Department of Architecture and Planning

MNIT, Jaipur

Means of Thermal
Control:
Structural Control
SUBMITTED TO: 22ART201 BUILDING SCIENCE
AR. TARUN VERMA
PUSHPENDRA KUMAR CHATURVEDI

SUBMITTED BY:
VAISHNAVI MADDIWAR 2023UAR1483 GAYATHRI S S 2023UAR1848
SAACHI KHOTH 2023UAR1858 SHRAVYA RANGANATHA 2023UAR1856
SANMATHI SRI K 2023UAR1864 ADI KRISHNA 2023UAR1886
SREENITHYA SANIL 2023UAR1875 VISHESH 2023UAR1431
 Contents
1. Solar Control
2. Orientation
3. Heat absorbing glasses
4. Other special glasses
5. The sun's positions
6. Angle of incidence
7. Effects of angle of incidence
8. Shadow angles
9. Shading devices

Pg 2
 Solar Control
The sol-air temperature concept combines the effects of radiation on opaque surfaces and warm air, with the magnitude of
sol-air temperature influenced by factors under the designer's control, primarily absorbance and surface conductance.
While the color of materials has little impact, the choice of materials is more important. Reducing absorbance and
increasing surface conductance can reduce solar heating effects.

The primary source of heat gain, however, is solar radiation through windows, which can significantly raise indoor
temperatures above outdoor air temperatures, even in moderate climates. This effect, known as the greenhouse effect,
occurs because window glass is transparent to short-wave infrared radiation from the sun but opaque to long-wave
radiation emitted by interior objects. As a result, radiant heat entering through the window gets trapped inside.

In climates prone to solar overheating, particularly tropical climates, designers have several methods available to reduce
solar heat gain through windows, focusing on four controllable variables.
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Orientation
The variation of solar radiation intensity on horizontal surfaces and vertical walls at different orientations for two locations: one near the equator (latitude 1°S) and one at a
higher latitude (33°S).

1. **Horizontal Surfaces**: At both locations, the horizontal surface receives the greatest solar intensity, especially near the equator.

2. **Vertical Walls**:
- In the higher-latitude location, walls facing the equator receive the most solar radiation in winter, when the sun is low, but little in the summer.
- In the equatorial location, north and south-facing walls receive the least intensity for short periods of the year.
- East and west-facing walls in the equatorial location receive the second-highest intensities and remain consistently high at the higher latitude.

3. **Design Implications**:
- In equatorial locations, to avoid solar heat gain, windows should face north or south.
- In higher-latitude locations, orienting windows towards the equator may be preferable for winter solar heat gain.
- For both locations, east and west-facing windows should be minimized, especially on the west side, which receives intense sunlight in the afternoon, making it
troublesome for heat gain.

4. **Other Considerations**: These conclusions assume all other factors are equal, but practical considerations like wind direction or views might influence
window placement, potentially overriding solar radiation concerns.

This analysis helps optimize building orientation for energy efficiency based on solar exposure.
Pg 4
Internal blinds and curtains
Internal blinds and curtains are not very effective ways of solar control. It is true that
they stop the passage of radiation, but they themselves absorb the solar heat and can
Types of internal shading
reach a very high temperature.
The absorbed heat will be partly convected to the indoor air and partly reradiated. Half
devices
of this reradiation is outwards, but as it is of a long wavelength, it is stopped by the Curtains
window glass. The usual narrow space between the window and the blind will thus be Metal Oxide Coatings
Vertical louver blinds
quite substantially overheated. Blackout blinds
The hot surface of the blind causes the indoor MRT(mean radiant temperature) to rise Venetian blinds
far above the air temperature. Roller blinds

As a broad generalisation the daily average solar gain factor of a single glazed
window will be:

θ =72% without any solar control device, and

θ =55% with an internal Venetian blind, i.e. the reduction is only 17%.
Pg 5
 Heat absorbing Types of coatings and

glasses
materials

Metal Oxide Coatings

Metal Oxide Coatings
Polymeric Films
Heat absorbing glass is an innovative material designed to improve energy Thermochromic and
efficiency and comfort in buildings by reducing heat transfer. Photochromic
Materials
WHY WE USE HEAT ABSORBING GLASSES?
Energy Efficiency: Reduces energy demand for cooling systems. Advantages of Heat-Absorbing
Comfort: Maintains stable indoor temperatures, reducing hot spots near Glass
windows.
Energy Savings
Cost Savings: Lowers electricity bills by reducing air conditioning needs. Improved Indoor
Environmental Impact: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by cutting down Comfort
Design Flexibility
energy use. Durability

Pg:6
Other special glasses
➤ The heat absorbing glasses achieve a
selective transmittance by selectivity
in absorption.
➤

➤ The heat reflecting glass achieves a

similar selective transmittance by
selectivity in reflection

➤ The glass is coated by a thin film of metal Transmittance of coated glasses

(usually nickel or gold), applied by
vacuum evaporation. As shown in the fig:
Pg:7
➤ Such glasses absorb very little heat, therefore the improvement in
reducing the total solar gain is far greater, but unfortunately they are
still rather expensive.

➤ Recently, several types of photochromatic or light-sensitive glasses

have been developed, containing submicroscopic halide crystals,
which turn dark when exposed to strong light and regain their
transparency when the light source if rennoved

➤ Their transmittance may thus vary between 74 and 1%. When the
technique is more developed and more economical, these glasses may
have a future in solar control.

Pg:8
The sun’s position
To find the angle of incidence of solar radiation, the position of the sun in
relation to the building elevation must be established for the given point in time.

The sun's position on the sky hemisphere can be specified by two angles:
the solar altitude angle (y)
the solar azimuth angle (a)

Pg:9
Solar altitude angle(y) Solar azimuth angle(a) Zenith

The angle of the sun relative Measures the sun’s angle

relative to the north in The zenith is the point in the
to the earth’s horizon sky that is directly overhead at
eastward direction a specific location on Earth.
north a=0° or 360°
east a=90°
south a=180°
west a=270° etc.

Pg. 10
 altitude lines

azimuth lines

Stereographic sun path diagram

date lines

A chart that illustrates the sun's location in the sky at any

point of time, throughout the year at a single reference point. hour lines
Used to read the solar azimuth and altitude for a given
location by which the position of the sun can be determined.

Date Lines - Date lines run from east to west side in the graph and
represent the path of the sun on one particular day of the year.
Hour Lines - Hour lines are shown as figure-eight-type lines that
intersect the date lines and represent the position of the sun at a
specific hour of the day.
Azimuth Lines - Azimuth angles run around the perimeter of the
diagram.
Altitude Lines - Altitude angles are represented as concentric
circular dotted lines.

Pg:11
 Angle of Incidence
Angle of Incidence is the angle of the solar radiations with respect to the normal surface. The angle of
incidence is calculated using two entities :
1. Solar Zenith Angle
2. Solar Azimuth Angle
Solar Zenith Angle
The Zenith angle is the angle between the vertical angle of incidence of a beam of radiation on a
horizontal plane.

Solar Azimuth Angle

The solar azimuth angle is the angle between the projection of sun rays
and a line due south or north
To calculate the angle of incidence we can use the formula :
cos(θ)=sin(SZA)⋅cos(β)+cos(SZA)⋅sin(β)⋅cos(φ−SAA)
Where:
SZA is the solar zenith angle.
β is the surface tilt.
φ is the surface azimuth.
SAA is the solar azimuth angle.
Pg:12
Determining the total
heat gain and Effects
of angle of incidence
The transmittance, etc., values mentioned before are valid for normal
incidence.
When the angle of incidence is other than normal, the transmittance (t) is
reduced.
When the transmittance value changes, so does the value of absorbance (a).
This then effects the Solar Gain Factor (θ) which can be used to determine
the total heat gain( Qs)
Pg 13
 Determining the total heat gain
If the intensity of solar radiation (l) incident on the plane of the window is known it can be
multiplied by the area of the aperture(A) to get the heat flow rate in watts.

This would be the heat flow rate through an unglazed aperture. For glazed windows this
value will be reduced by a solar gain factor (θ) which depends on the quality of the glass
and on the angle of incidence.
The solar heat flow equation can therefore be established as:
Qs = A × l × θ
where A = area of window, in m2
l = radiation heat flow density, in W/m2
θ = solar gain factor of window glass
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 Solar Heat Gain
Factor
We know, Where, Ts = sol-air temperature, in °C
To = outside air temperature, in °C
l = radiation intensity, in W/m2
a = absorbance of the surface
fo = surface conductance (outside), W/m2 degC

Thus the extra heat flow rate (q) per unit area or heat flux (caused by the radiation) is:

as, q = U ⋅ ΔT
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 Solar Heat Gain
Factor
From this, Solar heat gain factor is: Where, Ts = sol-air temperature, in °C
To = outside air temperature, in °C
l = radiation intensity, in W/m2
a = absorbance of the surface
fo = surface conductance (outside), W/m2 degC

This solar gain factor is defined as the heat flow rate due to solar radiation expressed as a fraction of the incident
solar radiation.

The value of this for different angles of incidence can be read from the graphs given next.

Pg. 16
Pg. 17
Shadow angles
The performance of shading devices is specified by two
angles:
The horizontal shadow angle(HSA): characterises a
vertical shading device, and it is the difference
between the solar azimuth and wall azimuth, same
as the horizontal component for the angle of
incidence.

The vertical shadow angle(VSA): characterises a

horizontal shading device, e.g. a long horizontal
projection from the wall, and it is measured on a
vertical plane normal to the elevation considered.
Pg 18
 Shadow angles
The distinction between solar altitude angle and the vertical
shadow angle must be clearly understood.
The first describes the sun's position in relation to the horizon; the
second describes the performance of a shading device.
Numerically the two coincide when, and only when, the sun is
exactly opposite the wall considered (i.e. when solar azimuth and
wall azimuth angle are the same.
For all other cases, that is, when the sun is sideways from the
perpendicular, the vertical shadow angle is always larger than the
solar altitude angle for which it would still be effective e >y The
relationship is expressed as.

Pg 19
 Shadow angle
protractor
It gives a representation of these shadow angles on a horizontal
plane in stereographic projection and to the same scale as the
sun-path diagrams or solar charts. In more precise terms this
protractor shows the various combinations of azimuth differences
and solar altitude angles for which a particular shadow angle
would be effective.

The perimeter scale gives the horizontal shadow angle (S) up to 90° to the left and +90° to the right of the centre
line. The arcuate lines indicate the vertical shadow angle (e) from 0°, given by the horizon circle, to 90°, the zenith
point. If laid over a solar chart, the corresponding sun-position angles can be read.

Pg 20
 Shading Devices
For the exclusion of solar input is a geometrical task. External shading devices are the most effective
tools to control sun penetration. Three basic categories of shading design devices can be distinguished:

Vertical Devices : Eg. Vertical louvres or projecting fins. These are characterised by horizontal shadow
1
angles (HSA) and their shading mask will be of a sectoral shape

Horizontal Devices :Eg. Projecting eaves, a horizontal canopy or awning, or horizontal louvres and slats.
2
These are characterised by a vertical shadow angle (VSA).

Egg-crate Devices :Eg. Concrete grille-blocks, metal grilles. These produce complex shading masks,
3
combinations of the above two and cannot be characterised by a single angle.

Pg:21
1 Vertical Devices :
By convention HSA is measured from the direction
of orientation (i.e. from the surface normal), positive
in clockwise and negative in the anti-clockwise
direction.
The HSA cannot be greater than 90◦ or less than
−90◦, as that would indicate that the sun is behind
the building.
These devices may be symmetrical, with identical
performance from left and right, or asymmetrical.
They are most effective when the sun is towards
one side of the direction the window is facing. We
may distinguish the ‘device HSA’ (as above) and the
‘solar HSA’, which is the required performance at a
given time.
Pg:22
2 Horizontalcal Devices :
Horizontal devices may be canopies, horizontal
louvre blades or externally applied Venetian
blinds.
Their performance will be measured by a
vertical shadow angle (ε). The shading mask is
of a segmental shape.
These will be most effective when the sun is
opposite to the building face considered and at
a high angle, such as for north and south facing
walls.
To exclude a low angle sun, this type of device
would have to cover the window completely,
permitting a view downwards only.

Pg:23
3 Egg-crated Devices :
Egg-crate devices are combinations of
horizontal and vertical elements.
The many types of grille-blocks and decorative
screens may fall into this category.
Their performance is determined by both
horizontal shadow angle and vertical shadow
angle

Pg:24
 Bibliography
1. MANUAL OF TROPICAL HOUSING AND BUILDING Climatic Design -- OH Koenigsberger
2. www.aisglass.com/blog/types-of-heat-resistant-glass/
3. www.susteelglass.com/info-detail/exploring-the-benefits-and-applications-of-heat-absorbing-glass
4. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
5. https://sustainabilityworkshop.venturewell.org/node/1515.html
6. Introduction to ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE the basis of sustainable design -- Steven V. Szokolay
Thank You