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Proceedings of eSim 2016: 9th Conference of IBPSA-Canada

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User interface for atrium daylight and thermal performance

Mahsan Mohsenin

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of a research-based daylight and thermal analysis tool as a product in the field of building technology. This research develops an online interface to allow designers to assess the energy performance of their atrium design in early project phases. With current emphasis on building performance modeling, there is a need for designers to assess their building strategies. Though, most of the building simulation process is considered after the design process because of the complexity of simulation tools. The present study applied a validated method using atrium’s proportion (Well Index) to characterize daylight and thermal performance per square feet of atrium buildings to collect a database of energy metrics of atria. Previous study indicated Well Index as the sole indicator of daylight properties of an atrium under the same conditions (climate zone, atrium type, roof aperture type and material properties). This research employed computer simulation using DIVA for Rhino for daylighting and DesignBuilder to evaluate thermal performance of the building. The collected database is created using simulations for different atrium proportions in U.S. climate zone 3, where using atria could improve building performance based on the clear sky condition. The User Interface of the atrium performance requires inputs for climate zones, atrium types, proportion and its roof type. The performance metrics that this interface provides include dynamic daylight metrics, point-in-time metrics, as well as annual heating and cooling/ square feet of an atrium. Keywords Atrium Database, Daylight Properties, Thermal Analysis, Building Performance, User Interface 1.
Pages: 725 - 732
Paper:
esim2016_12-61