Interaction between controlled natural lighting and IEQ: integrated double skin facades approach applied on an office building

Abstract

Double skin facades can be used as a balanced solution to facilitate natural lighting into buildings and control the amount of admitted solar radiation. This study aims to identify an optimal solution for daylight and energy performance within an office building by optimizing the façade's opening size and panel rotation. The goal is to generate a flexible model that contributes to the overall performance and thermal comfort. The paper provides a methodology using parametric tools of Grasshopper via Energy-plus/ladybug to analyze and evaluate the thermal performance of different iterations of a double skin façade. Although various IEQ aspects affect comfort levels, few studies have investigated the interaction between IEQ and thermal performance levels regulated by double-skin façade. The results concluded that the proposed skin facade could reduce 30% of the total radiation of the original office building. While, the rotation of the facade panels proved to be a significant factor as it resulted in the highest reduction in radiation, up to 32%.