Optimized indoor daylight for tropical dense urban environments

Rapid population growth globally is resulting in urban densification exponentially. As cities become denser, the environmental quality of urban canyons reduces, resulting in an increase in associated energy use in buildings. Currently, cities are responsible for 70% of the world’s energy consumption. One of the efficient solutions to address this issue is allowing more solar access into interiors and thus making the most of daylight and solar heat gain. Accordingly, this paper presents a novel approach to integrate daylight optimization in both urban environments and buildings’ interiors via the development and application of a custom algorithm based evolutionary computation. This ultimately allows more daylight penetration into urban canyons [vertical daylight illuminance (VDI)] and, subsequently, improves indoor visual comfort [useful horizontal illuminance level (HIL)]. This can also reduce the associated lighting and heating (during winter) energy use of buildings. Furthermore, investigating the correlation between indoor and outdoor illuminance levels aims to bridge the gap between daylight requirements at the urban planning and building scale. A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm-based assessment using computational simulation of design variables is conducted. This determines the extent to which each urban morphology can affect daylight access in both indoor and outdoor environments. Accordingly, the optimal range for different design factors is suggested.

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Daylighting Analysis: A Contribution to the Urban Planning of the City of Marilândia - ES (Brazil)

Drago

Brunoro

Engel

2020

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Daylighting is one of the environmental resources that deliver quality to the built area by making it more comfortable and efficient and by promoting people’s well-being, besides reducing the consumption of electrical energy. The amount of daylighting indoors is related to the construction features, whose parameters are those of the urban legislation, as well as to the location features where the building stands. This research aimed to get a better knowledge of the interference of the urban typologies of Marilândia, Espírito Santo (Brazil), in the availability of daylight in the internal environment. The methodology consisted of the identification and representation of the main typologies found in the city, or of those which might be built due to the current construction law; computer simulations of three sky patterns CIE (3, 7 and 12) using the Troplus 6 program; and the analysis of the results. Founded on this analysis, it was possible to see that the application of the current urban legislation has favored the better use of daylighting inside the constructions through the allowed front setback, which is three meters, and the number of floors allowed in each building, which is eight. As for the use of daylighting, the Typology 03 presented the best performance, making it possible to have a more comfortable environment with better energy savings potential.

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Optimized indoor daylight for tropical dense urban environments

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

Evaluating Daylighting Performance Within Existing Schools Expansion in Egypt

Evaluating Daylighting Performance Within Existing Schools Expansion in Egypt

An Evolutionary Computing Approach For Simultaneous Daylight Optimization in Urban Environments and Buildings Interiors

Daylighting Analysis: A Contribution to the Urban Planning of the City of Marilândia - ES (Brazil)

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