Evaluating Daylighting and Heating Designs of a Top-Glazed Atrium Space through Physical Scale Model Measurements and CFD Analyses

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the indoor climate of an atrium space for a design-stage hospital building located in the Seoul area. The indoor climate evaluated in this study included illuminances from the direct sunlight and diffuse skylight and distributions of temperature and airvelocity within the atrium space. Direct sunlight penetration and daylight performance of the atrium were evaluated through physical scale model measurements. On the other hand, the air temperature and velocity distributions under heating conditions were evaluated by a commercial CFD code. Then, the results were compared with design criteria. This paper presents the research methodology, measurement results and design recommendations to solve the identified problems.