Application of CFD in building performance simulation for the outdoor environment

This paper provides a brief, non-exhaustive overview of the status of the application of CFD in building performance simulation for the outdoor environment. It focuses on four topics: (1) pedestrian wind environment around buildings; (2) wind-driven rain on building facades; (3) convective heat and mass transfer coefficients at building surfaces; and (4) air pollutant dispersion around buildings. For each topic, some specific difficulties, advantages and disadvantages of CFD are addressed.