A heat exchanger apparatus includes a cylindrical-shaped heat exchanger formed by alternately laminating first and second elements in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical-shaped heat exchanger. The cylindrical-shaped heat exchanger is rotated to carry out the function of the conventional regenerative rotary type total heat exchanger. In addition, the first and second elements are also allowed to effect a heat exchange or total heat exchange operation. The cylindrical-shaped heat exchanger is either hollow or solid, which provides many variations in arrangement of air ducts for primary and secondary air flows. Further, a partition interposed between the first and second elements has variation in property: permeable to water vapor; non-permeable to water vapor as well as non-hygroscopic; and so forth. The first and second elements exchange heat with each other in a total heat exchange operation mode and a sensible heat exchange operation mode.