Evaluating Overheating Preventative Measures in Residential Buildings and Passive Survivability
Buildings that are thoughtfully planned for future climate scenarios, designed well, and properly maintained have the potential to provide thermally comfortable environments. These same buildings can significantly reduce energy consumption and decrease CO2 emissions. This research evaluates the impa...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139224 |
| Summary: | Buildings that are thoughtfully planned for future climate scenarios, designed well, and properly maintained have the potential to provide thermally comfortable environments. These same buildings can significantly reduce energy consumption and decrease CO2 emissions. This research evaluates the impact of the use of natural ventilation and modifications to the exterior wall to decrease the probability of heat-related illness and overheating. Assessments within this research are within a two-story residential building. The outdoor weather data selected for the assessments is from New York, NY during an extreme hot week. Assessments made within this research are intended to give guidance on the selection of the most appropriate combination of exterior wall properties and natural ventilation strategies within a well-insulated and tightly sealed building.
The daily operations of buildings and the number of occupants in buildings generate internal heat loads. Additionally, indoor air temperatures are impacted by solar heat gain from glazed openings and heat transmitted by conduction through exterior wall surfaces. Natural ventilation strategies can reduce indoor air temperatures and increase air velocities close to the skin. Increasing air velocities close to the skin can supplement an individual’s thermoregulatory system. Air flows near the skin allow the body to expel heat in a manner that reduces the necessity of skin wettedness. Skin wettedness aids in reducing the surface and core temperatures of an individual through the dissipation of heat. Both surface and core temperatures can help to indicate the level of heat stress encountered by an individual. The primary metric used in this research is the thermal sensation standard effective temperature (SET). Standard effective temperature incorporates heat loss to the environment and an evaluation of it is currently recognized by LEED as a measure to promote passive survivability. The results from the simulations in this research show a drastic distinction for the potential of heat stress between the models that use natural ventilation through open windows and open interior doors versus models that do not. |
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