Perspectives of naturally ventilated buildings: A review

Naturally ventilated buildings have been worldwide increasingly welcomed, given the current global awareness toward environmental sustainability, indoor health-quality and renewable energy. As Natural Ventilation (NV) performance relies on building design and interaction with the local environment, its potential benefits are not always easy to take advantage of, and thus sets up a vital field of study. This paper provides an overview of investigations on the subject by collecting researches focused on thermal comfort, energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Reviews were gathered, and their contributions compiled, showing challenges and opportunities regarding the NV use as a sustainable alternative. Moreover, the parameters and metrics used in the assessment of NV performance were summarised, and the trends discussed. The findings of the reviewed studies showed an increased number of investigations since 2015, with a tendency towards the use of numerical models to evaluate NV performance, as well as works on parametrization and optimisation. A balanced share of the different climates around the globe considered in the NV potential investigations was also identified, showing a worldwide spread interest and effort on the subject. However, detailed studies concerning ventilation strategies are mainly performed in hot and humid or Tropical climates, which proves that the added value of applying NV in other climates might be further explored. Finally, the review pointed out future works opportunities.