Design of an Auditorium Equipped with an Attached Solar Greenhouse Used to Improve Indoor Environmental Conditions

This article proposes the design of an auditorium equipped with an attached solar greenhouse utilized to provide better conditions of comfort to the occupants during the winter season. The three-dimensional design of the auditorium and greenhouse is generated using geometric equations expressed in cylindrical coordinates. The thermal environmental conditions and air quality verified inside the auditorium are obtained by a research software, that simulates, in transient conditions, the air quality and the thermal behaviour of buildings, called Building Thermal Response (BTR). The thermal comfort within the auditorium is estimated by the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index. The air quality inside the auditorium is assessed by the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in the breathing process of its occupants. The numerical model implemented in BTR uses integral equations of energy and mass balance to represent the radiative, convective, conductive and evaporative phenomena associated with the thermal behaviour of the building and its occupants. The virtual auditorium and greenhouse are made up of 759 opaque and 25 transparent surfaces, respectively. It is assumed that the auditorium is occupied by 168 people. A variable ventilation process was implemented throughout the day. The evolutions of PMV and CO2 obtained during the occupation cycle show that it is possible to ensure levels of thermal comfort and indoor air quality most of the time.