Air pressure - A potential force for night cooling of atrium buildings

In order to save energy for building cooling during hot days in regions with cool nights, air circulation throughout the interior of the building has been envisaged as a means to lower the temperature of the building structural mass. In this way, energy required for cooling the building interior is reduced, due to lowered temperature of the wall, ceiling and other structural elements mass, and a greater storage of heat resulting from various heat gains the following day when air-conditioning is on. This paper deals with the distribution of pressure in a multi-level atrium building, which is becoming a frequent architectural feature in central urban regions , especially in business, commerce and other public areas. By the application of the basic principle of pressure distribution in the complex conditions of a multi-level atrium building, it becomes possible to consider the effects of configuration of the central air space atrium, i.e., its height and opening position, on pressure distribution and natural ventilation potential..Investigations in the field have also indicated the possibility of applying alternative sources of energy in building ventilation and cooling as a contribution to the design of an energy efficient and sustainable architectural unit, as well as to building engineering in general.