Wind effects on a permeable double skin façade, the eni head office case study

Abstract

Currently, the energy and environmental efficiency of buildings has led to the development of cladding systems that may help to reduce the structure’s energy demand, using techniques such as the Permeable Double Skin Façade (PDSF). Given complex aerodynamic interactions, the presence of an external porous screen in addition to an inner skin may play a crucial role in the fluid-dynamic characterization of such buildings, making the definition of wind effects very complex. A new methodology for the quantitative assessment of the impact of wind-loading conditions on this particular type of cladding is presented. It is based on a combined experimental–numerical approach, essentially based on wind-tunnel tests on a rigid scale model and computational fluid dynamic simulations. A case study is proposed as an application of this methodology. Results include the design pressure values for the inner glazed façade and the permeable facade. An estimation of the flow rate across the porous skin is quantified using the numerical model.