Tall buildings are a major component in today’s urban fabric in many parts of the world. The amount of energy they consume is extremely high.... Show moreTall buildings are a major component in today’s urban fabric in many parts of the world. The amount of energy they consume is extremely high. Architects have been showing an increasing interest in designing highly energy efficient tall buildings to reduce the energy consumption significantly and, more recently, to integrate onsite renewable energy production technologies. This integrative approach is referred to as net zero energy building (net ZEB) design. The applications of wind power in tall buildings have been of interest to many designers as the speed and, therefore, the power of the wind increases with height above the ground. A few notable international projects have been constructed that incorporate building integrated wind turbines (BIWT’s). The research presented in this thesis investigated the correlation between the architectural forms of tall buildings and the enhancement of wind power production in office buildings, towards the realization of net zero energy towers through extensive use of computer simulation software and wind tunnel testing. The wind enhancement characteristics of different case studies were determined, and the Wind Enhancement Factor (WEF) was calculated for each case, along the with annual electricity consumption based on five different climate zones. The results indicated significant wind speed enhancement by over 35% in the single tower with openings, and up to 45% in the twin tower arrangement, multiplying the energy production of the turbines by a factor of over three times. Results also showed that wind turbine technology could significantly contribute toward the net ZEB goal by generating up to 45% of the electricity demand by 2025 if the building is designed with 70% energy efficiency, when compared to the baseline of ASHRAE 90.1-2004. Ph.D. in Architecture, July 2011 Show less
