Natural Ventilation Strategies

Mark Frisch, FAIA, Solomon Cordwell Buenz

The energy use index of laboratories is one of the most intense of any building type tracked in the United States. The goal of reducing this profile requires both planning and technical strategies to make meaningful improvements. This presentation will outline one effective strategy Solomon Cordwell Buenz has utilized to register significant reductions in the Energy Use Profile of three laboratory projects for Loyola University of Chicago. Although a comprehensive energy reeducation strategy must be in place to maximize the energy use profile, one of the most effective single strategies we have found is to capitalize the benefits of the non cooling seasons. In the Chicago region, this comprises the "shoulder" seasons in spring and fall. During these months under specific temperature and humidity conditions, no mechanical cooling or heating is required. The result is that if a system is designed to take advantage of these environmental conditions a significant drop in energy use can be accomplished. Three different laboratory types have been designed using natural ventilation strategies to accomplish this goal. A Center for Sustainable Urban Living with a central green house which uses a natural ventilation strategy and no mechanical cooling or heating to temper the Wintergardemn. A School of Nursing with sophisticated simulation laboratories uses a pair of dual operating solar chimneys to induce natural ventilation for public spaces in the shoulder months and preheat ventilation air in the winter months. A Center for Translational Research and Education uses a central chimney to induce natural ventilation in non laboratory spaces during shoulder months. In all cases, the integration of a user operation protocol is integral to the success of the strategy. In some cases the operational design is strictly automatic, in other cases a combination of manual and automatic vent operation is being tested. The most recent project involves the integration of the user in the operation of the building. Passive indicators, mechanical cutoffs and user education programs are all being tested for their effectiveness. The result is that many of he natural ventilation straggles must be designed hand in hand with operational strategies tied to the culture of the institution where they are employed.

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