Sky view factor as predictor of solar availability on building façades

Chatzipoulka, Christina; Compagnon, R.; Kaempf, Jérôme; Nikolopoulou, Marialena

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2018.06.028

Cited by 70 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The visible sky factor method is also often used to determine the availability of direct sunlight (Johnson and Watson, 1987;Grimmond et al, 2001;Chatzipoulka et al, 2018). On physical models of urban structures, the shadows and the availability of direct sunlight can be clearly monitored using heliodons.…”

Section: Tools Of Right Of Access To Sunlightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches, Methods and Tools of Rights of Access to Sunlight around the World

Hraška

2019

Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering

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Sunlight has always played an important role in the design of human settlements. Well-designed urban structures, especially in moderate or cold climates, should be assured of direct sunlight in indoor living spaces and also in public spaces. Direct sunlight in a built environment is an important factor for health and well-being, the effective functioning of solar systems, and sustainable construction. However, many problems involved in the exercise of rights of access to sunlight can arise when sunlight is obscured by a tall cityscape. Many states, regions, and cities regulate solar access, but solar rights and landowner rights are in a permanent conflict. The high urban density of many cities with tall skyscrapers accentuates the problem of the availability of sunlight. This paper presents a review of existing regulations and metrics for ensuring the availability of direct sunlight in buildings and of assessment methods that have been adopted in multiple countries and cities. Approaches, methods, and tools of rights of access to sunlight are critically analyzed. The paper also details experiences from former socialist countries where strict long-term strict on direct access to sunlight in flats were applied.

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Section: Tools Of Right Of Access To Sunlightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches, Methods and Tools of Rights of Access to Sunlight around the World

Hraška

2019

Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering

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“…For a horizontal unobstructed surface, the SVF value is 1, whereas, for a vertical unobstructed façade, it is 0.5. A recent study has shown that SVF can serve to assess the average annual solar irradiance received by building façades [1]. Furthermore, SVF affects the long wave infrared exchanges between the urban fabric and the sky, and thus, it can be also used as indicator of the urban heat island effect.…”

Section: Performance Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Image-Based Method to Evaluate Solar and Daylight Potential in Urban Areas

2018

Proceedings of the 2018 Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design (SimAUD 2018)

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Solar irradiance and illuminance are important renewable resources that can significantly increase buildings' energy efficiency, associated to solar passive and active techniques and use of daylighting. In addition, it is widely acknowledged that the presence of natural light and some sunlight indoors is essential for inhabitants' well-being. This paper presents a new method to assess solar and daylight availability in the built environment at different scales. The method is based on two types of images where the mutual obstruction between neighbouring buildings is represented over stereographic projections of the sky vault. The images can be used in two ways, either for the visual assessment of the examined surface(s) or, to be processed as to obtain a series of numeric performance indicators. In both ways, they can be combined with similar projections of the sun path or sky radiance/luminance distributions, for considering locations' latitude and climate, respectively. To exemplify the use and relevance of the tools, especially at the early-design stages, the method is applied to compare the proposals submitted in a masterplan competition. The five finalists are examined in relation to the performance of their façades and roofs, as well as their impact on an existing façade. Last, a targeted analysis showed a good correlation between performance indicators, readily computed by the method, and predicted annual energy demands.

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“…Many studies have shown that, in a city, areas with lower SVF values usually have lower daytime temperatures, which is because they harvest smaller amounts of solar radiation during the daytime [36,37,38,39,40]. Chatzipoulka also showed a significant linear relationship ( R 2 > 0.8) between SVF and annual global irradiance in all orientations, and the strong impact of the solar altitude angle on the relation between SVF and the amount of solar radiation obtained [41]. Ahmadi found that the SVF value imposes a limited effect on outdoor air temperature in summer, while it greatly affects the T g (globe temperature) [42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field Study on the Microclimate of Public Spaces in Traditional Residential Areas in a Severe Cold Region of China

Lin

Jin

Jiang

2019

IJERPH

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As residential environment science advances, the environmental quality of outdoor microclimates has aroused increasing attention of scholars majoring in urban climate and built environments. Taking the microclimate of a traditional residential area in a severe cold city as the study object, this study explored the influence of spatial geometry factors on the microclimate of streets and courtyards by field measurements, then compared the differences in microclimate of distinct public spaces. The results are as follows. (1) The temperature of a NE-SW (Northeast-Southwest) oriented street was higher than that of a NW-SE (Northwest-Southeast) oriented street in both summer and winter, with an average temperature difference of 0.7–1.4 °C. The wind speeds in the latter street were slower, and the difference in average wind speed was 0.2 m/s. (2) In the street with a higher green coverage ratio, the temperature was much lower, a difference that was more obvious in summer. The difference in mean temperature was up to 1.2 °C. The difference in wind speed between the two streets was not obvious in winter, whereas the wind speed in summer was significantly lower for the street with a higher green coverage ratio, and the difference in average wind speed was 0.7 m/s. (3) The courtyards with higher SVF (sky view factor) had higher wind speeds in winter and summer, and the courtyards with larger SVF values had higher temperatures in summer, with an average temperature difference of 0.4 °C. (4) When the spaces had the same SVF values and green coverage ratios, the temperature of the street and courtyard were very similar, in both winter and summer. The wind speed of the street was significantly higher than the courtyard in summer, and the wind speed difference was 0.4 m/s.

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Sky view factor as predictor of solar availability on building façades

Abstract: The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.

Cited by 70 publications

References 39 publications

Approaches, Methods and Tools of Rights of Access to Sunlight around the World

Approaches, Methods and Tools of Rights of Access to Sunlight around the World

An Image-Based Method to Evaluate Solar and Daylight Potential in Urban Areas

Field Study on the Microclimate of Public Spaces in Traditional Residential Areas in a Severe Cold Region of China

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