Enhancing and optimising façade design performance
Novasim provides specialist consultancy services in building physics applications to enhance and optimise façade performance design. Thus, allowing for more accurate assessments of a buildings’ heating and cooling needs.
Our approach
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling offers a time efficient and cost effective way of running thermal studies on multiple configurations of façade design. It can be used to calculate the effects of solar radiation on temperatures across the façade and on internal glass surfaces. CFD allows for the testing of façade performance under various climatic conditions and design configurations, as well as sensitivity testing to such parameters.
Typical application – Double-skin façades
The double-skin façade is a system of building consisting of two skins, or façades, placed in such a way that air flows in the intermediate cavity. This façade design is widely used in sustainable buildings as an integral part of the natural ventilation strategy. Its thermal performance capabilities contribute to reduce building heating, cooling and ventilation costs.
However, building energy modelling of double-skin façades is inherently more difficult because of varying heat transfer properties within the cavity.
It is possible to explicitly model the ventilation in the cavity space of a double-skin façade using computational modelling. This modelling aids in defining the flow characteristics, quantifying the amount of ventilation available, and determining the glazing temperatures.
As a result, CFD allows for a more accurate assessment of a building’s heating and cooling needs, and eventually to devise the most effective design solution for a particular climate.
