Influencia de la ventana en el confort térmico, lumínico y calidad del aire de las viviendas unifamiliares de la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

The window is a fundamental element in the building. It enables the indoor/outdoor relationship, also establishes the living conditions by providing energy, illumination and ventilation. All of these factors make the window a key element in any passive environmental system. This document assesses` the window`s influence on the household`s performance. Its main objective is to produce a study that leads to a better quality of the interior environment of the single family household in Cuenca.

The methodology developed allowed a test of the performance of 6 households to understand the window's behavior regarding thermic comfort, light levels and air quality. The analysis was done through computer simulation software DesignBuilder. The main guiding indexes analysed were the frequency and quantity of degrees hours of thermal discomfort. The statistical analysis allowed different environments to be compared with different windows, represented by discomfort zones.

The final outcome of this study is to propose various key design criteria aimed at optimizing the windows performance of household. Therefore, the optimal window has as its basic premise to be oriented toward the west, with a minimum glazed surface of 20%, it has a horizontal rectangular shape in a central position at half height or floor-ceilin, besides its physical components must provide thermal and acoustic insulation. The results revealed an improvement in indoor living conditions of 63% and 65% in thermal comfort, and 80% in light comfort.