Cross-ventilation utilization in housing in congested urban areas in Taiwan

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the current condition regarding ventilation use in congested urban areas of Taiwan. There is a remarkably high level of humidity and dense populations in many housing areas. The study targeted terraced houses, which are the most common style of housing in urban Taiwan. The current study attempted to understand the thermal environments of residential buildings as well as utilization of the cross-ventilation system. This was achieved by combining data of the current weather conditions and a questionnaire survey of those tested. Also included in the testing was a series of wind tunnel experiments conducted to examine the issues related to the ventilation flow rates of these congested areas. Following that testing, ventilation improvement techniques were proposed and studied for ways to decrease the negative environmental impact from over-use of air conditioners. The results calculated by simulation software demonstrated that through the use of our roof top designed component for air circulation, the heat removal decreased by 16% annually, compared to current condition.