The influence of wind-catchers on natural ventilation of popular housing schemes located in warm humid climates

Abstract

Warm humid regions cover great part of the Brazilian territory. In those regions, natural ventilation associated to solar protection is the most efficient building design strategy to reach thermal comfort by passive means. One of the strategies to increase natural ventilation in buildings is the use of wind-catchers, which consist of shafts with openings located above the roof, designed to improve air circulation inside the buildings. This strategy has successfully been used for a long time in buildings located in warm dry regions of Africa and the Middle East. This paper examines the cooling potential of wind-catchers in two housing schemes located in Maceió, in the State of Alagoas, through the increase of air movement inside buildings to reach thermal comfort. The research was carried out by simulations using the computational fluids dynamics (CFD) software PHOENICS 3.2. The results, presented as vectors, suggest that there is enough scope to use this design strategy in warm humid regions.