Myth of ecological architecture designs: Comparison between design concept and computational analysis results of natural-ventilation for Tjibaou Cultural Center in New Caledonia

The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, designed by Renzo Piano, a world renown Italian architect and a recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, was described as a piece of “Ecological Architecture” in New Caledonia. This building is recognized by its sustainable ventilation design concept that implements the unique ten shell-like structures for aeration enhancement. This paper presents an approach using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based simulations to compare the numerical predictions with the original architectural insight for a verification of the architect's thinking in his realization of the design purpose. In the analysis, we consider the incompressible isothermal turbulent airflow to examine the interaction of the flow with the building for a better understanding of the wind-driven self-sustaining ventilation mechanism. We also propose a modified model via enlarging the aeration opening with the least blockages along the wind pathway. The simulated results indicate that the improved design substantially enhances the air-intake effectiveness and realizes a satisfactory pressure balance for the Tjibaou Cultural Center.

• CFD simulations were coupled with architects’ aesthetic sense for making new building forms.
• Natural ventilation was enhanced by adding aeration area and reducing hurdles along the flow way.
• The fluidic view should be closely linked to design approach of future ecological architectures.