ISSUE

Natural ventilation
Issue

Potential impact

Relevant factors to consider

Lack of adequate
natural ventilation of
apartments

Health and wellbeing

Thermal comfort

Operable windows to outside for

all habitable rooms

Increased energy
loads for heating and
cooling

Room depth and relationship

to ceiling height (to achieve
effective air change)

Internal air quality and

condensation

Cross ventilation (dual or

multiple aspect)
Ability to control air movement
Size and position of windows in
rooms

Ventilation is the movement of air through the rooms of a dwelling, or the

rate of air change. This affects air quality, which is important for health and
wellbeing. Where ventilation can occur by natural means and be controlled
by the occupant, this can reduce energy consumption and aid thermal
comfort.
Apartments with more than one aspect can be cross-ventilated. This enables
a good rate of air change and offers the greatest opportunity to control
natural ventilation and achieve cooling breezes in summer. Some states
require a proportion of apartments in any developments to be naturally
cross-ventilated.
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making apartments too deep or ceilings too low, providing an operable
window in each room, and maximising the width of the aspect is the best
way to optimise natural ventilation in such cases.
Light wells are sometimes used to provide cross-ventilation where it might
not be achieved otherwise. For light wells to be effective, the ratio of the
minimum width to overall height must not be too great. Taller light wells
need to be connected to the outside environment at the bottom if they are
to be effective for ventilation.

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BETTER APARTMENTS A DISCUSSION PAPER