Assessing Thermal Comfort in Office Buildings: A Parametric Study of Kinetic Louvers and Double-Skin Facades in Türkiye
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v13.n2.1573Keywords:
Thermal Comfort, Parametric Simulation, Kinetic Louvers, Double-Skin Facade, Glazing Modifications, WWRAbstract
The optimization of building façades plays a crucial role in enhancing indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency, particularly in climate-responsive design. This study investigates the impact of kinetic shading systems, glazing modifications, and non-ventilated double-skin façades (DSFs) on indoor thermal comfort in four distinct climatic zones of Türkiye: Zone 1- hot-summer Mediterranean (Antalya), Zone 2- temperate (Istanbul), Zone 3- semi-cold (Ankara), and Zone 4- cold (Erzurum). The analysis was conducted using computational simulations. A parametric simulation workflow was used to assess thermal comfort through the Percent of Comfortable Time (PCT) based on the PMV model under various façade configurations. The findings indicate that kinetic louvers significantly enhance summer thermal comfort, increasing PCT from 6.87% to 18.66% in Zone 1(Antalya), 24.05% to 47.02% in Zone 2 (Istanbul), 31.58% to 54.48% in Zone 3 (Ankara), and 42.56% to 57.05% in Zone 4 (Erzurum). When combined with double-pane Low-E glazing and reduced WWR (0.3), PCT reached its highest values: 40.32% (Zone 1), 79.59% (Zone 2), and 79.23% (Zone 3), indicating strong combined effect between dynamic shading and optimized envelope design. Double-skin façade (DSF) systems produced moderate but consistent improvements across the four climates. The non-ventilated DSF increased PCT from 6.87% to 17.17% in Zone 1 (Antalya), 24.05% to 39.20% in Zone 2 (Istanbul), 31.58% to 46.81% in Zone 3 (Ankara), and 42.56% to 48.34% in Zone 4 (Erzurum). When DSFs were paired with Low-E glazing, PCT further improved to 23.35% (Zone 1), 49.61% (Zone 2), 50.43% (Zone 3), and 41.35% (Zone 4). However, DSF performance remained lower than kinetic shading in extreme climates, reflecting the limited adaptability of non-ventilated cavities. Overall, the findings confirm that façade optimization must be climate-specific: dynamic shading and high-performance glazing yield the largest gains in warm and temperate regions, while cold climates benefit more from strategies that balance shading control with heat-retention properties.
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