A Case Study assessing the impact of Shading Systems combined with Night-Time Ventilation strategies on Overheating within a Residential Property

Overheating in domestic homes, specifically in built up urban areas, has become a pressing problem throughout the UK. It is likely to become a costly energy problem in years to come if passive design strategies are not fully understood and integrated. This research looks to investigate how internal and external solar shading systems impact on operative temperatures when differing blinds together with a night time natural ventilation strategy are adopted within a renovated block of flats in North London. Although shading and ventilation were overlooked at the initial stage of the building design, the implementation of solar shading has been found to be beneficial in maintaining thermal comfort within the building when external temperatures were recorded both above and below 20 - 25°C.
During the study shading was combined with a night-time natural ventilation strategy which enabled most rooms to cool when external temperatures were at their lowest. However, night time ventilation may not be desirable to the occupants due to external traffic noise and security issues in relation to the intended design use of the rooms such as those in this case study. The authors believe lower indoor temperatures could be achieved if the areas of opening were increased in size in the façade design. In two areas of the building natural cross-ventilation was not possible leading to significant overheating issues and the retrofitting of mechanical ventilation. This highlights the need for an effective façade management strategy that considers the inter-relationship between glazing, shading and ventilation collectively at the design stage.