The EU is committed to reducing the energy used and Co2 produced by 2050. Every component plays an important part in building an energy efficient building. This thesis looks at P.V. integrated shading devices. Shading devices are designed to block the excess solar radiation coming into the building to reduce the energy load of a building. This surface can be utilized to generate electricity by adding P.V. panels. P.V. panels are more efficient if they track the sun’s movement to increase the amount of solar radiation falling on the surface. The existing solar tracking devices fail due to multiple gears and the load of the panel on the rotational device. To tackle this problem heliotropic plants were studied. Heliotropic plants follow the sun’s movement to receive more solar radiation for photosynthesis. The internal mechanisms and forces of a sunflower (heliotropic plant) that cause this movement was analysed through an experiment and digital image correlation. The analysis showed that the sunflower’s stem utilizes water to expand and contract the sides of the stem in a diurnal pattern so that the stem can track the sun. This expansion and contraction curves the stem to move it 14 degrees which is sufficient to increase the solar radiation on the plant. This property of expansion and contraction was taken forward to design a sun tracking P.V. integrated shading to produce more energy. The expansion and contraction of the device were enabled by utilizing segments that were moved by piezo electric actuators. The Piezo electric actuator uses the energy generated from the P.V. panel and converts it to mechanical energy which enables the rotation of the device. To find the angle for rotation a simulation was made to find the angle at which the P.V. panel produces the most energy and the angle at which the shading device reduces the load on the heating or cooling device. The device is designed to track the change in the sun's altitude as this rotation produces the most energy for a P.V. panel and a shading device. The device responds to the change in altitude four times a year as this corresponds to the seasons to which the shading device rotates. There were two simulations made for the energy saved by the P.V. integrated shading device. The first simulation was for the Netherlands, factoring the energy saved by the shading device and the energy losses by the mechanical parts the device produces 196kW/ year and reduces the heating and cooling load by 16%. In Abu Dhabi, the same device produces 777kW/ year which reduces the cooling load by 15%.

Building envelopes are extremely significant in providing adequate indoor environment. They have tremendous impact on the energy requirements of buildings. The design methodology associated with building envelopes primarily addresses optimization for improving indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency of the buildings. This process does not account for the variance between occupant preferences and their importance on the various indoor environmental quality domains. The design of a building envelope has been found to significantly impact the well being of building occupants. This research proposes a user-centered design approach that evaluates the factors influencing occupant comfort and preferences. To achieve this, facade user-archetypes are employed to personalize building shading systems for users. The multi-domain impact of building envelopes and external shades is studied to determine the environmental domains associated with shading systems. A classification scheme is developed for shading systems on the basis of their operation, placement, interaction and permeability. Next, shading system parameters are evaluated through geometry, materiality and control to understand which design parameters have the highest influence on occupant comfort and energy performance. To accurately capture the multi-domain influence of shading systems, the shading systems are simulated within a model space using the EnergyPlus and Radiance engines. The simulation results are stored in a data-set that cross evaluates shading system performance across 8 orientations and for occupants at specific spacing from the window. A systematic literature review is conducted to identify factors impacting occupant preferences and current clustering methods for user archetypes. Based on this, an occupant preference framework is created and used to design a questionnaire. The questionnaire is distributed to office workers and individuals in different settings to evaluate their preferences. The responses received from the questionnaire are analysed using correlation and ANOVA test is used to evaluate which occupant characteristics show a higher correlation to certain preferences and environmental preferences. Based on the results, feature set iterations are developed which are processed further for dimensionality reduction. The feature set that captures the maximum occupant characteristics with a reliable explained variance is clustered using hierarchical clustering and K-means clustering algorithms. The clusters resulting from the analysis form the archetypes, which are then utilized in design scenarios. The weights and preferences of the archetypes are incorporated to determine the most suitable shading system for the occupants. Scenarios are developed to use supervised / semi-supervised learning methods to predict the archetype of new users based on existing archetypes formed. The findings demonstrate a high accuracy of the archetypes in recommending shading systems based on the assigned environmental importance and visual preferences of individual users. The research highlights that each user has unique preferences, which can lead to different design recommendations based on their responses. Furthermore, the research showcases the practical implementation of archetypes in designing spaces and emphasizes their potential application in future facade design and control systems.

The present Master thesis explores the implementation of a glare-based control strategy for Venetian blinds in buildings with totally transparent facades. The case study concerns the Co-Creation Center, a building that hosts three different types of events: presentations, meetings and workshops. The diverse occupancy patterns, coupled with the four fully glazed facades, make the effective blinds control a challenging task to achieve using a traditional rule-based approach. Therefore, in this project, an optimized control system is proposed, aiming at the minimization of visual discomfort due to glare, as well as the minimization of energy demands for electric lighting by increasing daylight entry. The control strategy is developed within Grasshopper, a promising tool for parametric and optimization problems. Grasshopper allows for the creation of a parametric model that can be adjusted to other similar buildings with fully glazed facades by modifying the input parameters. Radial Basis Function Optimization (RBFOpt), a model-based optimization method performed by Grasshopper’s component Opossum, is utilized for the computation of the optimal blinds’ states. within the developed control strategy, Ecyl is used as a glare index, giving the opportunity to evaluate its performance. Results show that the developed algorithm can improve the existing visual conditions in the Co-Creation Center by an average of 80% for all activity types, although it led to an average increase of 7% in the time steps where electric lighting is needed, in comparison to the current control. Nevertheless, the time-consuming ray-tracing process performed by Grasshopper for each time step and the non-automated use of the RBFOpt component Opossum, slowed down the optimizations and made their use rather unsuitable for real-life implementation of the control strategy. Despite the impractical use of Opossum, RBFOpt was proved a promising optimization method. Finally, Ecyl displayed an overall agreement of 92.5% with DGP, proving that in spaces with multiple windows and uncertain occupants’ view direction, a view-independent index can predict glare risks adequately well, after being carefully correlated with another reliable view-dependent metric.

The Netherlands is facing a housing demand of 1 million homes before 2030. Most of these residences are planned to be built in and around existing cities, causing an increase in urban densities with sub-optimal indoor daylighting conditions as a result. Simultaneously, the daylight assessment methodology for buildings in the Netherlands is set to change from the Dutch NEN 2057 to the European EN 17037. The European norm uses more accurate metrics to express daylighting performance but does not consider urban context (i.e. external buildings) in the simulation models. As a result, a concern is that indoor daylighting in dense urban areas is inadequately protected. Moreover, it is unknown to what extent the urban context affects the well-being of humans, regarding visual and non-visual levels of daylight. A multitude of daylight simulations is run and analysed in the thesis to better understand the impact of the urban context on indoor daylighting performance. Visual daylighting is assessed following the EN 17037 methodology with urban context integrated. Non-visual daylight performance is assessed using two novel metrics: melanopic autonomy and melanopic isotropy. The results have revealed that the discrepancy between simulations with and without the integration of urban context is up to 90% for realistic residences throughout the Netherlands, depending on urban characteristics and density. On average, indoor daylighting is decreased by 36% when the urban context is integrated with the EN 17037. The non-visual stimulus was found to be sufficient in residences that are compliant with EUmin levels but insufficient for residences that only comply with the Dutch building code. Sky view factor (SVF) and Building Floor were found to be useful indicators of daylighting performance in early design stages. Urban density indicators such as the FSI and OSR seem to be negatively correlated with daylighting performance. The thesis concludes with the advice to include urban context in daylighting simulations so that bad daylighting can be properly mitigated. Effective mitigation strategies are increasing glass transmission values, interior reflectance values, and exterior building reflectance values. Another effective strategy is to avoid bad daylighting conditions in the first place by not positioning residences on the first 5 building floors in high-density urban areas. The results from this thesis can be used by daylighting designers and architects who are interested in ensuring adequate and healthy daylighting conditions in the residences they design: not only in digital environments but in the real world.

This research investigates the assessment of thermal resilience in buildings with passive systems during heat waves using innovative computational methods. The study emphasizes the importance of resilient buildings in the face of rising temperatures and explores the concepts of thermal comfort and thermal resilience. A thorough review of existing methods and tools for evaluating thermal comfort and resilience is conducted. The main objective is to develop a novel computational approach that integrates research findings to assess the thermal resilience of buildings during heatwave conditions. The approach incorporates two specific metrics: simplified metrics and Weighted Unmet Thermal Performance (WUMTP), which are modified to accurately assess thermal resilience in heatwave scenarios. The research also focuses on comparing the performance of these metrics and their effective utilization in assessing thermal resilience. The computational methods are rigorously evaluated through simulations under controlled scenarios, accompanied by a comprehensive sensitivity analysis. This analysis explores the impact of modifying input parameters on the assessment of thermal resilience and provides insights into the factors influencing building resilience. By incorporating sensitivity analysis, this research demonstrates the contributions of the developed computational methods, including the modified metrics, in enhancing our understanding of the relationship between design parameters, climatic conditions, and thermal resilience during heat waves. This study aims to fill the research gap in thermal resilience and address the lack of assessment metrics and tools specifically tailored to heatwave scenarios. It offers valuable contributions to the academic community and practical insights for architects and engineers designing buildings resilient to rising temperatures and heat waves. The comparative analysis of the simplified metrics and WUMTP further enhances our understanding of their strengths and limitations in assessing thermal resilience.

The interior layout of apartments is made in the early design stage of an architectural project when the decisions can significantly impact the building's performance. During the early design phase, the ability to impact an architectural project is the most important, and this phase serves as the foundation of subsequent design phases. Proper daylighting improves visual comfort and minimises the dependency on artificial lighting. Combining good natural (day)lighting with a greenery view substantially affects the health and well-being of the building occupants. Optimising the layout of apartments based on daylight and view in the early stage of the building is crucial to ensure visual comfort. In this regard, artificial intelligence presents the potential to provide valuable support for performance-based decision-making in interior zoning based on daylight and view. However, there is currently a lack of machine learning methods to support designers in making informed decisions regarding early interior design decisions that affect daylight and view quality. The performance of daylight and view quality significantly impacts the overall quality of residential spaces. The EN17037 guideline ensures the quality of indoor spaces by providing specific requirements for residential spaces regarding the view and daylight quality. The national annexe of the UK for daylight in dwellings should be included to ensure that daylight requirements align with the specific purposes of different rooms in dwellings. Incorporating adequate daylight exposure and good views in residential spaces promotes a connection to the natural environment, contributing to overall satisfaction and a higher quality of life for occupants, and leads to lower energy consumption and a smaller carbon footprint in buildings. Significant design parameters that impact the performance of daylight and view in residential spaces include the building orientation, window fenestration and the interior layout arrangement, specifically the room type orientation. Optimising the layout for optimal use of daylight and views is crucial for creating well-designed residential spaces that promote well-being, energy efficiency, and sustainability. A novel ML design process workflow has been proposed to integrate ML models seamlessly into the architectural design process. Designers upload their layout designs into a dedicated tool, where the layout designs are pre-processed for compatibility with the ML model. Subsequently, the ML model predicts daylight and view values, which are then translated into practical visual representations during an after-processing step. A multimodal machine learning model utilising a ResNet and fully connected network is the most effective for predicting daylight and view quality in residential spaces. An ML model is trained using one image feature and five numerical features to predict the median daylight illuminance on the 21st of March, July and December and the p80 for ground and sky view inside a room. The trained model achieved a test loss MSE of 0.0047 and a test MAE of 0.0440 for the prediction of the three daylight labels, a test loss MSE of 0.0057 and a test MAE of 0.0478 for the prediction of the two view labels. An optimisation step identifies the optimal apartment layout based on a layout evaluation method guided by EN17037 requirements. A multifaceted approach is suggested for evaluating and improving residential layouts for visual comfort, incorporating a novel assessment system that evaluates daylight, view, and room orientation quality in each room to assess the overall apartment layout's visual comfort comprehensively. Overall, this framework represents a significant advancement in integrating ML models into architectural workflows by systematically evaluating daylight, view quality, and room orientation, providing visual feedback, and offering optimisation suggestions that align with contemporary design standards and requirements.

In 2018, a new standard was released for daylight in buildings: EN 17037. This is the first standard for daylight in buildings for Europe. In the Netherlands it will replace the NEN 2057. The determination method for daylight provision for EN 17037 is based on internal illuminance. Additional ambitions for the design quality factors: view, direct sunlight and the prevention of glare have been added to the standard. A sustainable design is all about balancing daylight performance and energy consumption. Large windows will cause the building to overheat and use too much cooling energy. Too small windows will result in low levels of daylight availability and visual comfort. For this reason, it was still unclear whether it is possible to achieve these new recommendations for daylight and at the same time meet the energy requirements for Green building certificates, such as BREEAM and LEED. The main aim of this research was therefore to investigate how much influence the European standard has on the energy consumption of a typical office building and whether the requirements for BREEAM and LEED can still be met. The analysis shows that the European standard has an influence on the daylight and energy credits for BREEAM and LEED. For the daylight credits this standard has a positive influence. For the minimum performance level for daylight provision for the European standard this is not yet enough to meet the requirements for daylight provision for BREEAM and LEED. For BREEAM and LEED, the variants only meet the requirements if the medium and high recommendation levels for the European standard are met. However, the ASE is often too high for a design that meets the high performance level for EN 17037. It should also be taken into account that when a certain performance level for daylight provision has been achieved for the European standard using method 2 (based on internal illuminance per hour for a typical year) this same variant will usually score lower with method 1 (based on daylight factors). The energy consumption goes up when the recommendation level for the European standard is higher. When comparing the average energy consumption of variants with the minimum performance level for the European norm with the high performance level, the total energy consumption goes up 8.33 kWh/m2 . These values can be higher or lower with different orientations. To reduce the negative impact of the European standard on BREEAM and LEED, certain parameters for the design can be chosen differently. The most important parameters for meeting the high-performance level and minimizing primary fossil energy consumption is the window-to-wall ratio and width/depth ratio. To find a balance between daylight and energy consumption, the optimal width/depth ratio is between 1.33 and 0.75. The optimum window-to-wall ratio is between 40% and 60%. To reduce the cooling consumption and ASE even more, designers can consider the introduction of overhangs in the façade, or other interventions that reduce the window SHGC.

The typical solar energy potential simulation workflows used in the AEC industry require an abundance of information regarding the detailed geometry and materialization of the design. These requisites render them incompatible with early-stage design decision-making pertaining to form-finding. By performing solar energy potential simulations at the pre-conceptual design phase, the necessary time for later-stage environmental assessments and design improvements is reduced considerably, while building designs with high performance but low environmental footprint are attained. This research proposes a computational framework to navigate voxel-based morphologies of building envelopes in a performative design space. It investigates a generative workflow through an embedded multi-criteria optimization of solar-related indicators, which are mapped in a solar energy potential field. The formulation of this field consists of an a priori assessment of the solar energy potential in every discrete volumetric unit (voxel) and a vectorized description of the interdependency of them. The astronomical size of this solution space renders the use of metaheuristic methods more appropriate. More specifically, a subtractive strategy that incorporates an MCDA approach is being applied in order to reach user-defined optimization targets. The novelty and potential of the proposed methodology lies in streamlining the early decision making process for designers and architects and expanding the morphological possibilities. Through this framework, the performative design space is effectively navigated and nearly optimal solutions are generated, to act as suggestive mechanisms for informed architectural decisions.

Balancing the requirements of urban planning with the need for rapid and efficient iterative design, while accurately assessing its detailed impact on existing surrounding buildings at a per-room level, presents a significant challenge in architecture design, the conversion and integration between multiple platforms introduce additional complexity, establishing high standards for designers to achieve. Integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and per-room daylight simulation into a unified workflow offers a promising solution. This thesis develops a web application that leverages Grasshopper(GH) scripts for backend processes, Rhino Compute as the intermediary API, andMapboxGL as the GIS-based front-end platform, enabling seamless user interaction with BIM data for customized daylight simulations.Since the advent of digital tools, architects have sought ways to enhance and streamline the design process. Integrating these technologies bridges the gap between urban planning and indoor daylight simulation, facilitating real-time interaction and data manipulation. Grasshopper scripts are developed to compute Aperture-BasedDaylight Modeling (ABDM) metrics, Sunlight Beam Index (SBI), and sky lumen, providing a foundation for evaluating their relationships with traditional Daylight Modeling (CBDM) metrics like Daylight Autonomy (DA), Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI).This research explores the potential of combining these advanced tools to create an interactive web application that allows users to manipulate building typology, location, scale,façade materials, and levels of detail (LOD) for surrounding city models. The study demonstrates a robust linear relationship between SBI and the daylight metrics DA, sDA, and UDI, with room geometry playing a crucial role. Skylumens, however, show limited effectiveness as a CBDM alternative.The thesis concludes that MapboxGL is a promising platform for integrating BIM models into room-based daylight simulations, offering an intuitive user interface for urban planners and designers. Rhino Compute technology ensures smooth data transfer and interaction, significantly enhancing the workflow. The study results show that SBI has a linear relationship with traditional CBDM metrics. However, multiple moderating variables affect this relationship, and it does not apply to north-facing rooms. Thus, SBI is not a current substitute for traditional CBDM metrics. Overall, this thesis provides a comprehensive framework for integrating BIM, GIS, and daylight simulation into a cohesive system, paving the way for more efficient urban planning and design practices.

Balancing the requirements of urban planning with the need for rapid and efficient iterative design, while accurately assessing its detailed impact on existing surrounding buildings at a per-room level, presents a significant challenge in architecture design, the conversion and integration between multiple platforms introduce additional complexity, establishing high standards for designers to achieve. Integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and per-room daylight simulation into a unified workflow offers a promising solution. This thesis develops a web application that leverages Grasshopper(GH) scripts for backend processes, Rhino Compute as the intermediary API, andMapboxGL as the GIS-based front-end platform, enabling seamless user interaction with BIM data for customized daylight simulations.Since the advent of digital tools, architects have sought ways to enhance and streamline the design process. Integrating these technologies bridges the gap between urban planning and indoor daylight simulation, facilitating real-time interaction and data manipulation. Grasshopper scripts are developed to compute Aperture-BasedDaylight Modeling (ABDM) metrics, Sunlight Beam Index (SBI), and sky lumen, providing a foundation for evaluating their relationships with traditional Daylight Modeling (CBDM) metrics like Daylight Autonomy (DA), Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI).This research explores the potential of combining these advanced tools to create an interactive web application that allows users to manipulate building typology, location, scale,façade materials, and levels of detail (LOD) for surrounding city models. The study demonstrates a robust linear relationship between SBI and the daylight metrics DA, sDA, and UDI, with room geometry playing a crucial role. Skylumens, however, show limited effectiveness as a CBDM alternative.The thesis concludes that MapboxGL is a promising platform for integrating BIM models into room-based daylight simulations, offering an intuitive user interface for urban planners and designers. Rhino Compute technology ensures smooth data transfer and interaction, significantly enhancing the workflow. The study results show that SBI has a linear relationship with traditional CBDM metrics. However, multiple moderating variables affect this relationship, and it does not apply to north-facing rooms. Thus, SBI is not a current substitute for traditional CBDM metrics. Overall, this thesis provides a comprehensive framework for integrating BIM, GIS, and daylight simulation into a cohesive system, paving the way for more efficient urban planning and design practices.

Building and facade design face the challenge of maximizing daylight penetration while mitigating discomfort glare and addressing additional indoor user requirements and energy loads. Daylight in buildings plays a crucial role in regulating human circadian rhythms and various aspects of psychological functioning, health, and well-being. This is especially relevant in work environments, where improved performance, concentration, alertness, and mood are linked to adequate daylight exposure. Given that people spend most of their time indoors, including in office settings, access to natural light is often limited or obstructed by conventional shading systems. As both daylight and views to the outside benefit worker performance and satisfaction, office building facades frequently feature large window-to-wall ratios to enhance daylight and views. However, this transparency can result in excessive brightness and daylight glare. Various adaptive facade systems have emerged to address these challenges, with different levels of automation and control implemented to optimize performance. In this thesis, a novel dynamic facade technology, VideowindoW, is discussed and tested as a shading system through an experimental approach in a laboratory setting. This product creates natural patterns aimed at providing glare protection and good indoor environmental quality for occupants. Limited studies have explored the impact of facade patterns on glare perception, satisfaction, and preference, with findings indicating a human preference for natural or irregular geometric patterns related to biophilic theories over more regular and striped patterns. Additional natural elements, including daylight and natural views, significantly enhance the overall architectural experience. The aim of this work is to present a novel experimental setup in an office setting for evaluating occupant perception under different patterns. The patterns studied include a natural pattern, a striped pattern, and a no-pattern condition. Occupant perception is assessed in terms of (i) glare perception; (ii) daylight satisfaction; (iii) color of daylight satisfaction; (iv) visual comfort; (v) satisfaction with the view out; (vi) acceptance of obstruction of the view out; (vii) pattern aesthetics; and (viii) sunlight pattern aesthetics. Experiments with human participants systematically captured their perceptions and preferences.

Building and facade design face the challenge of maximizing daylight penetration while mitigating discomfort glare and addressing additional indoor user requirements and energy loads. Daylight in buildings plays a crucial role in regulating human circadian rhythms and various aspects of psychological functioning, health, and well-being. This is especially relevant in work environments, where improved performance, concentration, alertness, and mood are linked to adequate daylight exposure. Given that people spend most of their time indoors, including in office settings, access to natural light is often limited or obstructed by conventional shading systems. As both daylight and views to the outside benefit worker performance and satisfaction, office building facades frequently feature large window-to-wall ratios to enhance daylight and views. However, this transparency can result in excessive brightness and daylight glare. Various adaptive facade systems have emerged to address these challenges, with different levels of automation and control implemented to optimize performance. In this thesis, a novel dynamic facade technology, VideowindoW, is discussed and tested as a shading system through an experimental approach in a laboratory setting. This product creates natural patterns aimed at providing glare protection and good indoor environmental quality for occupants. Limited studies have explored the impact of facade patterns on glare perception, satisfaction, and preference, with findings indicating a human preference for natural or irregular geometric patterns related to biophilic theories over more regular and striped patterns. Additional natural elements, including daylight and natural views, significantly enhance the overall architectural experience. The aim of this work is to present a novel experimental setup in an office setting for evaluating occupant perception under different patterns. The patterns studied include a natural pattern, a striped pattern, and a no-pattern condition. Occupant perception is assessed in terms of (i) glare perception; (ii) daylight satisfaction; (iii) color of daylight satisfaction; (iv) visual comfort; (v) satisfaction with the view out; (vi) acceptance of obstruction of the view out; (vii) pattern aesthetics; and (viii) sunlight pattern aesthetics. Experiments with human participants systematically captured their perceptions and preferences.