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Shading Device: Climate Responsive Design

1. Shading devices can reduce building cooling loads by 5-15% and improve visual comfort by controlling glare and light contrast. Exterior shading is most effective but high-performance glazing can reduce the need for shading. 2. When designing shading devices, considerations include the building orientation, sun paths, ease of maintenance, and effects on daylighting. Fixed overhangs are well-suited for south windows while adjustable or landscaping shades work better for east and west exposures. 3. Materials for shading include overhangs, light shelves, low-e glazing, trees, and adjustable devices like awnings or louvers. Proper specification of glazing properties

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52 views5 pages

Shading Device: Climate Responsive Design

1. Shading devices can reduce building cooling loads by 5-15% and improve visual comfort by controlling glare and light contrast. Exterior shading is most effective but high-performance glazing can reduce the need for shading. 2. When designing shading devices, considerations include the building orientation, sun paths, ease of maintenance, and effects on daylighting. Fixed overhangs are well-suited for south windows while adjustable or landscaping shades work better for east and west exposures. 3. Materials for shading include overhangs, light shelves, low-e glazing, trees, and adjustable devices like awnings or louvers. Proper specification of glazing properties

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adeel razi
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Course: Climate Responsive Design (3672) Semester: Spring, 2020

ASSIGNMENT - 1

Q.8 Shading devices and structure define the design for the covered and semi-
covered spaces within the built environment. With focus on multipurpose usage in
outdoor spaces, what considerations should be kept in mind while devising shading
devices, structures and designs?

1. Shading Device
There are many different reasons to want to control the amount of sunlight that is admitted
into a building. In warm, sunny climates excess solar gain may result in high cooling energy
consumption; in cold and temperate climates winter sun entering south-facing windows can
positively contribute to passive solar heating; and in nearly all climates controlling and
diffusing natural illumination will improve daylighting.
Well-designed sun control and shading devices can dramatically reduce building peak heat
gain and cooling requirements and improve the natural lighting quality of building interiors.
Depending on the amount and location of fenestration, reductions in annual cooling energy
consumption of 5% to 15% have been reported. Sun control and shading devices can also
improve user visual comfort by controlling glare and reducing contrast ratios. This often
leads to increased satisfaction and productivity. Shading devices offer the opportunity of
differentiating one building facade from another. This can provide interest and human scale
to an otherwise undistinguished design.
During cooling seasons, external window shading is an excellent way to prevent unwanted
solar heat gain from entering a conditioned space. Shading can be provided by natural
landscaping or by building elements such as awnings, overhangs, and trellises. Some shading
devices can also function as reflectors, called light shelves, which bounce natural light for
daylighting deep into building interiors.
The design of effective shading devices will depend on the solar orientation of a building
facade. For example, simple fixed overhangs are very effective at shading south-facing
windows in the summer when sun angles are high. However, the same horizontal device is
ineffective at blocking low afternoon sun from entering west-facing windows during peak
heat gain periods in the summer.
Exterior shading devices are particularly effective in conjunction with clear glass facades.
However, high-performance glazing are now available that have very low shading
coefficients (SC). When specified, these new glass products reduce the need for exterior
shading devices.

Thus, solar control and shading can be provided by a wide range of building components
including:

 Landscape features such as mature trees or hedge rows;


 Exterior elements such as overhangs or vertical fins;
 Horizontal reflecting surfaces called light shelves;
 Low shading coefficient (SC) glass; and,
 Interior glare control devices such as Venetian blinds or adjustable louvers.

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN 1


Figure 1: Sun Control Devices

Fixed exterior shading devices such as overhangs are generally most practical for small
commercial buildings. The optimal length of an overhang depends on the size of the window
and the relative importance of heating and cooling in the building.
In the summer, peak sun angles occur at the solstice on June 21, but peak temperature and
humidity are more likely to occur in August. Remember that an overhang sized to fully shade
a south-facing window in August will also shade the window in April when some solar heat
may be desirable.
To properly design shading devices it is necessary to understand the position of the sun in the
sky during the cooling season. The position of the sun is expressed in terms of altitude and
azimuth angles.

 The altitude angle is the angle of the sun above the horizon, achieving its maximum
on a given day at solar noon.
 The azimuth angle, also known as the bearing angle, is the angle of the sun's
projection onto the ground plane relative to south.
 An easily accessed source of information on sun angles and solar path diagrams
is Architectural Graphic Standards, 12th Edition, available from John Wiley & Sons,
Inc. Publishers.

Shading devices can have a dramatic impact on building appearance. This impact can be for
the better or for the worse. The earlier in the design process that shading devices are
considered they more likely they are to be attractive and well-integrated in the overall
architecture of a project.

Designing Shading Systems


Given the wide variety of buildings and the range of climates in which they can be found, it is
difficult to make sweeping generalizations about the design of shading devices. However, the
following design recommendations generally hold true:
1. Use fixed overhangs on south-facing glass to control direct beam solar radiation.
Indirect (diffuse) radiation should be controlled by other measures, such as low-e
glazing.

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN 2


2. To the greatest extent possible, limit the amount of east and west glass since it is
harder to shade than south glass. Consider the use of landscaping to shade east and
west exposures.
3. Do not worry about shading north-facing glass in the continental United States
latitudes since it receives very little direct solar gain. In the tropics, disregard this
rule-of-thumb since the north side of a building will receive more direct solar gain.
Also, in the tropics consider shading the roof even if there are no skylights since the
roof is a major source of transmitted solar gain into the building.
4. Remember that shading effects daylighting; consider both simultaneously. For
example, a light shelf bounces natural light deeply into a room through high windows
while shading lower windows.

Figure 2: Curtain wall and a light shelf in a second-floor library space

5. Do not expect interior shading devices such as Venetian blinds or vertical louvers to
reduce cooling loads since the solar gain has already been admitted into the
workspace. However, these interior devices do offer glare control and can contribute
to visual acuity and visual comfort in the work place.
6. Study sun angles. An understanding of sun angles is critical to various aspects of
design including determining basic building orientation, selecting shading devices,
and placing Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels or solar collectors.
7. Carefully consider the durability of shading devices. Over time, operable shading
devices can require a considerable amount of maintenance and repair.
8. When relying on landscape elements for shading, be sure to consider the cost of
landscape maintenance and upkeep on life-cycle cost.
9. Shading strategies that work well at one latitude, may be completely inappropriate for
other sites at different latitudes. Be careful when applying shading ideas from one
project to another.

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN 3


Figure 3: Sun Control Techniques

Materials and Methods of Construction


In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the variety of shading devices and
glazing available for use in buildings. A wide range of adjustable shading products is
commercially available from canvas awnings to solar screens, roll-down blinds, shutters, and
vertical louvers. While they often perform well, their practicality is limited by the need for
manual or mechanical manipulation. Durability and maintenance issues are also a concern.
Require A&E professionals to fully specify all glass. They should be prepared to specify
glass U-value, SC, and Tvis and net window U-value for all fenestration systems. The
shading coefficient (SC) of a glazing indicates the amount of solar heat gain that is admitted
into a building relative to a single-glazed reference glass. Thus, a lower shading coefficient
means less solar heat gain. The visible transmittance (Tvis) of a glazing material indicates the
percentage of the light available in the visible portion of the spectrum admitted into a
building. See also WBDG Windows and Glazing.
When designing shading devices, carefully evaluate all operations and maintenance (O&M)
and safety implications. In some locations, hazards such as nesting birds or earthquakes may
reduce the viability of incorporating exterior shading devices in the design. The need to
maintain and clean shading devices, particularly operable ones, must be factored into
any life-cycle cost analysis of their use.

APPLICATION
Among the primary types of buildings that can benefit from the application of shading
devices are:

 Barracks and other multi-family housing projects, especially in temperate or warm


climates;
 Offices, administration buildings, and other structures employing daylighting; and,

 Nearly any structure in warm, sunny climates.

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN 4


Design and Analysis Tools
There are several building analysis and design tools that permit users to evaluate the effect of
different sun control and shading strategies.

 DOE 2—Description: Comprehensive hour-by-hour simulation; daylighting and glare


calculations integrate with hourly energy simulation. IBM or compatible Pentium is
advisable. Availability: Simulation Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory
 Radiance 3.5 (2003)—Description: A ray-tracing program that accurately predicts
light levels and produces photo realistic images of architectural space in all sky
conditions. Sun Microsystems, DEC, Macintosh with (AUX), CRAY or another
UNIX machine. Availability: Environmental Energy Technologies Division,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
 Energy Scheming (3.0)—Description: A Macintosh-based design tool rather than an
analysis or evaluation tool. Only for Macintosh computers running OSX 6.x or earlier.
Availability: Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL) Store University of
Oregon

Reference:
1. https://www.wbdg.org/resources/sun-control-and-shading-devices
2. Class Lectures

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN 5

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