Recommendations for Improvement of the Thermal Performance of an Office Building Based on Retrofitting the Glazed Curtain Wall

Glazed curtain wall systems have become indispensable particularly in office buildings due to their light weight, aesthetic appearance, easy installation, and resistance to climate conditions. Curtain walls, however, also have problems in terms of thermal efficiency because of their wide, glazed windows and metal frames that have high thermal conductivity. The aim of this study is to offer proposals for improving the thermal performance of an office building with a glass curtain wall system built in a hot-humid climate zone. An office building constructed in Antalya, Turkey was modelled with the help of DesignBuilder energy simulation software, and various modifications were made to the model in order to improve the thermal performance of the building. With the improvements proposed in the study, it is possible to decrease the annual thermal loads of the whole building by 6.6%, and the annual thermal loads of the space with the curtain wall by 33.2%. The study revealed that applying an additional skin is more effective than lowering the U-value of the glass of the curtain wall in terms of thermal performance improvement.

Keywords:

Curtain wall, Thermal comfort Thermal performance, Glass,

PDF

___

[1] Örkmez, A., “Çift kabuk cephe sistemlerinde ısıl konforun değerlendirilmesi”, Master’s Thesis, İstanbul Technical University, İstanbul, 39-40, (2012).
[2] Anderson, T., Luther, M., “Designing for thermal comfort near a glazed exterior wall”, Architectural Science Review, 55(3): 186-195, (2012).
[3] Dağsöz, A.K., Işıkel, K, and Bayraktar, K.G., “Yapılarda sıcak etkisinin getirdiği problemlerin ısı yalıtımı ile çözümü ve enerji tasarrufu”, IV. National Plumbing Engineering Congress, İzmir, 329-339, (1999).
[4] Bae, J.M., Oh, J.H., and Kim, S.S., “The effects of the frame ratio and glass on the thermal performance of a curtain wall system”, Energy Procedia, 78: 2488-2493, (2015).
[5] Kyritsis, A., Mathas, E., Antonucci D., Grottke, M., and Tselepis, S., “Energy improvement of office buildings in Southern Europe”, Energy and Buildings Journal, 123: 17-33, (2016).
[6] İnan, T., Başaran, T., “Çift cidarlı cephelerdeki etkin mimari tasarım kararları”, Sakarya University Journal of Science, 17(3): 427-436, (2013) [in Turkish].
[7] Beggs, C., “Energy: Management Supply and Conservation”, 1st edition, Butterworth Heinemann Publications, Great Britain, Oxford, 195-196, (2009).
[8] Çetiner, İ., “Çift kabuk cam cephelerin enerji ve ekonomik etkinliğinin değerlendirilmesinde kullanılabilecek bir yaklaşım”, PhD Thesis, İstanbul Technical University, İstanbul, 4-11, (2002).
[9] Bai, G., Gong, G., Yu, C.W., and Zhen, O., “A combined, large, multi-faceted bulbous façade glazed curtain with open atrium as a natural ventilation solution for an energy efficient sustainable office building in Southern China”, Indoor and Built Environment, 24(6): 813-832, (2015).
[10] Kiran Kumar, G., Saboor, S., and Ashok Babu, T.P., “Study of various glass window and building wall materials in different climatic zones of India for energy efficient building construction”, Energy Procedia, 138: 580-585, (2017).
[11] Kim, B.S., and Kim, K., “A Study on thermal environment and the design methods to save energy in small glass-skin commercial buildings”, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 3(1): 115-123, (2004).
[12] Shaik, S., Maduru, V. R., Kontoleon, K. J., Arıcı, M., Gorantla, K., and Afzal, A., “Building glass retrofitting strategies in hot and dry climates: Cost savings on cooling, diurnal lighting, color rendering, and payback timeframes”, Energy, 243: 1-18, (2022).
[13] Atalay, B., “Alüminyum giydirme cephe sistem seçiminde uygulama öncesi süreç analizi”, Master’s Thesis, İstanbul Technical University, İstanbul, 32-33, (2006).
[14] Chandra, M., “Computation of solar radiation and heat transmission properties of glass for use in buildings”, Architectural Science Review, 46(2): 175-186, (2003).
[15] Manioğlu, G., and Yılmaz, Z., “Bina kabuğu ve ısıtma sistemi işletme biçiminin ekonomik analizi”, İstanbul Technical University Journal A, Architecture, Planning, Design, 1(1): 21-29, (2002).
[16] Bonnett, D.J., Smyth, P., Bonell, J., and Vafea, M., “Ultra low U-value walls for low-carbon-dioxide homes”, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Energy, 161(4): 175-185, (2008).
[17] Friess, W.A., and Rakhshan, K., “A review of passive envelope measures for improved building energy efficiency in the United Arab Emirates”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Journal, 72: 485-496, (2017).
[18] Arasteh, D., “Advances in window technology: 1973-1993”, Advances in solar energy, an annual review of research and development, Vol. 9, Karl W. Böer and John A. Duffie (eds.), American Solar Energy Society, Boulder, Colorado, 14-27, (1995).
[19] Menzies, G.F., and Wherrett, J.R., “Issues in the design and selection of sustainable multi-glazed windows: a study of qualitative issues in Scotland”, The Worldwide CIBSE/ASHRAE Gathering of the Building Services Industry International Conference, Edinburgh, 1-6, (2003).
[20] Sert, F., “Discussion about the principles of rehabilitation and reorganization in architecture: case of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Dardanos campus”, Master’s Thesis, Yıldız Technical University, İstanbul, 18-19, (2007).
[21] Far, C., and Far, H., “Improving energy efficiency of existing residential buildings using effective thermal retrofit of building envelope”, Indoor and Built Environment, 28(6): 744-760, (2018).
[22] Alonso, C., Oteiza, I., García-Navarro, J., and Martín-Consuegra, F., “Energy consumptions to cool and heat experimental modules for the energy refurbishment of façades”, Energy and Buildings Journal, 126: 252-262, (2015).
[23] Dascalaki, E., and Santamouris, M., “On the potential of retrofitting scenarios for offices”, Building and Environment, 37: 557-567, (2002).
[24] Ebbert, T., “Re-Face: refurbishment strategies for the technical improvement of office façades”, PhD. Thesis, Delft University of Technology, Duitsland, 343-344, (2010).
[25] Chidiac, S. E., Catania, E. J. C., Morofsky, E., and Foo, S., “Effectiveness of single and multiple energy retrofit measures on the energy consumption of office buildings”, Energy, 36(8): 5037-5052, (2011).
[26] Fan, Y., and Xia, X., “Energy-efficiency building retrofit planning for green building compliance”, Building and Environment, 136: 312-321, (2018).
[27] Luddeni, G., Krarti, M., Pernigotto, G., and Gasparella, A., “An analysis methodology for large-scale deep energy retrofits of existing building stocks: Case study of the Italian office building”, Sustainable Cities and Society, 41: 296-311, (2018).
[28] Synnefa, A., Vasilakopoulou, K., Masi, R. F., Kyriakodis, G.E., Londorfos, V., Mastrapostoli, E., Karlessi, T., and Santamouris, M., “Transformation through Renovation: An Energy Efficient Retrofit of an Apartment Building in Athens”, Procedia Engineering, 180: 1003-1014, (2017).
[29] Serghides, D. K., Michaelidou, M., Christofi, M., Dimitriou, S., and Katafygiotou, M., “Energy Refurbishment Towards Nearly Zero Energy Multi-Family Houses, for Cyprus”, Procedia Environmental Sciences, 38: 11-19, (2017a).
[30] Van den Brom, P., Meijer, A., and Visscher, H., “Actual energy saving effects of thermal renovations in dwellings—longitudinal data analysis including building and occupant characteristics”, Energy and Buildings, 182: 251-263, (2019a).
[31] Rakhshan, K., and Friess, W. A., “Effectiveness and viability of residential building energy retrofits in Dubai”, Journal of Building Engineering, 13: 116-126, (2017).
[32] Van den Brom, P., Meijer, A., and Visscher, H., “Actual energy saving effects of thermal renovations in dwellings—longitudinal data analysis including building and occupant characteristics”, Energy and Buildings, 182: 251-263, (2019b).
[33] Serghides, D. K., Michaelidou, M., Christofi, M., Dimitriou, S., and Katafygiotou, M., “Energy Refurbishment Towards Nearly Zero Energy Multi-Family Houses, for Cyprus”, Procedia Environmental Sciences, 38: 11-19, (2017b).
[34] Somasundaram, S., Chong, A., Wei, Z., and Thangavelu, S. R., “Energy saving potential of Low-E coating based retrofit double glazing for tropical climate”, Energy and Buildings, 206: 1-14, (2020).
[35] Edeisy, M., and Cecere, C., “Envelope Retrofit in Hot Arid Climates”, Procedia Environmental Sciences, 38: 264-273, (2017).
[36] Charles, A., Maref, W., and Ouellet-Plamondon, C. M., “Case study of the upgrade of an existing office building for low energy consumption and low carbon emissions”, Energy and Buildings, 183: 151-160, (2019).
[37] Flores Larsen, S., Rengifo, L., and Filippín, C., “Double skin glazed façades in sunny Mediterranean climates”, Energy and Buildings, 102: 18-31, (2015).
[38] Gratia, E., and de Herde, A., “Are energy consumptions decreased with the addition of a double-skin?”, Energy and Buildings, 39(5): 605-619, (2007).
[39] Pomponi, F., Piroozfar, P. A. E., Southall, R., Ashton, P., and Farr, Eric. R. P., “Energy performance of Double-Skin Façades in temperate climates: A systematic review and meta-analysis”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54: 1525-1536, (2016).
[40] “TS 825 Binalarda ısı yalıtım kuralları standardı”, Turkish Standards Institute, (2013).
[41] http://www.yegm.gov.tr/MyCalculator/Default.aspx. Access date: 18.04.2018
[42] https://www.mgm.gov.tr/. Access date: 02.03.2018, 20.07.2022
[43] ASHRAE Standard 55 “Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy”, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc, (2004).
[44] ASHRAE, “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings”, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc, (2021).