Guide To Natural Ventilation in High Rise Office Buildings

The traditional skyscraper is often seen as a poor choice for a sustainable building, requiring more energy and resouces per square foot to build, operate and eventually to demolish than other building types. However, with land at a premium in so many cities, tall buildings will continue to be built in ever greater numbers. It is therefore essential that designers, builders and operators of tall buildings aim to reduce their ecological footprint. One way of doing this is to implement a successful natural ventilation system. This handbook is based on detailed research by the Council for Tall Buildings in the Urban Habitat (CTBUH) on existing natural ventilation systems in skyscrapers throughout the world. With around 60% of a tall office building's energy going on heating and air-conditioning the potential for major savings is obvious, but to maximise those benefits in terms of reducing both capital and running costs requires careful planning and preparation. The handbook sets out recommendations for every phase of planning, construction and operation of a building, including local climatic factors that need to be taken into account, how to plan for seasonal variations in weather, and the risks in adopting different implementation strategies. All of the recommendations are based on analysis of the research findings from the case studies. Tried and tested solutions to real-life problems make this an essential guide for anyone working on the design and operation of tall buildings anywhere in the world.