The viability of double-skin façade systems in the 21st century: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the nexus of factors affecting ventilation and thermal performance, and building integration

Double skin facades are a popular research area but by no means a completed one. This review highlights the reasons why perhaps research topic popularity and flexibility does not always yield commercial results in industry. It is intended to be used as a tool for researchers to access a synopsis of double skin façade research as it currently stands in the 21st century and differentiates itself from other review articles by exploring the nexus of factors affecting ventilation and thermal performance and building integration of double skin façade systems. A sample of over 100 papers dated between 2000 and 2021 were selected through the identification, screening, and refinement stages of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) method to organise the research into a systematic categorisation dependent on a range of parameters affecting double skin façade performance. This meta-analysis resulted in tabular summaries in each relevant section to provide an overview of the specific design factors affecting ventilation and thermal performance or building integration. Additionally, key trends in methodology, climate, and operation conditions were identified resulting in original graphical figures. The predominant closing remark of this review is that there is no singular definition, design or configuration of a double skin façade, there are multiple methodologies for assessing its performance as a heating, cooling, fresh air or energy generation technology and it is highly dependent on changing climate, geometry, building application and materials. As a result, there is presently no standardised way of assessing the viability of a double skin façade system from a technical, economic, and environmental perspective, and therefore could be the missing link between this popular research area, and greater real-world application in the global built environment.