Thermal performance of smart canopy and natural ventilation in atriums in Tehran

Keshtkar Ghalati, Ahmadreza; Farahkhiz, Maryam

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2025.2030424.1218

Thermal performance of smart canopy and natural ventilation in atriums in Tehran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ahmadreza Keshtkar Ghalati ¹

Maryam Farahkhiz ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Rassam Institute of Higher Education, Karaj, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2025.2030424.1218

Abstract

Atriums are central glass-roofed spaces that are usually considered closed and controlled spaces in multi-story buildings. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of adding an intelligent canopy and natural ventilation in the efficiency of atriums. For this purpose, an atrium has been selected in the educational space in Tehran. In this regard, Design Builder software has been simulated and Energy Plus engine has been used for calculations. The results showed that the energy consumption in the building with the atrium in the form of a circular plan and a flat cap is equal to 207.1 (MWh). Also, with the integration of the smart canopy in the atrium, the energy of the building was 201.33 (MWh), which decreased by 5.77 (MWh). This means that with the integration of the smart canopy in the atrium, the energy of the building has been reduced by about 3%. In the conditions of using natural ventilation, the energy of the building was 173.39 (MWh), compared to the integration of the canopy without natural ventilation, the energy of the building decreased to a significant amount of 27.94 (MWh), which seems to be a proper option considering the low cost of using natural ventilation.

Highlights

Compare the effectiveness of an intelligent canopy and natural ventilation on atrium energy efficiency.
Design Builder simulations with EnergyPlus calculations for an educational atrium in Tehran.
Circular atrium with a flat cap: energy consumption = 207.1 MWh; with smart canopy → 201.33 MWh (reduction of 5.77 MWh, ~3%).
With natural ventilation, energy consumption drops to 173.39 MWh; compared to canopy alone, natural ventilation reduces consumption by a substantial amount (27.94 MWh), indicating a cost-effective option.

Keywords

Atrium

Daylight Performance

Energy Consumption

Intelligent Canopy

Natural Ventilation

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