Design Procedures for Natural Ventilation

Abstract

The paper gives an overview of the design process for natural ventilation. It concentrates on the technical procedures that are available to the designer. The overall process is discussed in terms of four stages. For the first stage, the factors that determine the feasibility or otherwise of natural ventilation are outlined. In the second stage, the various ventilation strategies are considered. The remaining two stages involve quantitative design procedures. Prior to describing these procedures, the physical mechanisms of natural ventilation are summarised.

Note by Author

This chapter is the unchanged text of the first of four related lectures on natural ventilation, given in 2007 at the COE International Advanced School in Korea. Of the three other lectures (Etheridge 2007a, b, c), the third lecture (Etheridge 2007b) is given here as Chap. 2, again in its original form. It should be noted that a much more comprehensive and updated treatment of natural ventilation can now be found in the recent book by the author published in 2012 (Etheridge DW (2012) Natural ventilation of buildings – theory, measurement and design. Wiley, Chichester).