Climate change impacts on the thermal and energy performance of mixed-mode office buildings in a humid subtropical climate

Abstract

Giving the urgency of climate change, assessing building thermal and energy resilience is imperative. This paper evaluates the effects of climate change on the thermal and energy performance of a mixed-mode office building in São Paulo, considering both isolated and urban-embedded scenarios. Four scenarios were considered, derived from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last report, from 2022. The climate change scenarios indicate a significant increase in cooling loads for the isolated building, primarily influenced by office room’s solar orientation. Since natural ventilation tends to lose its potential to guarantee good thermal performance conditions in the future, design strategies that enhance its operation are necessary. Urban embedding, characterized by increased built density, led to higher levels of shading and lower air exchange rates, resulting in reductions in cooling loads of up to 56% compared to the isolated building. However, other unexamined factors, such as indoor air quality, daylight availability, and acoustic performance, may also influence building performance, underscoring the necessity for a holistic assessment of this complex issue.