Interface of the Natural Ventilation Systems with Building Management Systems

Abstract

The vertical city is increasingly being seen as the most viable solution for many urban centers. However, being vertical means constructing tall buildings which imply a large amount of energy requirement mostly due to the mechanical ventilation systems. Replacing these systems with natural ventilation is of importance on the way of achieving sustainable buildings and cities. However, there are many challenges in incorporating natural ventilation systems into tall office buildings. Because, having a far distance from the ground levels, tall buildings are exposed to turbulent and unstable wind conditions. Therefore, advanced technical systems to monitor/control a tall building is required even though natural ventilation is mostly considered a passive, low technological approach to condition a building. These systems utilize sensors to measure internal environmental conditions and external conditions of air temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and rain to utilize passive or active modes, based on the data received. To integrate such systems, in most cases, a hybrid approach is required to fill the gap between the natural and mechanical ventilation systems. Since, climate conditions may not be suitable for solely depending on natural ventilation throughout the year, using mechanical ventilation systems as a back-up to natural ventilation is mostly required. Based on this approach, this study presents advanced natural ventilation strategies of a number of buildings integrating Building Management Systems. Throughout the study, it is intended to guide further researches on natural ventilation and consequently to contribute to the environmental quality of urban areas and smart sustainable development of the cities.