Climatic potential for natural ventilation

Naturally ventilated buildings have been widely adopted, because they may increase user satisfaction and well-being while reducing energy consumption due to HVAC systems. Analysis and simulation tools are required at different design stages to support the usage of natural ventilation. Three main levels of analysis/design are identified: climatic analysis, building/system design, and comfort assessment. Focusing on the first level of analysis, this paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the climatic potential for natural ventilation. The methodology does not address a particular ventilation strategy or system. It includes adaptive comfort models and introduces an approach that integrates humidity constraints. The methodology can be applied at the conceptual building design stage to orient designers by providing them with a benchmark for the proceeding design phases or as a tool to contrast different climates. Calculation examples are reported.