper will present a simple steady-state tool which was initially
developed as an in-house tool within a UK based architecture and environmental design practice. The
tool has been applied in the development of a wide range of projects, and has proved to be reliable
and quick to use in evaluating the broad feasibility of natural ventilation options. It is also an
innovative educational tool which has been used widely by post-graduate students in exploring the
implications and opportunities for natural ventilation in different locations and for different building
types. This tool has recently been further developed for more widespread use and application. The
objective was to expand the range of generic airflow strategies that can be explicitly evaluated,
extend the geographic applicability of the tool, incorporate a more user-friendly graphic interface,
and release it in a web-based platform to be accessible from any device. A comparative evaluation of
the attributes of different existing tools, a survey of user experience and a critical evaluation of
potential improvements to the detailed structure of the tool, has formed the basis of the further
development of this tool. It is envisaged that these developments will make it a more widely used
professional tool and facilitate the design and evaluation of proposals for low carbon naturally
ventilated buildings worldwide.
Keywords: natural ventilation, software tool.
1. Introduction

The significant benefits of natural ventilation

over mechanical ventilation are now widely
appreciated: reduced carbon emissions
(mechanical ventilation can represent 25-35%
of electrical energy use in buildings); reduced
capital cost (mechanical ventilation can add
10% to the capital cost); reduced maintenance
cost (mechanical ventilation can double the life
cycle cost). Naturally ventilated buildings can
also be robust and reliable in providing a
healthy and comfortable internal environment. Fig 2. The Stock Exchange (a converted church)
However, architects cannot always rely on an Valletta, Malta. (Architecture Project Architects).
engineers help in the early stage of design,
and so they need a simple and quick tool to
assist in the evaluation of natural ventilation
options. Too often, this lack of early stage
evaluation results in the application of
mechanical ventilation by default.
This paper describes a simple steady state tool
for the evaluation of natural ventilation
options in buildings at an early design stage. It
was developed originally by Dr Camilo Diaz as
an in-house tool for use by a practice of
consultants in the UK. It was applied in
evaluating options, airflow path strategies and
preliminary sizing of vent opening areas in a
series of buildings in Europe, North America,
Fig 3. Summer Ventilation Strategies, The Stock
India and China. This included the design of the
Exchange, Valletta, Malta (Architecture Project).
Stock Exchange in Malta with the architects
Architecture Project (see Figs 2 & 3), the
Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies, The tool was applied in these projects at an
Ningbo, China (Mario Cucinella Architects) and early stage, and as the design became more
the Pittsburgh Convention Centre, USA defined, other (more sophisticated) tools were
(Raphael Vinoly Architects). More recently it used to assist with refinement of details and to
was used to support early stage design of a provide confidence in the dynamic
new Performing Arts Building for Nottingham performance of each building. This simple tool
Girls High School, UK with Marsh Growchowski has proved to be reliable and quick to use,
Architects. supporting rapid design development and
providing a good basis for later stage more
detailed analysis.
Over the last ten years, the original tool has
also been applied by post-graduate students at
the University of Nottingham in the evaluation
of their design projects. Limitations and
potential improvements emerged over this
time, and a plan to develop the tool and make
it more widely applicable was conceived. The
new tool has been developed by Juan Vallejo
and Pablo Aparicio Ruiz, in collaboration with
colleagues at the University of Biobio in Chile,
and coordinated by Brian Ford. The objective
has been to expand the range of generic
airflow strategies that can be explicitly
evaluated, extend the geographic applicability
of the tool, incorporate a more user-friendly
graphic interface, and release it in a web-based
platform to be accessible from any device. A
comparative evaluation of the attributes of
different existing tools (by Muriel Diaz and
Emily Vargas at the University of Biobio in
Chile), and a survey of user experience and a
critical evaluation of potential improvements
to the detailed structure of the tool, has
formed the basis of this further development.
A primary consideration has been to assist
definition of a reliable ventilation strategy
which will achieve the ventilation rates
required to provide a healthy environment and
avoid the risk of overheating. The provision of
adaptive opportunities for the occupants of
buildings are also placing more demands on
designers in relation to the health and comfort
of building users. All this must be achieved
while minimising carbon emissions. This tool
has therefore been designed to inform the
feasibility of a natural ventilation strategy and
to provide additional information on thermal
comfort and design considerations for the
successful development of the strategy.
This paper describes the structure and the
main features of this tool, the range of generic
airflow strategies, the building internal and
external conditions, and the calculation
methods and results.
2. Methodology
This program has been structured according to
the user profile: the architect/designer; which
differs from many engineer-oriented natural
ventilation guidelines and publications. This
approach leads to airflow rates as main
outcome, whereas the building layout,
aperture areas and stack heights become
inputs required for the calculation. This results
in a quick input process as in most cases the
user is more familiar with the building layout
than with airflow rates required.
During the decision-making process, a single
outcome with the airflow rates achieved
sometimes is not enough and additional
information about the airflow rates required
for fresh air or for cooling are extremely
helpful. The building context (internal and solar
conditions) also needs to be addressed to allow
a comparison of required vs achieved before
considering any strategy as valid.
First, the user is asked to choose an airflow
path according to the building layout. Then,
internal and solar heat gains are defined in
order to estimate airflow rates required to
provide fresh air and for removing excess heat.
Finally, a set of outcomes including airflow
rates, air velocities and comfort prediction are
plotted in comparative charts to give to the
user the required information to evaluate the
feasibility of the selected strategy.
The ease of use and quick input process also
invites the user to explore other strategies
under different environmental conditions. This
also helps the user to understand the impact of
different factors (stack height, aperture areas,
internal-external temperatures) affecting the
buoyancy driven and wind driven airflow rates
achieved.
3. Natural ventilation strategies
The different space arrangements proposed in
the tool and the expressions used for the
calculations are aligned with the CIBSE AM10
(2005) document. The tool covers single sided
and cross ventilation through an open window
or two open vents in an isolated space (single
cell), a single-cell building with multiple inlets
and an atrium connected to wide open
occupied spaces, and a multi-cell building with
occupied spaces connected to a well-defined
chimney, closed to the surroundings except at
the inlets. A downdraught scenario is also
available to emulate a direct evaporative
cooling system.
The multi-cell scenario (not covered in CIBSE
AM10, 2005) has been introduced in the range
of strategies available in order to emulate
more realistic situations with more than one
space connected to each other, commonly
happening in two (or more) storey buildings.
4. Airflow data input
The interface of the tool was carefully
considered. The majority of the user inputs are
shown over diagrams and images that help
understanding of each value. The diagrams also
provide a simple record of input assumptions.
Aperture heights, areas, and temperatures are
displayed as shown in figure 4.
Fig 4: Chimney (multi-cell) data input.
The effective area of each aperture is also
considered and a range of values are suggested
to the user according to the way the window
opens and the surrounding head, sill and jamb
details (figure 5).
Fig 5: Effective aperture (%) data input.
Some assumptions were also made to create a
quick and intuitive tool and reduce the number
of inputs required:
- Temperatures within the space are
assumed to be the same at any given
height.
- Indoor-outdoor temperature difference
is suggested for daytime and night-time
ventilation in order to obtain reliable
results.
- In scenarios with multiple apertures,
the neutral plane has been set at a
height between the top inlet and outlet
and an estimate of the outlet area
required to satisfy the selected flow
pattern is calculated based on this
assumption and the input data. This
avoids unnecessary iterative processes
(implicit method) performed by the
 user to find the required aperture areas
and heights to satisfy the selected flow
pattern.

5. Internal and solar heat gains

A quantification of the total heat generated in

the space is required to estimate airflow rate
required for cooling.

Internal gains are defined by the number of

occupants, equipment and lighting gains.
Benchmark allowances for internal heat gains
in typical buildings are given from CIBSE (2015).
The number of occupants is also used to
calculate the airflow rate required to provide Fig 6: Section and floor plan inputs.
fresh air in the space.

Direct and conductive solar gains are also

considered and calculated by the tool. From
experience, access to solar radiation data may
sometimes be difficult for some users, and in
order to avoid difficulties during the input
process, the tool estimates hourly clear sky
beam and diffuse irradiance on vertical and
horizontal surfaces for any month of the year
and extends the application of the ASHRAE
Clear Sky Model (2005) to both northern and
southern hemispheres. Only glazing and
opaque construction properties of the exposed
building elements are user inputs (figure 6).
6. Calculation methods and results.
The principle of mass conservation is applied in
each envelope flow model (equation 4.9, CIBSE
AM10, 2005) and the airflow rate through each
opening is expressed as a relationship between
the pressure difference across the opening by
means of the discharge coefficient and the
specified effective aperture area (equations
4.10 and 4.11, CIBSE AM10, 2005).
Discharge coefficients and wind pressure
coefficients have been set to default values
optimised for each airflow model. Wind
pressure coefficients have been taken from
CIBSE AM10 (2005).

The calculation process outputs airflow rates

driven by buoyancy and driven by buoyancy +
wind. Buoyancy driven airflow rates would
represent the worst case scenario and must be
considered during the feasibility assessment.
Buoyancy + wind driven airflow rates will
inform the user about the impact (and benefit)
of wind force in the chosen natural ventilation
strategy.

Three charts are plotted to provide a general

overview of the performance of the natural
ventilation strategy. The first graph indicates
the airflow rates achieved in the given
scenario, and compares them with the airflow
rates required for the supply of fresh air and
for removing the total heat gains generated Fig 8: Air velocities (m/s) and physiological
equivalent temperature reduction (C)
within the space (required for cooling). The
results are given in m3/s, ACH, and Wh/m2 by
The third chart predicts comfort conditions
means of the space volume and indoor-
within the occupied space based on the
outdoor temperature difference (figure 7).
adaptive comfort method from ASHRAE
Standard 55-2013. The chart plots the
operative temperature over the predicted
comfort bands referring to 80% and 90% of
user acceptability limits.

The operative temperature is calculated by the

software after considering the external and
internal temperature, the total heat gains
generated within the space and the heat losses
achieved with natural ventilation (figure 9).
Fig 7: Air flow rates output (m3/s).
The results and the user inputs are summarised
The second chart plots air velocities in m/s at in one A4 page which can be downloaded in
the inlets and outlets, together with the PDF format for future revisions, presentations,
average room air velocity. The graphs also etc.
relate the air velocities achieved with the
physiological equivalent temperature
reduction according to the operative
temperature expression given in CIBSE (2015),
chapter 5.2.2. Under hot conditions, air
movement is a valid strategy to improve
comfort conditions of occupants and must also
be considered when assessing the benefits of a
natural ventilation strategy.
Fig 9: Predicted operative temperature and
adaptive comfort band. ASHRAE STANDARD 55-
2013.
7. Summary.
This paper has described the development of
an early stage design tool for evaluating
natural ventilation options. The tool originated
in practice and has been applied in the design
of a number of buildings in different parts of
the world. It has now been improved and is to
be made more widely available. The purpose of
this improved tool is to assist the decision-
making process at early design stage, regarding
the feasibility of natural ventilation, and to
educate architects, designers and postgraduate
students in the principles of natural ventilation.
This program is currently under peer review
since May 2015 and by September 2015 is
expected to be introduced in five Master
Programmes in the UK, Chile, Italy and Spain.
The tool will then be made available via the
internet to both students and practitioners
who register on the website.
It is hoped that this tool will contribute to an
increase in the number of professionals with
expertise in designing for natural ventilation,
and that this will lead to wider application of
natural ventilation and passive cooling
solutions in future building projects. It is also
hoped that this process will contribute to a
reduction in the carbon emissions and
maintenance costs associated with mechanical
ventilation and air conditioning. Without wider
commitment to such alternatives, related
carbon emissions will continue to rise and the
associated social and economic benefits will be
lost.
8. Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Emily Vargas, Muriel
Diaz and Maureen Trebilcock of the University
of BioBio (Chile) for their assistance and
collaboration during the development of the
tool; the postgraduate students from the
University of Westminster, University of
Nottingham and University College of London
(UCL) for providing us with useful feedback
when approaching the last stage of
development; and David Etheridge for his
helpful comments during the peer review
process.
9. References
ANSI/ASHRAE (2013). Standard 55-2013, Thermal
Environmental Conditions for Human
Occupancy. American Society of Heating
Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers.
ASHRAE (2005). Handbook: Fundamentals - SI
edition. American Society of Heating
Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers.
CIBSE (2015). Environmental Design. Guide A, 8th
Edition. Chartered Institution of Building
Services Engineers, London.
CIBSE (2005). Natural Ventilation in Non-Domestic
Buildings. Applications Manual AM10.
Chartered Institution of Building Services
Engineers, London.
Etheridge, D. (2011). Natural Ventilation of
Buildings: Theory, Measurement and Design.
Wiley.
Ford, B., R. Schiano-Phan, E. Francis (2010). The
Architecture & Engineering of Downdraught
Cooling. PHDC Press.
Givoni, B. (1994). Passive and Low Energy Cooling
of
Buildings. Van Nostrand Reinhold.