A data-driven optimized daylight pattern for responsive facades design

ABSTRACT

This study presents a data-driven approach for investigating practical aspects of responsive facades illuminance optimization. In this approach, the hourly indoor illuminance data and spatial information are integrated to form an objective function. Then, the objective function is used to assess the visual performance of responsive facade systems by matching a wide range of angle movements with hourly daylight patterns.

An office room with a responsive facade was simulated parametrically to test the proposed optimization function through design scenarios. Raw indoor illuminance data was generated for a year of both horizontal and vertical facade configurations in four different facade orientations and four facade locations/climate zones. Data analytic techniques were deployed for quality assurance, pre-processing, managing and analyzing the simulated data. A Brute-force search algorithm was utilized to determine the hourly optimum angle of the facade configuration.

The result reveals hourly optimum adaptation angles can significantly improve indoor illuminance of all possible scenarios such as various facade configurations, facade orientations, and facade locations/climate zones in comparison with no-louvers and fixed louvers scenarios.

KEYWORDS:

• Modern architecture
• Responsive facade systems
• Building optimization
• data-driven building design
• Occupant comfort

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Negar Heidari Matin

Negar Heidari Matin, PhD, LEED GA, is an Assistant Professor in Interior Design at the Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. She holds PhD in Technology with concentration on Interior Design from the College of Engineering and Technology at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) where she was selected as a doctoral fellow for five continues years working on high-performance building systems and their impact on occupants’ comfort and building energy consumption. Her research interest is an interdisciplinary area between interior architecture, building science, and advanced technology. She is the recipient of various awards such as EMU Outstanding PhD Student of the Year, GRC Outstanding Poster Presentation, and Jones-Beckwith Advanced Graduate Studies scholarship.

Ali Eydgahi

Ali Eydgahi, PhD, started his career in higher education as a faculty member at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1985. Since then, he has been with the State University of New York, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Eastern Michigan University. During 2006-2010, he was Chair of the Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In 2010, he joined Eastern Michigan University as an Associate Dean in the College of Technology and currently is a Professor in the School of Engineering. Dr. Eydgahi has served as a member of Advisory and Editorial boards for many International Journals in Engineering and Technology, as a member of review panel for NASA and Department of Education, as a regional and chapter chairman of IEEE, SME, and ASEE, and as a session chair and as a member of scientific and international committees for many international conferences.