Using CFD as an energy efficiency design tool for an auditorium and airport baggage hall

With intensifying efforts to reduce the carbon-intensity of our built environment, the predictive power of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation is able to assist designers in their efforts to optimise their designs and reduce energy consumption. Aurecon leverages CFD simulation for a wide variety of building design problems, often deploying bespoke methodologies to prove and optimise designs, so that they are both functional and efficient. This paper presents two case studies where CFD was used to help reduce the carbon cost of a project.

The first study analysed the refurbishment of the State Theatre auditorium at Art Centre Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The auditorium’s original overhead ducted air conditioning system is to be replaced by a hybrid system of predominantly under-seat supply, via a series of underfloor plenums. CFD was used to assess the thermal comfort in the space, for both patrons and orchestra performers, and was able to achieve a design outcome that minimised mechanical operational energy usage, while maintaining comfort and acoustic requirements.

The second study examined the thermal conditions inside the Baggage Hall at the International Terminal Building (ITB) at Brisbane Airport, Queensland, Australia. With the provision of new baggage scanning equipment, the air temperature entering the cooling systems of these machines needed to be well understood, given the Baggage Hall is naturally ventilated and already subject to numerous heat loads. The CFD modelling was able to quantify the expected cooling inlet temperatures for the machines, throughout their expected operational life, taking account of expected climate change impacts over the period. The analysis was able to demonstrate that the baggage scanning machines would be able to safely operate without being placed inside a fully-air-conditioned environment which would have incurred significant additional cost and energy usage.

These case studies shows that where CFD is applied appropriately to a problem, it can add great value and improve design outcomes.