Europe. Numerous studies have been devoted to the analysis of the physical phenomena related to natural ventilation. These phenomena are very complex and our degree of understanding them often leaves a lot to be desired. Research on this topic within the framework of PASCOOL included experimental and modeling work aiming to fill existing gaps in our knowledge of indoor air conditions in naturally ventilated buildings.
As experience with assisted naturally ventilated buildings has increased designers have extended the approach to larger and more demanding building types. This paper looks at two very different theatre projects where assisted natural ventilation systems have been designed, examines the design tools used, illustrates the solutions and shows how the built form was influenced.
In the UK's temperate maritime climate, the need to air-condition a non-domestic building outside city centres should be the exception rather than the rule. Nevertheless, the potential clients for new or refurbished buildings, whether tenants or owner occupiers, are concerned about whether a non-air-conditioned building can deliver comfortable and productive working conditions, particularly in summertime.
Natural ventilation based on Passive-stacks are currently designed without incorporating heat recovery leading to wasteful heat loss. Heat recovery is not used because the pressure loss caused by conventional heat exchangers is large and could cause the ventilation system to fail. This paper presents laboratory investigation and computer simulation of a low pressure-loss heat recovery device for passive stack systems. It was found that the heat recovery effectiveness decreases with increasing stack velocity and heat recovery effectiveness of over 50% has been obtained in the experiments.