Effectiveness of Wind Chimney

Running Head: EFFECTIVENESS OF WIND CHIMNEY
Table of Content Page
Abstract 2
1.0 Introduction 2 - 3
1.1 Case Study: Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery 4
2.0 Research methodology 5
2.1 Field Measurement 5 - 6
2.2 Windflow Simulations 7
3.0 Results
3.1 Air temperature and relative humidity data analysis
3.2 Simulation data analysis
4.0 Discussion
4.0 Conclucion
5.0 Acknowledgement and References

Running Head: EFFECTIVENESS OF WIND CHIMNEY 2
Abstract
In Middle East countries, wind chimney is a traditional Persian architecture element to create
natural ventilation in buildings. This research aims to study the effectiveness of wind
chimney as natural ventilation in a contemporary building in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. The
selected case study is a wind chimney of a contemporary art gallery, Shalini Ganendra Fine
Art Gallery, located in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. The study used a quantitative method by
collecting data which measures the air temperature and relative humidity on different
locations in the art gallery to determine the effectiveness of wind chimney as natural
ventilation. Additionally, prospective researches on wind flow by using CFD simulation were
marked. The results show that the air temperature and relative humidity of the places which
located near to the wind chimney is the lowest. It had proven that wind chimney as natural
ventilation helps to achieve thermal comfort for the occupants. Therefore, the wind chimney
is a suitable and effective passive design strategy as natural ventilation except on a
non-windy day.
Keywords
Wind chimney, natural ventilation, cross ventilation, air temperature, relative humidity,
passive design
1.0 Introduction
Passive designs are being practised more frequently in Malaysian architecture by utilising the
natural resources to achieve thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Nowadays, energy crisis
has became a global issue. Almost 68% of the energy is used for Heating, Ventilating and Air
Conditioning Systems (HVACs) (Omer, 2008). Thus, passive design plays a vital role to
reduce the problem of inefficient use of energy.
As a passive design strategy, a wind chimney is a traditional Persian architectural element
originally used in the Middle East to create natural ventilation in buildings by channelling
fresh air into the building space (Goran, 2016). The wind chimney is installed on top of
buildings as it applies a concept of air pressure. Since cooler air is heavier than the ambient
air, there will be a downward circulation of the air into the space, making the space cooler
and less sultry. Wind chimneys come in various designs: uni-directional, bi-directional, and
multi-directional (Mahdavinejad, Khazforoosh, 2014). Wind chimneys can function in three
ways: directing airflow downward using direct wind entry, directing airflow upwards using a
wind-assisted temperature gradient, or directing airflow upwards using a solar-assisted
temperature gradient.
Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space by
natural means, meaning without the use of a fan or other mechanical system. It uses outdoor
air flow caused by pressure differences between the building and its surrounding to provide
ventilation and space cooling. (HK Green Building Tech Net, n.d.). There are two types of
natural ventilation: cross ventilation and stack ventilation. (Grondzik & Kwok, 2015). Cross
ventilation, is a wind-driven ventilation, which is accomplished when there are two sides of
opened window, hence creating a current of air across the room. Nevertheless, it works in
single rooms. Stack ventilation is a buoyancy-driven ventilation whereby hot air rises due to
the difference in density of air.

Malaysia has an equatorial climate, also known as tropical rainforest climate, thus Malaysia
is having high temperature and humidity, heavy rainfall and a climatic year patterned around
the northeast and southwest monsoon. Traditionally natural ventilation has been widely used
in tropical vernacular architecture to regulate the indoor thermal environments (Givoni,
1998). Chinese shophouses, which date back to the seventeenth and eighteenth century built
in Malaysia, were equipped with air-well type courtyards as passive design strategies on
moderating indoor thermal environments. (Gamage, Lau, Qin & Gou, 2017). Nonetheless, the
wind chimney has never been used in Malaysia.
According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), a HVAC system should “heat, cool, clean, ventilate, humidify and
dehumidify as needed to provide health and HVAC comfort.” (Rosone, 2016). Amongst
them, ventilation is an important environmental factor to provide thermal comfort to a space,
and also reducing energy consumption and energy cost. Comfort ventilation is the level of
ventilation required for human comfort at a given level of temperature and humidity. In a
relatively hotter environment, if sufficient ventilation is provided, the users may feel more
comfortable, and the space would be acceptable in terms of thermal environmental
conditions. (Brager & de Dear, 2001). Other than natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation
could be used to achieve comfort ventilation, it is provided mechanically, by using equipment
such as fans to control when, where and how much fresh air is drawn in and distributed to the
space, and sometimes to exhaust air from specific areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Unlike contemporary buildings of the same type, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery
possesses this passive design strategy which would theoretically allow it to keep cool during
the day. This paper discusses the the effectiveness of wind chimney as natural ventilation in a
contemporary building in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
1.1 Case Study: Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery
One of the most common uses of the wind chimney is to ventilate the inside of the dwelling;
it is often used in combination with courtyards and domes as an overall ventilation and
heat-management strategy. （Khan, Su, & Riffat, 2008). It is essentially a tall, capped tower
with one face open at the top. The open side faces the prevailing wind, thus "catching" it, and
brings it down to the tower into the building to maintain air flow, thus ventilating the building
interior. It reduces the heat load of buildings and provides a cooling effect by increasing the
rate of airflow. Wind chimneys have been employed in this manner for thousands of years.
The subject of our case study, the Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery is a 2-storeyed building
located in a residential area within Petaling Jaya, Selangor. It sits right beside a highway
located on its West direction, and there are residential buildings of similar height on its
North, East, and South direction. Our study area includes both the ground floor and first floor
of the gallery, which covers the public spaces that are subjected to the effect of the wind
chimney.
This case study has an innovative ‘wind chimney’ similar to the ventilating chimneys used in
the Middle-East, however never used before in Malaysia. The shaft has a two openings at the
top to catch wind from North and South directions, and is internally partitioned to channel the

wind down the shaft, with directed flow into the spaces below. The extent of wind flow is
manually controlled by operable glass louvers at the base of the shaft. The wind chimney is
designed to function as a down-draft shaft to channel the wind from the upper parts of the site
at the roof level channelling the external wind down the shaft to the gallery spaces below to
provide comfort cooling and natural ventilation. The orientations of the wind chimney’s
openings were initially configured based on the prevailing wind directions from a general
windrose for the locality.
Figure 1. Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery
Figure 2. Wind chimney
2.0 Research methodology
For this case study, two different research strategies: quantitative research and simulation
research have been used in reference to Architectural Research Methods. The major strengths
of quantitative research follow from its capacity to take in the rich qualities of real-life
circumstances and settings. (Wang & Groat, 2002). It is also flexible in its design and
procedures, allowing for adjustments to be made as the research proceeds. This method is
used for data collection, analysis and interpretation of the chosen site.
Simulation research comes out of a general human fascination with the replication of
real-world realities. Simulation research is beneficial in a way where it can yield information
about dangerous conditions without placing people in harm’s way. It allows simulations of
building behaviour in severe natural occurrences such as high wind have obvious utility to be
conducted. (Wang & Groat, 2002).
The quantitative research will be done by measuring and collecting data on air temperature
and relative humidity of the site by using a hygro-thermometer.

2.1 Field Measurement
The field measurement was conducted on 8th of May 2018 (Tuesday). The measured day can
be considered as a representative of a fair weather day in Petaling Jaya. Fair weather days
include clear and intermediate sky conditions with relatively constant high outdoor air
temperatures during the daytime. For the purpose of this study, the average conditions in
terms of air temperature in Petaling Jaya is represented by a fair weather day in a month.
The air temperature and relative humidity were measured at five locations on the ground floor
and five locations at the first floor in Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery for two consecutive
hours, from 12.00 p.m to 2.00 pm. The measured locations are indicated in Figure 3. All
measurements were taken at 0.1 m height above floor. These readings taken in the condition
without mechanical ventilation. Data were logged using hygro-thermometer Bosch
HT-3007SD at 5 minutes intervals. The air temperature and relative humidity of the external
surrounding, ground floor and first floor of the building were also recorded for consecutive
eight hours, from 9.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m (Figure 12,13).
(a) Ground floor plan (b) First floor plan
Figure 3. Floor plans of Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery
Table 1. Logged data of hygro-thermometer
No. Location Level Mean Humidity (%) Mean Temperature (°C)
1 Corner Ground floor level 69.6 31.4
2 Exhibition hall Ground floor level 66.9 30.8
3 Wind chimney Ground floor level 63.8 28.1
4 Door Ground floor level 67.7 31.1
5 Corridor Ground floor level 66.8 29.8
6 Corner First floor level 67.7 32.4

7 Door First floor level 65.5 31.6
8 Wind chimney First floor level 63.9 28.4
9 Stairs to private space First floor level 66.3 32.2
10 Stairs to ground floor First floor level 64.6 31.2
2.2 Windflow Simulation
According to the windrose of Petaling Jaya, the prevailing wind is from the direction South
and East-northeast. As shown in the Figure 4, the mean wind velocities in the South wind
indicate higher wind values than those in the other wind directions. Apparently, the wind
chimney is designed with two openings, facing North and South in order to catch the
maximum wind.
Figure 4. Windrose in Petaling Jaya (data obtained from
Meteoblue climate diagram, 2018)
The wind speed in Petaling Jaya for each month is shown in Figure 5, and it is of high wind
speed during August and of low wind speed during April. It is considered as a fluctuating
sequence throughout the year.
Figure 5. Wind speed of Petaling Jaya. (data obtained from Meteoblue climate diagram, 2018)

Windflow diagrams were generated by using Autocad Flow Design to show the current
thermal condition of Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery. Massing of the art gallery, its
surrounding buildings, roads and trees were modelled to show the windflow in the
surrounding area. Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery is located deep in the residential area.
Trees were planted along the road located at the West side of the the gallery. The wind from
the West is blocked by the trees and wall (Figure 6) whereas the wind from the East, North
and South is blocked by the residential buildings surrounding the gallery (Figure 7, 8, 9).
Figure 6. Windflow from the West Figure 7. Windflow from the East
Figure 8. Windflow from the North Figure 9. Windflow from the South
The windflow in Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery was modelled by using Autocad Flow
Design. The wind chimney channels wind to the first floor and ground floor to bring natural
ventilation to the spaces. When the cool air enters the wind chimney, a downward circulation
of the air occurs due to the difference in density between the cool air and the ambient air. The
wind enters the spaces via the operable glass louvers at the base of the shaft on each floor.
Figure 10. Windflow within the spaces

In addition to the wind chimney, the Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery maximizes cross
ventilation by having openings at both sides of the gallery, at both the ground and first floor
levels. Partial stack ventilation is incorporated at these spaces via low and high openings in
the external walls inlets, designed to be as low as possible to provide airflow at occupant
levels. The building’s shallow floor plan facilitates natural ventilation in all areas, with
windows and doors located on opposite walls to encourage cross ventilation. Figure 11 shows
a cross section of Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery and the cross ventilation within the
building.
Figure 11. Cross ventilation in Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery
3.0 Results and discussion
The data collected is therefore further analysed in two categories: indoor air temperature and
relative humidity. The results are then used to generate psychrometric chart to study thermal
comfort, and the effectiveness of wind chimney through studying the wind speed. The results
are as below:
The graph (Figure 12) shows the indoor and outdoor performances of the temperature for
Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery on 8th of May 2018 (Tuesday) relative to time (per hour).
The maximum temperature was recorded at 1 p.m on 8th of May 2018 for the surrounding
site of the gallery (T= 34°C), ground floor (T= 31.8°C) and first floor (T= 31.9°C) both with
no mechanical ventilation. The maximum temperature was recorded at 12 p.m for ground
floor (T = 29.8°C) and first floor (T= 31.2°C) both with mechanical ventilation. As can be
seen in Figure 12, the internal temperature has little difference compared to the external
temperature at 12 p.m. It can be assumed that mechanical ventilation is used as a secondary
ventilation after 12 p.m to cool the gallery from the external heat as the temperature change is
about 1.4°C per hour.
Figure 12. Indoor and outdoor performances of the temperature for Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery

The result (Figure 13) shows the indoor and outdoor performances of the relative humidity
for Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery on 8th of May 2018 (Tuesday) relative to time (per
hour). The maximum humidity was recorded at 9am on 8th of May 2018 for all the spaces,
ranging from 69% to 71%. The minimum humidity was recorded at 2 p.m for external site
(RH= 45%), first floor without mechanical ventilation (RH= 52%) and first floor with
mechanical ventilation (RH= 51%). The minimum humidity was recorded at 11am for ground
floor without mechanical ventilation (RH= 57%) and ground floor with mechanical
ventilation (RH= 55%). The graph shows a downhill trend with some fluctuations. As per
seen with the results, our assumptions are further strengthened as the relative humidity of the
gallery after 1 p.m decreases with time.
Figure 13. Indoor and outdoor performances of the temperature for Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery
The collected data were plotted into psychrometric graph to observe whether the interior
spaces of Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery achieves thermal comfort. The blue region in the
graph (Figure 14) represents the thermal comfort zone. The green region in the graph is the
extended comfort zone with ventilation factor accounted. According to the recommended
indoor condition of MS 1525: 2007, the recommended dry bulb temperature ranges from
23°C to 26°C, while the minimum being 22°C; and the recommended relative humidity (RH)
ranges from 55% to 70%. The recommended air movement is between 0.15m/s to 0.5m/s,
while not exceeding 0.7m/s.
Figure 14. Psychrometric chart indicating the comfort zone with ventilation factor

According to the windflow simulation in Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery modelled by
Autodesk Flow Design, the external wind speed is approximately at 5m/s. It enters the
building from the wind chimney and other openings on the North facade, bringing in air
movement of about 0.5m/s wind speed, circulating the interior, and finally exiting the
building through the openings on the South facade. Louvered windows and grilled doors are
constantly opened to encourage cross ventilation. Being aided by mechanical ventilation and
cross ventilation factors, the interior air movement is around 0.6m/s. Air speeds greater than
0.2m/s can be used to increase the upper temperature limit of the comfort zone (ASHRAE
2013). Referring to figure 14, among the nine points plotted in the graph, four points are
within the comfort range in ventilated condition of 0.6m/s.
5.0 Conclusion
Overall, users are able to achieve comfort ventilation in a relatively hot environment in the
presence of wind. Occupants in Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery will feel generally
pleasant with a relatively higher temperature if there is presence of wind of about 0.15m/s to
0.7m/s. This study concludes that the presence of wind chimney as natural ventilation
emanates a consequential impact towards the art gallery. The air temperature and relative
humidity results that were obtained had shown that the places located near to the wind
chimney has received the greater impact from the wind chimney. It signifies the effectiveness
of wind chimney as natural ventilation. According to the results of windflow simulation,
during the gallery’s opening hours (9 a.m to 5 p.m), there are 45% of the time that the
temperature readings of the interior space lie in the thermal comfort zone (Figure 14).
However, the wind chimney and mechanical ventilation are not sufficient to provide comfort
ventilation when the external wind speed is 2m/s or below. This accounts for 26.5% of the
total hours in a year. From this, we can conclude that comfort ventilation is achieved at 45%
out of 73.5% of the total hours in a year. The absence of air-conditioning units in the art
gallery acts as the evidence that the wind chimney, with the aid of mechanical ventilation, is
sufficient enough to cool the interior spaces of the gallery, while providing thermal comfort
to the occupants.

Acknowledgements
The authors of this paper would like to thank the director and the staffs of Shalini Ganendra
Fine Art Gallery, Kalvin Bong Jia Ying and Clara Lee Pei Lin. Special thanks are extended to
Taylor’s University.
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