Mechanically ventilated double-skin facade in a hot and humid climate: summer monitoring in an office tower in Tel Aviv

Double-skin facade (DSF) is regarded as one of the most advanced and promising curtain wall technologies currently available, adopted until recently mainly in cold and temperate climates. Despite their potential for improved thermal performance compared to conventional curtain wall technologies, experience with the application of DSF technology in hot climates is still little. This paper presents the results of the first DSF monitoring in Israel, executed in the first office building in Israel to apply this technology. Results show that the applied DSF technology (mechanically ventilated box window DSF with integrated blinds) has a potential for keeping indoor temperatures up to 2°C below outdoor temperatures (excluding the effect of air conditioning) and reducing solar heat gains without compromising indoor visual comfort. At the same time, they also exposed an inherent deficiency of the system's capacity to prevent air cavity overheating: air cavity temperatures were 10–30°C higher than outdoor temperatures in all facades exposed to direct solar irradiance.