Use of computer simulation in the design of a naturally ventilated library.

Sustainable building design has received increased attention over recent years and the use of natural ventilation in non-domestic buildings has been integral to this forward-looking issue. Natural ventilation design has been assisted by the availability of computer-based simulation techniques capable of predicting aspects of building design such as thermal comfort and air quality. Such aspects require particular attention by architects and building designers as they are more difficult to determine, and subsequently to control, in buildings which are naturally rather than mechanically ventilated. This paper describes how computational fluid dynamics (CFO) and dynamic thermal simulation (DTS) programs were used to analyse an innovative new library design at Coventry University in the UK. The building comprises four passively ventilated floors with an area of 8100m2• Fresh air flows into the building via a lightwell in each quadrant of the floor plan. Buoyancy forces then drive stale air upwards and out through a central llghtwell and perimeter exhaust stacks. The simulation work reported in this paper provides an insight into the complementary use of CFO and DTS programs and shows how their results were used to inform and corroborate the design of this building.