A numerical prediction of the passive cooling effects on thermal comfort for a historical building in Rome

In recent times, numerical simulations are increasingly gaining ground for the energy savings and thermal comfort evaluation of historical buildings. In the present paper a transient 2D model of the Pavillion 2B of the ex-Mattatoio (past abattoir) in Rome is presented, created by Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). the simulations take into account time variations and interactions between indoor and outdoor thermal conditions, with the aim of avaluating different usage profiles and estimating passive cooling effects in presence of natural ventilation and high thermal masses. The main goal of this work is to show the CFD numerical models potential in quantifying the cooling effects and the indoor thermal comfort conditions, in order to enhance passive and hybrid strategies based on natural ventilation and nocturnal thermal mass precooling.