Atrium building design: Key aspects to improve their thermal performance on the Mediterranean climate of Santiago de Chile

Abstract

An atrium is a great glassed volume on a building that allows the light to enter within it. Its border location between indoor and outdoor implies that the environmental conditions like solar radiation, ventilation and heat energy appear intensified, turning them into spaces with a great environmental potential. However, in Santiago, these spaces have been designed imitating the aesthetic of buildings suited for colder climates. This has resulted in the fact that atrium buildings are often known by their low comfort standards and excessive cooling demands. The aim of this article is to answer in which way some design considerations on atrium buildings can maximize their energy saving potential in the Mediterranean climate of Santiago Chile. This is carried out with software Tas, which allows us to simulate the effect on thermal demand over a theoretical atrium building when changing three glazing types, three ventilation regimes and three solar protections forms; resulting in 27 iterations that reveal the more environmentally efficient combinations.