Bio-climatic building design: small-scale modelling and CFD working together

Dimensional analysis was used to design a small-scale model of an experimental bio-climatic building in Nigeria, featuring a novel passive solar chimney design. The model was built and tested at the Istituto di Fisica Tecnica, University of Trieste, Italy. Environmental factors considered include solar radiation and external temperature. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation was also used to predict the internal air flows and temperatures in the model. Preliminary results from the model experiment, and from CFD, are presented. The combination of both techniques should lead to a more fundamental understanding of building physics, and will hopefully contribute to the design of better, more energy-conscious buildings.