IES-VE User Forum

Dear Sir
I would like to know how we can simulate a building with (shade mesh) on the top of the building? the sequence of the work as below:
1. Space with external walls + Concrete tile roofs.
2. Gap or air space 1 to 2m over the roofs.
3. shade mesh with 50% transition.
this system is fully naturally ventilated, so the space between roofs and shade device is (space with naturally ventilated 100%).
How we can model this space in this system, in addition how the thermal heat gain can transferred between the shade mesh to air space to roof?

Did you every resolve this issue Aliarcht?

Mesh shading devices are something we are occasionally asked about and we don’t have the most satisfying answers. VE doesn’t have a robust model for taking fine mesh shades into account and really you have two options;

• Physically model the shading surfaces by drawing them in ModelIT as a local shading device.

This can be successful but only if you keep the mesh simple and within the bounds of what the VE allows you to model (minimum length of a surface it allows is about 0.1m). For simple surfaces this should be ok but if you are then trying to add detail (e.g. the shape of the portion cut out) within this and also trying to multiply it across the kind of array covering the windows in your model then I think in terms of the SunCast analyses that would be required to get meaningful results from a simulation you would struggle to get it to complete the calculation (and if it did complete I can’t predict how long that would take to run). In summary this approach is fine for visuals (model viewer) but not advised really for any analysis.

• The common workaround is to simply modify the window constructions in your model to represent the general effect the mesh would have e.g. reducing transmission to 50% or as you see appropriate.

These are the two options you have and both have pros and cons to consider