Valokatteiset tilat. (Atrium buildings): Fid-Bau Portal

Valokatteiset tilat. (Atrium buildings)

E. Aalto / O. Maekinen / A. Niemelae

This study is an extension to the previous study (sup A)triums in office buildings(sup .) The aim of this study was to evaluate the energy and overall performance of atrium buildings and their building costs as well as maintenance and lifecycle costs. In addition the aim was to develope atrium design tools and guidelines in order to achieve energy savings and improve the functionality of the atrium buildings. This was done by gathering feed-bach information from case study buildings and by analysing the architectural, structural, HVAC and fire safety issues in building design and construction processes. Information was gathered from 25 different atrium buildings in the Nordic Countries, which can be classified to office, commercial, public and residential buildings. The main problem with the atriums was water leaks, which occured in about 70% of the cases. Other problems were condensation, overheating during the summertime, draft during the wintertime and acoustic problems. The study shows that most of the occured problems could be avoided or reduced by a proper design and careful installation of the roofing elements. The study shows that design of an atrium building cannot be based on the energy conservation aspects, as the conditioning of atriums due to the existing code of building regulations reduces their energy saving potential very essentially. Instead the unconditioned buffer type atrium operating as a passive solar heater can be considered as an energy conservation strategy. The most beneficial results in energy conservation are achieved by the integrated conditioning of the adjacent and the enclosed spaces of the atrium, which are restricted due to the building regulations. (ERA citation 15:034695)