Edinburgh Napier University

  Double skin facades (DSFs) are gaining momentum in Europe as a low-energy design technique for the refurbishments of office buildings due to their potential to act as a thermal buffer in winter and maximise the use of natural ventilation in summer. Existing research suggests that DSFs are capable of significant reductions to the energy consumption of buildings as well as improvements to the thermal comfort achieved. However, the design of a DSF is highly complex due to the parameters and variables involved. By means of the dynamic energy simulation software IES VE 2013, energy analyses have been undertaken to evaluate the energy consumption under the variation of different aspects (namely, shading devices, type of glazing of the outer skin, operable inlets and outlets areas, and orientation). To assess the risk of overheating in DSFs, energy analyses have always been coupled with comfort assessments based on the adaptive method suited to the free-running nature of most of existing buildings. Eventually, the contribution of each aspect towards both energy saving and overheating has been assessed.