Study on Energy Performance of Passive Zone and Non-passive Zone in Office Buildings

Building form has great influence on energy performance. However, the indoor volume was usually considered as a whole and the difference between perimeter (passive zone) and core (non-passive zone) were rarely discussed. Actually, the energy performance of perimeter space is very unlike the core because of the accessibility to building envelope. The distribution of passive zones has direct influence on building form as well as energy use. In this paper, energy performance of passive and non-passive zones were studied by numerical simulations in three Chinese cities. Results indicate that passive zones normally require more thermal energy than non-passive zone in severe cold climate zone (Urumqi), while south-orientated passive zone could achieve less thermal demand in cold climate zone (Beijing and Lhasa). Among different orientations, the highest and lowest annual energy demand occurs in north- and south-orientated zone, respectively. High potential of energy saving on the west orientation is also noticed. When natural ventilation or window shading are considered, energy demand in west-orientated passive zone could be even lower than non-passive zone in Beijing and Lhasa. Understanding the energy performance of passive and non-passive zone could help to guide building design with the aim of energy saving in the future.