The Role of Curtain Wall Design on Reducing Thermal Bridges and Energy Consumption in Building Located in Hot Arid Climate

Abstract Heat transport is facilitated by thermal bridges, which raises air conditioning demands. The influence of thermal bridges and their detrimental effects on building energy efficiency are the main scope of this study. This study intends to identify and present the most effective design for curtain wall facades located in hot arid climate to reduce thermal bridge and enhance energy consumption. Based on previous studies, the five main variables affecting the percentage of thermal bridges in building facades are window wall ratio, glazing type, frame U-value, thermal Break, window wall ratio and system joint thermal insulation. In this study five scenarios using different curtain wall facades design for the five parameters were applied and simulated using design builder software for an existing office building located in Egypt as an example for hot arid climate. Results showed that scenario four is the most effective design for curtain wall facade which reduced thermal bridge up to 50% in hot arid climate. The design of case scenario four consists of double low-e glazing, frame made of aluminum with a thermal break, and 40% is the window to wall ratio, which reduced the energy consumption by 19247.96 kwh/month.