Introduction to HVAC Load Calculation for High-Rise Buildings

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems play a critical role in maintaining indoor environmental quality, comfort, and energy efficiency in high-rise buildings. The HVAC load calculation is a fundamental step in designing these systems, ensuring that equipment is properly sized to meet the building's heating and cooling demands under varying conditions.

Unlike low-rise or residential structures, high-rise buildings present unique challenges and complexities in HVAC design due to their vertical height, mixed-use spaces, exposure to varying environmental factors, and stack effect phenomena. Accurate load calculations are essential to achieve thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ), and energy efficiency, while avoiding problems like oversizing or undersizing HVAC equipment.