Thermal performance evaluation of a double skin Façade with latticework solar protection: a case study in a humid tropical climate (Panama)

• Thermal performance of latticework in double skin façades under humid tropical climate is analyzed. • Shading without cross ventilation can cause overheating and high thermal inertia. • Latticework alone does not guarantee thermal efficiency in humid tropical climates. • Cross ventilation is crucial to mitigate thermal loads in double skin façades. • An integrated design approach combining shading, materiality, and ventilation is proposed. In light of the growing energy crisis and the need for more sustainable buildings, passive strategies that were once used to improve thermal comfort are reemerging. These strategies reduce dependence on mechanical air conditioning systems. The façades and elements that compose them are among the determining factors in this behavior. This study, conducted at the University of Panama, analyzes the thermal behavior of lattices applied to a perforated double skin façade (DSF) in a humid tropical climate. The study employed a multi-method approach combining experimental measurements, thermographic images, model calibration, and dynamic simulations using DesignBuilder and EnergyPlus. Thermal data were collected over the course of one year using sensors installed on the experimental façade and supplemented with thermography to characterize surface behavior. Nine architectural hypotheses with different lattice configurations, spatial arrangements, and cross ventilation were evaluated. The results showed that incorporating lattices alone does not guarantee adequate thermal performance. Without effective cross ventilation, double skin façades can induce overheating phenomena by increasing solar radiation capture and the accumulation of internal thermal load, generating high thermal inertia with slow dissipation a clearly unfavorable behavior in humid tropical climates, such as in Panama. The study concludes that construction elements such as solar protection latticework should be designed using an integrated approach that considers geometry, material, thickness, orientation, and interaction with natural ventilation in order to optimize thermal performance and reduce dependence on mechanical systems