Exploring the advantages and challenges of double-skin façades (DSFs)
Introduction
Sustainable development principles in the built environment have encouraged researchers to focus on more efficient building envelopes. Façades, as a principal constituent of building envelopes, have a vital role in protecting indoor environments and controlling the interactions between outdoor and indoor spaces. Nevertheless, conventional façades can lead to poor natural ventilation, low level of daylighting, thermal discomfort, and increased energy consumption. These disadvantages are often intensified in modern façades having substantial amounts of glazing [2]. As the result of high solar thermal gains or significant thermal loss at night or in cold climate, extensive glass curtain walls cause significant energy consumption [3]. In recent years, new façade technologies have been designed and proposed for better thermal insulation, shading the solar radiation, improved thermal comfort and visual quality [4], [98]. Among the emergent advanced façades, double-skin façades (DSFs) have been proposed as an efficient solution to control the interactions of indoor and outdoor environments [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]. As a basic definition, "Double-skin façade is a special type of envelope, where a second “skin”, usually a transparent glazing, is placed in front of a regular building façade" [8]. DSF refers to a building façade covering one or more levels with multiple glazed skins, separated by an air gap, with the common attribute of controllable shading system and airflow within the cavity between the skins of the façade [2]. The air space between the two layers of DSFs performs as an insulating barrier against the unwanted impacts of microclimatic conditions. The ventilation of the cavity can be natural or mechanical [2]. DSF technology can result in full height glazing, particularly for tall buildings, while protecting the indoor ambient and enhancing the daylighting, thermal comfort and energy efficiency [93].
With their potential for a desired facade transparency and their capabilities for reducing thermal gains and losses, as well as their aesthetic appeal, DSFs are globally accepted [19], [20], [21]. Different attempts have been made to analyze and optimize the thermal energy performance of DSFs in different regions and climates. Globally diverse climatic conditions need to be considered in order to rationalize the use of DSFs [22]. This study provides a broad review of the environmental benefits of DSFs, as well as a confirmation of their economic feasibility. The observed challenges and obstacles are expressed together with the current implementations and future development.
Section snippets
Essence of DSFs
Glass façades are widely used for modern architectural projects, particularly commercial buildings, due to their aesthetics, lightweight and daylight potential. In spite of their universal employment, single-layer glass façades have common weaknesses that should preclude (or at least moderate) their use in certain circumstances, such as poor thermal insulation and sound reduction index [10]. Application of DSFs to overcome these problems is widely accepted as offering significant opportunities
Overview
Technically, DSFs encompass three main components: external façade layer, intermediate space and internal façade layer [30]. DSFs are developed based on external glazing offset from internal glazing [15]. Shading devices are also integrated into the air channel for reducing the cooling load of indoor spaces cause by highly intensified solar radiation [9]. It is also noted that both internal and external layers encompass adequate openings for ensuring natural ventilation in cavity and interior
Reduction of energy consumption
Growing attention to analyzing the energy performance of DSFs is observed in recent years. Various studies have utilized different types of simulations, modeling systems and measurement approaches to prove the energy saving with of DSFs [7], [60], [66], [69]. The available results on DSF energy performance are not consistent. Energy saving by using DSFs is reported from the negative range to 50%. A reduction up to 26% of annual cooling energy consumption was observed for a ventilated DSF in
Advantages and challenges vs. economic feasibility
A growing attention is observed towards increasing the integration of DSFs for decreasing the operational energy demands and environmental impacts of buildings [85], [96]. It was discussed that DSF systems are not the best option for energy saving in every location [66]. In particular, using DSFs lead to particular disadvantages such as “higher investment costs than that of traditional single-façade; the risk of overheating on warm sunny days; or acoustics, moisture and fire safety” [9].
One of
Conclusions
Buildings account for approximately 40% of global final energy use and this clearly indicates the necessity to adopt effective sustainable techniques for optimizing the performance of green buildings. One of the most critical aspects of designing energy efficient systems for integration in green buildings is to draw sufficient attention to the façades during the early stage of design. This is due to their direct impacts on the overall energy budget, user’s comfort and cost of the building
Acknowledgment
The first and second author would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by University of Malaya for the research grant "RU025-2015" as a part of IRU-MRUN Collaborative Research Program (University of Malaya and Charles Darwin University).
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