Fourteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Windows are among the most important building systems as they provide lights and outside views for occupants, and they are the critical element that needs to be correctly designed to save energy. As windows are made of transparent surfaces and are exposed to different climatic conditions, most of the heat gain and loss occurs through this part of the building. Windows are responsible for 28% of cooling and 35% of heating loads in commercial buildings, equal to almost 6% of total primary energy use in the United States. Using an adaptive façade system is one of the most effective design strategies to control daylighting and energy load. The biggest challenge in designing adaptive facades is striking a balance between heating and cooling loads and lighting energy consumption since decreased cooling loads may result in increased heating loads and vice versa. To achieve this goal, an intelligent and adaptable solar facade is designed and constructed to investigate the trade-off between heating and cooling loads and lighting energy use and minimize the buildings’ energy consumption. An optimization model is developed using the Hill-Climbing (HC) algorithm coupled with EnergyPlus software to design the proposed adaptable facade. The DesignBuilder software (a graphical interface of EnergyPlus) is also used to create the model’s geometry. The developed model can identify the optimum configurations of adaptable solar panels and consequently minimize the building energy consumption.