Assessment of the Impacts of Increasing Cavity Depth and Floor Numbers on Energy Performance of Different Types of Double Skin Facade in Office Buildings of Cold Climate in 36 Different Scenarios (Case Study: An Office Building in Tabriz)

As a result of the rising awareness of environmental issues and the increase in the cost of energy, building professionals increasingly have to consider the sustainability and energy performance of their designs by using building energy performance simulation tools. The aim of the current study is to optimize energy consumption of office buildings in cold climate of Tabriz and providing optimal model of double skin façade (DSF) in this climate.

 The research method in this paper is based on causal research and simulation. The research tool in this paper is Design Builder software. The energy performance of DSF is studied in 36 scenarios under 4 types of DSFs in an office building in cold climate of Tabriz in three cavity depths of 0/7, 1 and 1/3m in three modes: 5,10 and 15-story to achieve minimum energy consumption.

The results indicate that, the 5-story box window type with a depth of 1/3m has a minimum electricity consumption and the 15-story multi-story type with a depth of 0/7m has a minimum gas consumption. In a fixed cavity depth, electricity consumption will increase and gas consumption will decrease by increasing the numbers of floors. Electricity consumption also increases with the increase of cavity depth. The 15-story multi-story DSF with a cavity depth of 1m has the lowest total energy consumption and the 5-story corridor DSF with a cavity depth of 0/7m has the highest total energy consumption.

Due to the high heating needs of the cold climate and energy efficiency of DSF facades, it is necessary to choose the appropriate type for this region.