College of Engineering

Dept. of Architectural Engineering

Environment and Sustainable Architecture

Lecture 4

Riman Mohammed Said Bashir

Air Flow

• Natural air flow is caused by pressure difference: it will flow from a zone of high
pressure towards a zone of low pressure.

• Air movement through buildings result from the difference in pressure indoors and
outdoors, which may be created either by natural forces (wind induced pressure
difference and stack effect e.g. pressure difference induced by temperature
gradients between the inside and outside of the building) or mechanical power
(fan).

• Air flow patterns are the result of differences in the pressure distribution around
and within the building. Air moves from high pressure regions to low pressure
ones.
• Natural ventilation is caused by naturally produced pressure differences due to
wind outside the building and/or differences in air temperature inside the building.

• Natural ventilation is achieved by infiltration and/or by allowing air to flow in and

out of the building by opening windows and doors.

• The term "infiltration" is used to describe the flow of outdoor air through leakage
paths in the building envelope.

• Forced air movement inside the building must be used when the natural driving
forces are inadequate or when an unacceptable noise or security problem is
generated by opening the windows.
• Box, oscillating and ceiling fans could increase the interior air velocities and
convection exchange improving the sense of comfort.

• Increased air movement in a room may create comfortable conditions with 2°C
increase in allowable space temperature.

• New buildings generally allow for 0.2 to 0.5 air changes per hour (ACH) by
infiltration, while with the windows wide open during summer, it is possible to
achieve 15- 20 ACH.

• Even larger air changes, around 30 ACH, can be achieved by natural means, but
this requires a large number of window openings carefully placed within the
space.
• Successful design of naturally ventilated building requires a good understanding
of the air flow patterns around it and the effect of the neighboring buildings.
• The objective is to ventilate the largest possible part of the indoor space.
Fulfillment of this objective depends on window location, interior design and
wind characteristics.
Cross Ventilation

• It is essential that windows are located on opposite walls to encourage cross

ventilation. Also, because of obstructions within the building, air flow may lose
its kinetic energy, each time it is diverted around an obstacle.

• Internal walls, furniture, etc. can effectively stop low velocity air flow.
Therefore, it is better to have partitions clear of the floor and ceiling.

• The main parameters influencing the air flow levels are the inlet and outlet
surface of the openings, the wind velocity and direction, the temperature
difference between the indoor and outdoor environment and the relative position
of the openings.
• Largest air velocity happens if the inlet is small and the outlet is large.

• If the inlet opening is large, air velocity will be low but the volume of air
passing in unit time will be higher.

• Therefore, large inlet openings are desirable when the wind direction is not
constant, or airflow through the whole space is required.
Chimney Ventilation

• Stack effect relies on thermal forces set up by the density difference (caused by
temperature differences) between the indoor and the outdoor air. It can occur
simply through an open window (when the air is still); the warmer and lighter
indoor air will flow out at the top, and the cooler, denser outdoor air will flow in
at the bottom.
Wind Tower

• Wind towers are generally used in Hot Dry climates for cooling purposes. A pre-
requisite for using wind tower is that the site should experience winds with a
fairly good and consistent velocity.

• The cardinal principle behind its operation lies in changing the temperature and
thereby density of the air in and around the tower. The difference in density
creates a draft, pulling air downwards, through the tower.

• Operation of the tower depends greatly on the ambient fluctuations like the wind
velocity, air, temperature changes, etc.

• In the presence of wind, the cool night time air enters the tower and forces itself
down into the structure. Sufficient cooling can be achieved due to forced
circulation.
• In the presence of wind, the air is cooled more effectively and flows faster down
the tower and into the living area.

• In order to improve the efficiency of it operation, evaporative cooling is used.

The air flowing down the tower is first sensibly cooled and then further cooled
evaporatively.

• This is achieved by providing evaporative cooling system in the tower. The

reduction in the temperature of air can be as much as 10 to 15°C in arid climates.
Traditional Building, Iran Zion National Park, USA
Design strategies that minimize the need for mechanical cooling systems
include:
✓ Proper windows placement,
✓ Selection of appropriate glazing for windows,
✓ Proper shading of glass when heat gains are not desired,
✓ Use of light-colored materials for the building envelope
and roof,
✓ Careful siting and orientation decisions,
✓ Good landscaping design.
Design for Maximum Ventilation:

✓ Install operable windows,

✓ Use landscaping elements to channel breezes,
✓ Properly locate and size windows for cross ventilation,
✓ Reduce internal barriers to ventilation (i.e. walls),
✓ Use wing walls if cross ventilation is not possible,
✓ Use stack ventilation to create a chimney effect.
Vegetation

• Properly placed vegetation can also guide airflows toward buildings for natural
ventilation and can block cold winter winds. Vegetation and groundcover also
contribute to evaporative cooling around a building.
Wing Walls

• To increase the cooling effectiveness of natural ventilation techniques, especially

on sites with low outdoor air velocity and variable wind directions, it is possible
to incorporate wing walls into the building design.

• Wing walls project outward next to a window even a slight breeze against the
wall creates a high pressure zone on one side and low on the other.

• The pressure differential draws outdoor air in through one open window and out
the adjacent one.