Study of Passive Adjustment Performance of Tubular Space in Subway Station Building Complexes

Abstract

The stereo integration of subway transportation with urban functions has promoted the transformation of urban space via extensive two-dimensional plans to intensive three-dimensional development. As sustainable development aspect, it has posed new challenges for the design of architectural space to be better environmental quality and low energy consumption. Therefore, subway station building complexes with high-performance designs should be a primary focus. Tubular space is a very common spatial form in subway station building complexes; it is an important space carrier for transmitting airflow and natural light. As such, it embodies the advantages of effectively utilizing natural resources, improving the indoor thermal and light environments, refining the air quality, and reducing energy consumption. This research took tubular space, which has a passive regulation function in subway station building complexes as its research object. It firstly established a scientific and logical method for verifying the value of tubular space by searching causal relationships among the parameterized building space information factors, occupancy satisfaction elements, physical environment comfort aspects, and climate conditions. Secondly, based on the actual field investigation, a database of physical environment performance data and users’ subjective satisfaction information was collected. Through the fieldwork results and analysis, the research thirdly concluded that the potential passive utilization of tubular space in subway station building complexes can be divided into two aspects: improvement in comfort level itself and utilization of climate between natural or artificial. Finally, three typical integrated design method for tubular spaces exhibiting high levels of performance and low amounts of energy consumption in subway station building complexes was put forward. This interdisciplinary research provides a design basis for subway station building complexes seeking to achieve high levels of performance and low amounts of energy consumption.

Environmental and Health Effects of Ventilation in Subway Stations: A Literature Review

“…High ventilation rates and frequent facility utilizations require ventilation systems to keep their cleanliness and efficiency to ensure abundant clean air entering subways. Furthermore, some recent energy-saving studies propose to utilize piston winds through train movement [241][242][243][244] and buoyancy-driven airflows through hot pressing [245], which make wind environments and pollutant transmissions more complicated. Spaces and airflows in subways are so complex that they cannot merely introduce fresh air to dilute and then exhaust air outside.…”

Integrated design for underground space environment control of subway stations with atriums using piston ventilation

“…On the one hand, the space forms can cause the ‘dead zone’ of ventilation in the middle or end of the tubular space with insufficient ventilation equipment. 13 , 32 On the other hand, the spatial connections can lead to the dispersion of air pollutants or fire smokes with the piston wind along the passenger paths throughout the station. 45 Especially in the stations with open-mode environmental control systems, piston winds push air pollutants into the platform, hall, office zone, business zone and pedestrian underpass.…”

“…8–11 While mechanical ventilation can effectively create satisfying environments, natural ventilation through passive design strategies should be considered as a priority to reduce energy consumption. 12–16 Ventilation induced by the piston effect (i.e. piston ventilation) can effectively improve the physical environment and energy conservation within a subway station.…”

Special Issue on Indoor Air Quality

“…Last but not least, three papers published in this Special Issue include studies of air quality in indoor environments of special characteristics. The first one, 'Study of Passive Adjustment Performance of Tubular Space in Subway Station Building Complexes' by Li J. et al [14] focused on the various tubular space forms in subway station building complexes with the scope of proposing an improvement of the indoor environment in terms of comfort and energy consumption. The second one, 'Application of Airborne Microorganism Indexes in Offices, Gyms, and Libraries' authored by Grisoli P. et al [15] quantified the levels of microorganisms present in the air in different places such as offices, gyms, and libraries.…”