Energy-saving performance and mechanism studies on membrane ceiling: A case study of the National Speed Skating Oval

The ceiling plays a significant role in building energy performance. In recent years, membranes have replaced aluminum as a new ceiling material for speed skating ovals in the reason of energy conservation. However, the advantage of membrane ceilings on energy-saving performance over aluminum ceilings remains unquantified, and the energy-saving mechanism of membrane ceilings is unclear. This study takes the National Speed Skating Oval, designed for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, as an example. A field measurement was conducted to evaluate the energy-saving performance of the membrane ceiling, then put forward and verified an energy-saving mechanism assumption of the membrane ceiling by thermal radiation simulation and data analysis. The results show that: 1. Compared with aluminum, the membrane performs better in reducing ceiling thermal radiation; 2. The thermal radiation of the ceiling is negatively correlated with the reflectivity value of the membrane material with a coefficient of −0.998 and positively correlated with the thermal conductivity value with a coefficient of 0.965. However, it shows a weak correlation with the transparency and reflective coating position. This research reveals the impact of different material characteristics on the energy-saving performance of the membrane ceiling and provides valuable guides for future optimizations of speed skating oval ceilings.