Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao

The lack of energy-saving design in national fitness centers has affected low-cost operation and indoor comfort. Existing studies mainly focus on the impact of lighting and heat on energy consumption in sports stadiums, highlighting the need for the comprehensive planning of natural ventilation desi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wen Zhang, Lingling Li, Yu Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/734
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850031441132388352
author Wen Zhang
Lingling Li
Yu Li
author_facet Wen Zhang
Lingling Li
Yu Li
author_sort Wen Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The lack of energy-saving design in national fitness centers has affected low-cost operation and indoor comfort. Existing studies mainly focus on the impact of lighting and heat on energy consumption in sports stadiums, highlighting the need for the comprehensive planning of natural ventilation design to improve energy efficiency. This study uses the national fitness center in Qingdao as a case study, collecting building environmental information through field measurements and questionnaire surveys. Four design elements were selected: the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), proportion of operable window area (OWAR), skylight area ratio (SAR), and floor plan layout. Through the utilization of Ladybug Tools in combination with Radiance and EnergyPlus, an annual energy consumption simulation under natural ventilation conditions was conducted using an airflow network model. This study found that the WWR has a significant impact on lighting, ventilation, and energy consumption. The optimal WWR configuration for the venue was determined to be 0.37 for the north facade, 0.26 for the east, 0.53 for the south, and 0.41 for the west. Compared to no natural ventilation, cooling energy consumption was reduced by 18.02%, and fan energy consumption decreased by 11.03%. The energy-saving effect was optimal when the OWAR was approximately 30%. When the SAR reached 5%, cooling and lighting energy consumption were significantly reduced, resulting in the lowest total energy consumption. The study also compared the energy consumption differences in various floor plan layouts under the influence of natural ventilation. This research evaluates the natural ventilation efficiency of community fitness centers, avoiding the hidden energy consumption transfer typical of traditional single-objective optimization methods, and improves the energy-efficient design approach for national fitness centers.
format Article
id doaj-art-9d4ac352502c48da9d9d49a7679f21db
institution DOAJ
issn 2075-5309
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Buildings
spelling doaj-art-9d4ac352502c48da9d9d49a7679f21db2025-08-20T02:58:58ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-02-0115573410.3390/buildings15050734Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of QingdaoWen Zhang0Lingling Li1Yu Li2School of Architecture and Design, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, ChinaSchool of Architecture and Design, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, ChinaSchool of Architecture and Design, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, ChinaThe lack of energy-saving design in national fitness centers has affected low-cost operation and indoor comfort. Existing studies mainly focus on the impact of lighting and heat on energy consumption in sports stadiums, highlighting the need for the comprehensive planning of natural ventilation design to improve energy efficiency. This study uses the national fitness center in Qingdao as a case study, collecting building environmental information through field measurements and questionnaire surveys. Four design elements were selected: the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), proportion of operable window area (OWAR), skylight area ratio (SAR), and floor plan layout. Through the utilization of Ladybug Tools in combination with Radiance and EnergyPlus, an annual energy consumption simulation under natural ventilation conditions was conducted using an airflow network model. This study found that the WWR has a significant impact on lighting, ventilation, and energy consumption. The optimal WWR configuration for the venue was determined to be 0.37 for the north facade, 0.26 for the east, 0.53 for the south, and 0.41 for the west. Compared to no natural ventilation, cooling energy consumption was reduced by 18.02%, and fan energy consumption decreased by 11.03%. The energy-saving effect was optimal when the OWAR was approximately 30%. When the SAR reached 5%, cooling and lighting energy consumption were significantly reduced, resulting in the lowest total energy consumption. The study also compared the energy consumption differences in various floor plan layouts under the influence of natural ventilation. This research evaluates the natural ventilation efficiency of community fitness centers, avoiding the hidden energy consumption transfer typical of traditional single-objective optimization methods, and improves the energy-efficient design approach for national fitness centers.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/734national fitness centerbuilding energy-saving designwindow-to-wall ratiooperable window area ratioskylight area ratiofloor plan layout
spellingShingle Wen Zhang
Lingling Li
Yu Li
Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao
Buildings
national fitness center
building energy-saving design
window-to-wall ratio
operable window area ratio
skylight area ratio
floor plan layout
title Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao
title_full Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao
title_fullStr Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao
title_full_unstemmed Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao
title_short Natural Ventilation and Energy Consumption Research for Dry Sports Halls Within National Fitness Centers in Cold Regions—Case Study of Qingdao
title_sort natural ventilation and energy consumption research for dry sports halls within national fitness centers in cold regions case study of qingdao
topic national fitness center
building energy-saving design
window-to-wall ratio
operable window area ratio
skylight area ratio
floor plan layout
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/734
work_keys_str_mv AT wenzhang naturalventilationandenergyconsumptionresearchfordrysportshallswithinnationalfitnesscentersincoldregionscasestudyofqingdao
AT linglingli naturalventilationandenergyconsumptionresearchfordrysportshallswithinnationalfitnesscentersincoldregionscasestudyofqingdao
AT yuli naturalventilationandenergyconsumptionresearchfordrysportshallswithinnationalfitnesscentersincoldregionscasestudyofqingdao