CFD analysis of the impact of building shapes on the performance of wind-driven natural ventilation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/jmes.19.4.2025.9.0857Keywords:
Natural ventilation, Cross-ventilation, Computational fluid dynamics, Ventilation performance, Indoor air quality, Building aerodynamicsAbstract
The widespread use of natural ventilation in buildings is limited despite its numerous benefits, mainly due to the challenges associated with enhancing ventilation performance. This study employs numerical simulations to examine the influence of building shapes on ventilation performance in naturally ventilated building models. The wind-driven cross-ventilation through buildings with flat and pitched-roofs was investigated. Various building configurations were considered based on the position of openings in the building façades. To assess the natural ventilation efficiency of these configurations, numerical calculations were carried out to evaluate the normalised average velocity magnitude (V*), velocity homogeneity index (H), and air change rate (ACH). The results showed that a configuration with a windward opening near the ground and a leeward opening near the roof yielded the highest V* and H values for both flat and pitched-roof buildings. However, for the same configuration, V* and H were 17.69% and 13.24% higher in flat-roof buildings than in pitched-roof buildings. The highest ACH value in both flat-roof and pitched-roof buildings was obtained for the configuration with a windward opening at the mid-height of the building façade and a leeward opening near the ground. The ACH value for this configuration was 2.8% higher in flat-roof buildings than in pitched-roof buildings. These findings can support the design and optimisation of natural ventilation systems in buildings with improved ventilation performance.
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