Impact of the Envelope Layout in the Thermal Behavior of Buildings in Panama: A Numerical Study

Abstract

With the purpose of giving recommendations about building construction techniques in Panama to reduce the energy consumption, this article presents the results obtained from thermal dynamic simulations carried out for a generic building inspired on the building structure implemented in the Technological University of Panama Campus. This before by considering its geographical location, meteorological data, and composition of walls, floors, ceilings and windows. This simulation aims to study the thermal behavior of the building depending merely on its envelope features, specifically, on the variation of "window to wall" ratio (WWR) and on the addition of internal and external insulation layers on the external walls. Results showed that one of the most relevant features of the envelope is the WWR, which improved the indoor conditions significantly if minimized. However, adding insulation layer does not improve the building indoor conditions.