Abstract—The choice of building components is of a great influence on the energy performance of buildings. In cold climates building components determine the dimensions of transmission- and ventilation-heat-loss and are crucial to thermal comfort. But on the other hand in hot climates the amount of solar heat gain depends on the building components too. A distinction is drawn between direct and diffuse solar radiation on transparent and non-transparent (opaque) components. While the solar radiation can reduce the heating demand in winter situation of cold climates, an increased cooling requirement is assumed for hot climates. For transparent components it is possible to offer a sun protection device or a low total energy transmission of glazing (g-value). This prevents the heating-up of buildings and keeps the cooling requirements low. Curtain walls are characterized in their thermal behavior primarily by the properties of thermal insulation material and the micro-climatic conditions in the air layer. In this context the question arises how the air layer thickness and the surface behavior influence the solar heat gain. This paper deals with experimental studies of the behavior of curtain walls and their influence to reduce the cooling requirement. For this purpose the air layer thickness is varied and different surfaces are investigated.
Index Terms—Behavior of curtain walls, reduction of cooling requirement, air layer thickness, surface influence.
Manuela Walsdorf-Maul and Frank U. Vogdt, University of Technology, Berlin (e-mail: Manuela.walsdorf-maul@tu-berlin.de, bauphysik@tu-berlin.de).
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Cite:M. Walsdorf-Maul and F.U. Vogdt, "Behavior of Curtain Walls – Heating Reduction of Buildings in Summer Situations or in Hot Climates," International Journal of Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 278-282, 2013.
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