ASSIGNMENT/COURSEWORK PROFORMA

Module code:

Assessment title:

Module leader:

ME5545
ME5564

Natural and Hybrid Ventilation Assignment

Prof M Kolokotroni

Main objectives of the assessment:

To introduce the key concepts of natural and hybrid ventilation.

To introduce natural and hybrid ventilation strategies and their application to buildings
To enable analysis and interpretation of ventilation performance information in relation to
sustainable use of energy in buildings and current regulations.

Brief Description of the assessment:

A notional building is described to the students who act as natural ventilation consultants to a
building services engineering firm. The students are asked to carry out calculations to
determine ventilation rates for the building for design winter and summer conditions. In
addition, they are asked to calculate the energy impact of their solutions and make an
assessment of the additional requirements if the same building is to be built at an urban site.
Learning outcomes for the assessment (refer
to the appropriate module learning
outcomes)

Appreciation of the main elements of energy

efficient ventilation principles and
relationship with current regulations and
Energy Performance in Buildings Directive
(EPBD).
Understanding of natural and hybrid
ventilation strategies and their application to
urban buildings
Evaluation of the effects of design solutions
on the energy consumption in buildings
Evaluation of the implications of ventilation
strategies in the built environment
Design and analysis of energy efficient
ventilation strategies and systems.
The ability to present results in a structured
written report.

Assessment and marking criteria

The students will be required to:

Submit an assignment written in the form of

a report to the client who has retained them.
The marking criteria for the report are the
following:
1. presentation (10% of marks)
2. Part A Calculation of pressure and
opening areas (20% of marks)
3. Part B Calculation of Ventilation Rates
(30% of marks)
4. Part C Energy Impact of Ventilation
(15% of marks)
5. Part D urban site (15%)
6. Part E - Briefing to consulting engineers
(10%)

Assessment method by which a student can demonstrate the

learning outcomes:

Weighting:

Assignment in the form of a report to building services engineer

50% of module

Format of the assessment/coursework: (Guidelines on the expected format and length of

submission):

Report with a length of maximum 5000 words, 1.5 line spacing (approximately 20 single sided
A4 pages to include everything such as diagrams, table of contents, reference list). The report
should also include a title page, an executive summary and should be bound securely.

ASSESSMENT DATE(S)/SUBMISSION DEADLINE(S)

Deadline for submission is 9 Dec 2014, 4.00pm. The assignment should be submitted to
Postgraduate Programmes Office, Michael Sterling Building, Ground Floor.

THE BRIEF: Natural and Hybrid Ventilation Assignment

You are hired by a firm of building services engineering consultants who are working on the
ventilation strategy for a small office building. Their client has requested that the building be
naturally ventilated if this is possible.
The site that the building will be built is still uncertain; two options are available:
A green-field site at the outskirts of a small town 15 km south west of London
An urban site in a mixed residential/office area near the centre of London, within
Heathrow airports landing/take-off path and near a busy road. The average height of
building around the available site is 3 floors.
The following parameters are known for the building:
1. Total floor area 1500m2, distributed in three floors.
2. Total occupancy 120 occupants, engaged in sedentary (office) activities.
3. Winter design conditions: 21oC in office areas, 19oC in circulation/auxiliary areas,
external temperature 0oC, wind velocity 3m/s.
4. Summer design conditions: 25oC not be exceeded for 5% of the working hours in the
offices areas (higher temperatures might be accepted in circulation/auxiliary areas).
external temperature 23oC, wind velocity 4.5m/s.
A preliminary section of the building has been sketched by the architect as depicted in Figure 1.
Winter design conditions are indicated in the Figure. Wind direction is predominantly from the
south-west.
Note: Design conditions means that the calculations should be performed for one point. Design
day means that the calculations should be performed for one day 24 hrs.
You are requested to carry out the following work:

Part A Calculation of pressure and opening areas (20% of marks)

(1) For each of the winter and summer design conditions calculate:
a. The stack pressure at each external opening;
b. The wind induced pressure at each external opening;

(2) Devise two flow networks (one for winter and one for the summer) describing the flow
direction through each opening;

(3) If the openings described by a flow coefficient of 0.25 and assuming orifice type openings
calculate their approximate area.

Part B Calculation of Ventilation Rates (30% of marks)

(1) Determine the resulting overall (total) ventilation rate in the atrium, for a typical winter and
a typical summer day, using the design day conditions given and the following information:
a. External temperatures for winter design day: min 0oC, max 12oC
b. External temperatures for summer design day: min 10oC, max 23oC
(The calculations can be done using the equations provided in the module materials and
PFQ examples, repeated 24 times (for the 24 hours of the day) assuming a sinusoidal curve
for external temperature conditions and a constant value for wind speed).

Part C Energy Impact of Ventilation (15% of marks)

(1) For the winter design day and based on your results from Part B, calculate the ventilation
heat loss over the 24-hour period.
(2) The same amount of air under the same conditions for the winter design day is provided by
mechanical ventilation at a specific fan power (SFP) of 1.5 W/Ls-1. Calculate the additional
fan power required to operate the mechanical system.
(3) Assuming a cooling season setpoint temperature of 21C and a setpoint RH of 55%,
calculate the cooling ventilation energy consumption needed to condition the building for
the summer design day, assuming that the external humidity is constant at 65%. (Have a

look in the introductory module materials for this question).

Part D Urban site (15% of marks)
(1) Briefly discuss additional restrictions imposed for ventilation if the urban site (option 2 site)
is chosen for the building.
(2) Briefly describe different strategies using hybrid ventilation to optimize indoor air quality in
urban buildings.
(3) The wind speed (Vo) is measured 4.5 m/sec at 15m above ground. The orientation of the
wind speed and urban canyon are given as:
Canyon orientation = 50
Wind (V0) incidence angle = 40
Canyon width = 4 m
It is also calculated that L/W >20. Explain why there will be wind circulation inside the
urban canyon. Assuming that z0 is equal to 3 and the roughness length is given by the
equation: z 2 0.5 hb2 / z 0 , calculate the wind speed up at the faade of the third floor of the
proposed building (at height 1.5m from floor level of the third floor). Briefly comment on
the effect this will have on provision of natural ventilation to the building.

Part E - Briefing to consulting engineers (10%)

Write a report in the form of executive summary for the firm of consulting engineers that have
hired you, outlining your findings and your recommendations for the ventilation strategy for
this proposed building. This should be placed at the front of your submission and should not be
more than two A4 pages.

For each opening:

Flow exponent = 0.66
Flow coefficient = 0.25 m3/s at 1 Pa

wind

3 m/s
21 Deg C

0 Deg C

19 Deg C
12 m

21 Deg C
11 m
0.5 m

21 Deg C

4.0 m
3.0 m

0.5 m

12 m
16 m

Figure 1: Section of the building as sketched by architect; design winter conditions were added
by building services engineer. You might decide to change the section of the building in order
to make it more suitable for applying stack ventilation; in particular the exhaust opening at the
top of the atrium and/or the bottom opening. Also, think about the relative location of openings
in the open plan office as well as whether the temperatures indicated above should be changed.