Conclusions 

In this project, the iinteractions between passive and operational condition and the energy requirements for heating and cooling demands in a mixed humid climate of Istanbul. Building Simulation using ESP-r dynamic modeling was used to estimate the heating, cooling and total energy demand. A base case building model of a typical building was used and the building design was adopted from the ASHRAE integrated sustainable building design competition.

An introduction of 100mm insulation to the roof and ground floor resulted in the highest reduction in the heating demand with more than 80% compared to the walls. Shading of the South facing windows was also a major factor in decreasing the cooling demand by 23% followed by the glazing which resulted in a reduction of 17.5%. Although internal blinds decreased the cooling demand by almost a third it was not used because it obscured the view which is not desirable in retail and commercial buildings. High efficiency lighting decreased the cooling load by 23% as well. Light colored walls and roof also resulted in a reduction of 4% in the cooling demand and a total reduction of 2.6%.

In conclusion, measures that decrease the cooling demand result in the heating demand increasing, so trade-offs had to be made by looking at the total benefit. Ultimately, it would be optimum if these measures can be altered seasonally so no trade-offs are needed. This might be by using detachable shading or glazing that can be controlled, although such systems are available they might not be economically viable to install but this might change in the near future with the people being more environmentally aware to build sustainable, energy efficient buildings and mass production of such systems.