A STUDY OF THE WIND SCOOP FEATURE OF VENTUS BUILDING AND ITS IMPACT ON THERMAL COMFORT

Abstract

In the last few decades, climate change and global warming have been the pressing issues confronting the world. To mitigate its effects, the Singapore Green Plan 2030 was recently launched to spearhead local environmental sustainability efforts. An example is the Green Mark Platinum-certified NUS Ventus building which features a wind scoop to passively enhance natural ventilation. This dissertation aims to understand the wind scoop performance and its impact on the thermal comfort of building occupants. A field study was conducted during both monsoons within the wind scoop. Thermal comfort objective measurements and subjects’ perceived thermal comfort with and without the ceiling fan were collected at the tail end of the wind scoop. Wind speed spot measurements were collected along the wind scoop and an interview was conducted. Graphical and statistical analysis through correlation, linear regression and the Green Mark thermal comfort prediction model were studied to identify correlations and make comparisons. Overall findings proved that the wind scoop performs well in channelling natural ventilation, and it is positively correlated with occupants’ thermal comfort. It was found that mechanical ventilation reduced thermal sensation but improved subjects’ thermal comfort. From Green Mark thermal comfort predictions, a higher percentage of subjects were within the certified threshold without mechanical ventilation, reaching 100% thermal satisfaction. These results suggest that the wind scoop is capable of achieving thermal comfort with zero energy consumption through the reliance on nature, encouraging more buildings to incorporate passive wind-capturing green features to contribute to environmental sustainability in the built environment.