AVALIAÇÃO DE CONFORTO TÉRMICO RELACIONADO AO USO DE VIDRO INSULADO EM ESCRITÓRIOS COM FACHADA ENVIDRAÇADA EM FLORIANÓPOLIS (SC)

Abstract

Office buildings with fully glazed façades is already consolidated as an international architecture model, even in Brazil. However, this pattern seems to be the most vulnerable to climate variations. Therefore, the fenestration design must be suitable to the local climate and the building’s use, and its direct impact on energy consumption and occupant comfort should be assessed. The present study aims to evaluate if the use of insulated glass unit provides improvement in the thermal comfort of people who stay for long periods near windows in offices located in Florianópolis. Thermal comfort and mean radiant temperature data of an office-space model were verified using computer simulation on the EnergyPlus software. First, the oscillations in the results were verified by modeling the thermal zoning of the environment in different ways. Afterward, the use of an insulated glass unit was evaluated and compared to the use of monolithic gray and monolithic clear glasses. Previous research has shown that insulated glass does not present favorable thermal and energy performance for office buildings in Brazil, compared to a single-pane glass unit. However, in this paper, the results indicated improvement in the thermal comfort of the room with the use of insulated glass. Even though the office is artificially conditioned, thermal discomfort by heat on summer, and the thermal discomfort on the occupancy period has been reduced.