SOLARCHVISION
expertise & software
in support of design processes towards sustainability
Solar-Climatic Design
In every location, architectural design, urban design/planning as well as renewable energy systems can significantly be improved by considering in detail the variable effects of the sun, local climate, weather and design parameters over time.
Why?
A robust solar-climatic based approach in design is the key to optimizing a variety of interactions between natural and built environments (namely in terms of energy demand, energy production, daylight, health, comfort and safety in different seasons).
When?
Environmental studies could be more effective when they are considered early and are truly comprehensive in their analysis. Therefore, during the urban and architectural design processes, immediate as well as long-term potentials and impacts should carefully be analyzed to achieve intelligent forms, layouts and orientations in final designs.
Will this add to the costs?
In the majority of cases, climate considerations at the design stage do not necessarily increase the construction costs. This is because adjusting orientation, dimension, layout and form are among the integral parameters of every design.
Who?
Today with the help of 3D models and virtual reality experience, members of design teams including building/landscape architects, urban planners and their clients, municipalities and other decision makers as well as current and future residents could draw further benefits by being able to work with innovative data visualizations in multiple dimensions (e.g. space, time & energy).
Having a SOLARCHVISION analysis where the performance of building skin design and urban fabric are simulated using hourly data for a one year period (or over several years) is useful in various stages of the design process. Besides this concept can help highlight well-designed areas, identify possibly uncomfortable locations, and seasonal energy/safety issues in average and extreme weather conditions.
How?
Over the past decades, unique SOLARCHVISION design process and analysis tools were developed to make possible an effective and integrated system to use climate and weather data details in a variety of time and spatial scales. It was also developed in a manner that relates to the design and operation of building/urban spaces and renewable energy systems, either in large or small scale.
To begin, SOLARCHVISION can model and display the availability of solar energy as well as other important weather parameters e.g. air temperatures, wind speeds and directions in different scenarios and draw the attention to active and passive potentials in every direction and inclination.
An accurate accounting and consideration of more realistic solar-climatic perspectives and risks could help include many available design/optimization options depending on the project e.g. by resizing transparent and opaque surfaces in each direction and facades, and/or by re-arranging layouts of building spaces, volumes, trees, membrane structures, shading devices, solar collectors, etc.
Solutions
Since solar exposure and shading impacts could be considered either desirable or undesirable in different periods of time, the SOLARCHVISION tools are designed to be able to evaluate over-heating and over-shadowing impacts resulted based on thermal comfort index as well as the designed form. When compared to simple shading studies that may be offered by other tools, the SOLARCHVISION approach provides a much better and easy to interpret analysis for the team of designers and energy modellers, right when they need it most.
Performing data and performance analyses with SOLARCHVISION and exchanging simulation results with the design team, using standard 2D/3D formats or virtual reality interfaces, can also help accelerate the identification of appropriate designs and choices for improving the built environment. Obviously this can happen in a way that allows flexibility to accommodate the different needs, objectives and perspectives of each individual project.
Free & Open-Source Software!
More resources
Architectural & Urban Studies
- Montreal, Canada
- Many more in other climates!
“If we ever knew exactly where the light was coming from, getting there would be easy.”
Brian May
1992
