Python-based calculation tool of wind-pressure coefficients on building envelopes

Wind pressure distribution is an essential factor for calculation of airflow rates in controlled natural ventilation systems for both indoor air quality and cooling purposes. A pressure coefficient calculation model, CpCalc, with a modular parametric approach based on analysis of wind tunnel tests was developed by Mario Grosso within the COMIS workshop, held at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, UCB, CA, USA, in 1988-1992, and upgraded for the European Project PASCOOL in 1994-2001. This software allows for calculating Cp at any point of a building façade and roof slope as a function of various climate, environmental, and building geometry parameters. The present paper describes a further upgrading of this software using a Pyton script, which allows for applying CpCalc to hourly-based energy dynamic simulation codes as well as being connectable in future with parametric design software