Natural Ventilation in Northwest Buildings Book

Natural Ventilation in Northwest Buildings

Authors:
G.Z.Brown
Jeff Kline
Gina Livingston
Dale Northcutt
Emily Wright

This 56-page book, Natural Ventilation in Northwest Buildings, was developed by BetterBricks, in partnership with Seattle City Light

Natural Ventilation in Northwest Buildings is an easy way to begin to explore the potential for utilizing natural ventilation in commercial buildings. It's the first comprehensive primer of its kind on the principles of natural ventilation and the feasibility of using it in Northwest buildings.

Natural ventilation is the use of a building's form, organization, and openings in conjunction with naturally occurring phenomena such as wind or warm air buoyancy to supply air to its occupants and to remove heat both from the occupants and the building.

Why should buildings be naturally ventilated?

• To reduce operating costs by decreasing or eliminating the power used to mechanically ventilate and cool.
• To reduce construction costs by downsizing or eliminating the cooling equipment.
• To reduce building energy use and thereby also reduce the environmental impact caused by power generation.
• To potentially increase the productivity of building occupants due to real or perceived improvements in the indoor environment.

BOOK CONTENT
The publication's primary text is a series of questions and answers augmented by examples and sidebars. The text is divided into five sections:

VENTING: Introduces the basic concepts and explains how cross and stack ventilation function.

• What is natural ventilation?
• Why should buildings be naturally ventilated?

BENEFITS: Highlights some of the advantages of natural ventilation.

• Can the size and first cost of the mechanical system be reduced by using natural ventilation?
• Are people more or less productive in naturally ventilated buildings?

FEASIBILITY: Discusses when and where natural ventilation can be effectively used in the Northwest.

• How can cool night temperature be used to offset hot day temperatures?
• How does a building's occupant use schedule affect the feasibility of natural ventilation?

TOOLS: Covers analysis, design and evaluating tools, explaining how, when, and where they are used.

• What site organization strategies place buildings to maximize their potential for ventilation?
• What strategies are available to augment natural ventilation with mechanical ventilation?

BARRIERS: Outlines some circumstances that make natural ventilation difficult to use.

• Aren't naturally ventilated buildings more expensive?
• Won't undesirable outside conditions like high temperatures, pollen-laden air, or noise reduce the productivity of building occupants?

The book also offers several examples of naturally ventilated buildings in Northwest.

To order a copy of the book, please contact:

Energy Studies in Buildings Lab
Department of Architecture
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403