In this work a numerical model that simulates the thermal behavior of a building with complex topology and evaluates the indoor thermal and air quality, in transient conditions, is used for a school building thermal project. The program calculates the building surfaces solar radiation field, the building's temperatures, the internal environmental variables, and the occupant's comfort levels.
Initially, after the numerical model is validated, the software is used to evaluate the school building's thermal response for four different orientations, either in winter or summer conditions. The work then aims to identify uncomfortable spaces in order to propose, as an example, several solutions that could be introduced for each orientation, that would improve the thermal comfort and air quality levels to which the occupants are subjected, and decrease the building's energy consumption levels. The information obtained from this study could be used to help a designer choose which thermal systems and solutions function best for a preferred school building orientation.
Fanger PO: Thermal Comfort: Analysis and Applications in Environmental Engineering . USA, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1970 .
2.
ISO 7730: Moderate Thermal Environments- Determination of the PMV and PPD Indices and Specification of the Conditions for Thermal Comfort, International Standard, Suisse, Geneva, 1994.
3.
CR 1752: Ventilation for Buildings Design Criteria for the Indoor Environment. CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation), Brussels, 1998 .
4.
Fanger PO, Toftum J.: Extension of the PMV model to non-air-conditioned buildings in warm climates : Energy Buildings2002; 34: 533-536.
5.
de Dear R., Brager G., Cooper D.: Developing an Adaptive Model of Thermal Comfort and Preference. ASHRAE RP-884, 1997.
6.
Lazzerini R., Curtis D., Bowen R., Patel M., Ruscisa G., Lazzerini P., Renzio M., Zabot S., Guarino D., Cellie A.: ANNEX XV - Energy Efficiency in Schools. Part one, IEA- International Energy Agency, 1991.
7.
Lazzerini R., Curtis D., Bowen R., Patel M., Ruscisa G., Lazzerini P., Renzio M., Zabot S., Guarino D., Cellie A.: ANNEX XV - Energy Efficiency in Schools. Part two, IEA- International Energy Agency, 1991.
8.
Kolokotroni M., Ge YT, Katsoulas D.: Monitoring and modelling indoor air quality and ventilation in classrooms within a purpose-designed naturally ventilated school: Indoor Built Environ2002; 11(3): 316-326.
9.
Conceição EZE, Lúcio MMJR, Vicente VDSR: Indoor Thermal Environment in a Classroom Equipped with Air Forced System , REHVA World Congress CLIMA'2007 Wellbeing Indoors , Helsinki, Finland, 10 to 14 of June 2007.
10.
Ansaldi R., Corgnati SP, and Filippi M.: Comparison Between Thermal Comfort Predictive Models and Subjective Responses in Italian University Classrooms, REHVA World Congress CLIMA'2007 Wellbeing Indoors, Helsinki, Finland, 10 to 14 of June 2007.
11.
Mumovic D., Davies M., Pearson C., Pilmoor G., Ridley I., Altamirano-Medina H., Oreszczyn T.: A Comparative Analysis of the Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Schools with Natural, Hybrid and Mechanical Ventilation Strategies, REHVA World Congress CLIMA'2007 Wellbeing Indoors, Helsinki, Finland, 10 to 14 of June 2007.
12.
Moraes C.: The influence of mass advance for altitude tropical climates: establishment of limit conditions for thermal comfort in classrooms, REHVA World Congress CLIMA'2007 Wellbeing Indoors, Helsinki , Finland, 10 to 14 of June 2007.
13.
Conceição EZE : Numerical simulation of buildings thermal behavior and human thermal comfort multi-node models, in Proc. of Building Simulation, Netherlands, Eindhoven, August 2003.
14.
Conceição EZE , Lúcio MMJR: Numerical Study of Thermal Response of School Buildings in Winter Conditions, in Proc. of RoomVent 2004, Portugal, Coimbra, September 2004.
15.
Conceição EZE , Lúcio MMJR: Numerical simulation of the shading effect verified in school buildings with complex topology in winter conditions, Fourth International Conference on Computational Heat and Mass Transfer, Cachan- Paris, France, 17 to 20 May 2005.
16.
Conceição EZE , Lúcio MMJR: Numerical study of thermal response of school buildings in summer conditions, Healthy Buildings 2006 , Lisbon, Portugal, 4 to 8 of June 2006.
17.
Conceição EZE, Lúcio MMJR, Vicente VDSR, Lopes MC, Teixeira ARPA: Comfort Level and Energy Consumption in a New School Building in South of Portugal, REHVA World Congress CLIMA'2007 Wellbeing Indoors, Helsinki, Finland, 10 to 14 of June 2007.
18.
Fehlberg E.: Low-order Classical Runge-Kutta Formulas with Step Size Control and their Application to Some Heat Transfer Problems. NASA Technical Report 315, 1969.
19.
Zhang L., Chow TT, Tsang CF, Chan LS, Fong KF: Effect on air supply temperature on the performance of displacement ventilation (Part I) - thermal comfort: Indoor Built Environ2005; 14(2): 103-115.
20.
Gao NP, Zhang H., Niu JL: Investigating indoor air quality and thermal comfort using a numerical thermal manikin: Indoor Built Environ2007 ; 16(1): 7-17.
21.
Gao NP, Niu JL: CFD Study of the thermal environment around a human body: Indoor Built Environ2005; 14(1): 5-16.
22.
Decreto-Lei n° 79: Regulamento dos sistemas energéticos de climatização em edifícios (RSECE) (Regulation of the energy systems and climatisation of buildings), Diario da República, I Serie - A, N. 67, April 4 2006. (in Portuguese).
23.
Conceição EZE , Lúcio MMJR: Air quality inside compartments of a school building: air exchange monitoring, evaluation of carbon dioxide and assessment of ventilation strategies: Intl J Vent UK2006; 5: 259-270.
24.
Conceição EZE , Lúcio MMJR: Thermal study of school buildings in winter conditions: Building Environ2008; 43(5): 782-792.
25.
Conceição EZE , Lúcio MMJR: Evaluation of thermal comfort conditions in a classroom equipped with radiant systems, Healthy Buildings 2006, Lisbon, Portugal, 4 to 8 June 2006.
