Study of natural ventilation and daylight in a multi-storey residential building to address the problems of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Many issues have emerged more clearly than before in multi-storey residential buildings during quarantine and lockdown caused by the global pandemic COVID-19. Among these problems is the deterioration in people’s mental and physical health inside the home caused by quarantine and closure. This deterioration is due to inadequate passive ventilation, natural lighting, and the lack of green open spaces in and around traditional multi-storey residential buildings. Also, one of the most severe problems is the airborne infection transmission from a positive covid-19 person to others due to the lack of control in the entrance of buildings against an infected person. In this paper, we modified the shape of a traditional multi-storey residential building. Using Design-Builder and Autodesk CFD software, we create a simulation to compare the amount of natural ventilation and lighting before and after modifying the building’s shape. This work aims to increase the passive ventilation and daylight inside the building. Also, to achieve the biophilic concept to provide open spaces for each apartment to improve the mental and physical health of the residents. In addition, it protects the building users from infection with the virus. Through this study, we found that passive ventilation and daylight achieved more efficiency in the building that we have modified in its shape, which led to a 38% reduction in energy consumption. In summary, these findings suggest that by modifying the mass of the traditional multi-storey residential building with open green spaces provided for each apartment, the natural connection with the inhabitants of the building was sufficiently provided. Moreover, all this will significantly help improve residents’ mental and physical state, and it will also help prevent the spread of various diseases inside the homes.