Effect of glazing on the indoor environment in a lift-up canteen

Abstract

As one of the typical architectural features in hot and humid regions, the lift-up design can provide effective shading and sufficient pedestrian-level ventilation, which is favorable for building functions that require natural ventilation, such as the canteen. However, it is unknown whether the thermal environment and air quality of lift-up areas meets the indoor environment requirements along with other building features, like glazing. Thus, this paper presents environmental evaluation results of thermal sensation and air quality using a lift-up school canteen with glazing as the case study. The following two questions are answered in this paper: (1) whether the lift-up area alone meets environmental requirements for school canteen in the hot and humid region; (2) whether the thermal comfort and air quality are improved or worsened in the lift-up area when glazing is used on building façade. The analysis results revealed that lift-up canteens have good thermal comfort and air quality in hot and humid areas, but when glazing was added to the lift-up canteen facade, the thermal comfort and air quality were seriously reduced, in which the reduction of wind speed is the main factor. This paper can serve as a scientific basis for architects in sustainable building design.