Passive Dissipation of Canopy Urban Heat Through Double Skin Façades

Abstract

In the face of global warming, mitigating the urban heat island effect has become an important concern worldwide. This study applies the principle of buoyancy ventilation formed by sunlight in double skin façades (DSFs) to improve the thermal environment outside buildings by discharging heat through temperature and pressure differences. The study subject is a 15 × 30 × 40 m residential concrete building situated in a subtropical climate. The lower opening of the DSF faces the outdoor environment; heat is absorbed through this opening from the ground environment and then evacuated up to above the urban canopy layer heat island in order to cool pedestrian environments on the ground. We used numerical simulation to analyze the cooling potential of this DSF in summer daytime conditions. The results show that the DSF can successfully transport heat energy and discharge it above the urban canopy layer. Significant cooling effects were observed in both the horizontal and vertical spaces on the leeward side of the building DSF through the passage of surface heat, thereby reducing the load of indoor air conditioning.