Interaction analysis of countermeasures for the stack effect in a high-rise office building

Problems caused by the stack effect are an emerging issue as high-rise buildings become more common. Many countermeasures have been suggested to minimize the building performance deterioration by the stack effect, but sometimes combining them does not produce the expected results. This paper reviews the underlying principles of the stack effect and its countermeasures in a high-rise office building with a specific focus on an interaction analysis between countermeasures. A network model (CONTAM) that simulates airflow and pressure in buildings was used for the case study. An analysis of the interactions between countermeasures was built by the design of experiments (DOE) technique to obtain reliable results and reduce the computational effort. We confirmed that there are significant synergistic/antagonistic and positive/negative interactions in the performance of stack effect countermeasures depending on their combinations. Therefore, stack effect countermeasures should be established in light of stack effect characteristics and interaction between countermeasures.