Daylighting and thermal analysis of an obstructed double skin façade in hot arid areas

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of publications on the thermal and daylight performance of double skin facades in moderate climates. However, there is a scarcity of research on how different configurations of the cavity and its height can lead to an impact on internal cooling/ heating loads and the availability of daylight indoors in hot arid climates. This paper looks at comparing surface temperatures and daylight distribution between a continuous double skin faade over six floors and a corridor double skin faade (dividing the cavity by floor height) in a hot arid climate (Cairo-Egypt). A CFD code is used to predict the behaviour of air flows. RADIANCE software is used to test indoor luminance levels. Results indicate that there are no major differences in terms of surface temperatures between the two configurations, luminance levels are different in distribution but in both cases average luminance levels seem to provide adequate daylight levels indoors.