Improving the sustainable development of building stock by the implementation of energy efficient, climate control technologies

It is the aim of this article to explain the testing procedures developed at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and to evaluate the potential natural ventilation and daylighting applications that have arisen from this research. The objectives for research into this field were to reduce energy costs and increase the sustainability of building stock. From the results of these experiments actual and potential designs are illustrated and discussed in this article. Multi-storey buildings require substantial artificial lighting, even with glass fronted facades, the shaded depths of multi-storey buildings require daylight supplementation and therefore energy. By supplementing the internal lighting levels with daylight, reducing the internal heat load by shading windows to direct radiation and the utilisation of natural ventilation over air conditioning where possible, significant energy savings are achievable. This article explores the heating and cooling problems associated with some glass faced curtain wall multi-storey facades and proposes design changes such as: delivering daylight above the suspended ceiling into the depths of the building by horizontal light pipes and natural ventilation, utilising stack effect and wind siphonage.