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There is a growing need for more complex control of ventilation systems to satisfy energy and environmental issues. SIMBAD Toolbox (SIMulator of Buildings And Devices), developed in the SIMULINK graphical environment is a library of HVAC components models that is used in the field of control of HVAC system. Currently, it deals mainly with heating/cooling systems.

The necessity of focus on more large integration of passive concepts for indoor climate conditioning is today a reality. Through this study, a contribution to fill the lack of useful design guidelines for natural ventilation is proposed, in order to develop the passive ventilation systems implementation. Besides a methodological approach, the paper proposes conceptual tools. The implementation of a natural ventilation strategy includes the envelope building design, the indoor spaces layout and the component sizing. This study explores an architectural classification of ventilation systems.

Convective  air  circulation  occurring  through  wall layers is frequently observed in building envelopes. Significant thermal coupling can take place between the incoming cold/warm air and the wall structure, thereby modifying the thermal performances of the envelope. This paper presents an unsteady three- dimensional numerical heat and air transfer model, which was developed to characterize the air leakage effect on the thermal performance of a complete multilayered exterior wall.

This paper is part of continuing research aimed at exploring the relationship between the amount of solar radiation received by a curved roof and its geometrical configurations. It seeks better understanding of the solar performance of traditional curved roofs to be well integrated into buildings in developing countries, mainly in hot regions Fig. (1). A number of investigations has been carried out on curved roofs with varying cross-section ratios and orientations to study their solar radiation performances.

This   paper   summarizes   a   PhD project   that   is currently under completion at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Building Physics Group. The general  problem addressed in this project is the integration of building simulation tools and building design.

Building design and operation processes can be supported by many kinds of models, from traditional architectural scale models to computer-generated virtual buildings. This paper presents four variations not so much "on", but rather "around" the theme of computational building models. As such, these variations address matters and ideas that are important for the range and effectiveness of model application towards supporting the design and operation of more habitable and sustainable built environments.

Speech intelligibility is a major concern in mosque acoustical design. Diverse mosque geometric configurations exist varying from the classical rectangle to the octagon-shaped plan. This study investigates the acoustical performance of commonly built forms of mosques utilizing room-acoustics computer models. Simulation of sound fields of five simple forms is conducted for different religious activities and level of occupancy.

Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Mediterranean. Its climate is characterised by abundant sunshine and by moderate to heavy winter conditions. The microclimate though, varies considerably from location to location and is strongly affected by the elevation of a particular location and the proximity to the sea. In this study, four locations are considered which are representative of all the microclimates encountered in Cyprus; coastal, lowland, semimountainous, and mountainous.

Building and HVAC system design can significantly improve if numerical optimization is used. However, if a cost function that is smooth in the design parameter is evaluated by a building energy simulation program, it usually becomes replaced with a numerical approximation that is discontinuous in the design parameter.

Copious amounts of data are generated by contemporary building simulation (BS) programs and the translation of these data to information that may be acted upon is problematic. Although graphs are an effective way of displaying quantitative information, they are unable to support experiential appraisals whereby building performance can be fully comprehended. To achieve this requires the use of multimedia techniques, including colour, sound and animation.