SHADOW STUDY

Sun as a design element

In the climatic design of buildings the sun is one of the most important influences. Solar radiation entering through windows gives a desirable heating effect in winter, but it can cause severe overheating in summer.

The assessment of its availability and its control are very important parts of architectural design. By analysing the impact of the sun on a site, as well as the buildings location, the spatial arrangement, orientation, window placement, daylight access and other design features, the designer can take full advantage of passive solar design features and increase the energy efficiency and comfort of the building.

When assessing a site for sun

CONSIDER the time during the day that the site receives sunlight the sun's path at different times of the day and year how the sites shape, slope and orientation affect solar access how obstructions such as adjacent buildings, trees and landforms will impact on the site and the potential design

The earth is almost spherical in shape, and it revolves around the sun in a slightly elliptical orbit. The plane of the earth's revolution is referred to as the ecliptic. The earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.45o from the normal to the plane of the ecliptic. The angle between the plane of the earth's equator and the ecliptic (or the earth - sun line) is the declination (DEC) and it varies between +23.45o on June 22 (northern solstice) and -23.45o on December 22 (southern solstice)

On equinox days (approximately March 22 and Sept.21) the earth - sun line is within the plane of the equator, thus DEC = 0

Latitude circle
Points having the same latitude form the latitude circle The latitude of the equator is LAT = 0o, the north pole is +90o and the south pole -90o. By the convention adopted southern latitudes are taken as negative. LAT = +23.45o is the tropic of Cancer and LAT = -23.45o is the tropic of Capricorn.

Solar Position angles

The sun's apparent position on this 'sky vault' can be defined in terms of two angles Altitude (ALT) - measured in the vertical plane, between the sun's direction and the horizontal Azimuth (AZI) - the direction of the sun measured in the horizontal plane from north in a clockwise direction (thus east = 90o, south = 180o and west = 270o, whilst north can be 0 or 360o) The zenith angle (ZEN) is measured between the sun's direction and the vertical and it is the supplementary angle of altitude: ZEN = 90o - ALT

Declination
Declination is the angular distance of the sun north or south of the earth's equator. The earth's equator is tilted 23.45 degrees with respect to the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun, so at various times during the year, as the earth orbits the sun, declination varies from 23.45 degrees north to 23.45 degrees south. Declination is calculated with the following formula: d = 23.45 * sin [360 / 365 * (284 + N)] Where: d = declination N = day number, January 1 = day 1

Around December 21, the northern hemisphere of the earth is tilted 23.45 degrees away from the sun, which is the winter solstice for the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice for the southern hemisphere. Around June 21, the southern hemisphere is tilted 23.45 degrees away from the sun, which is the summer solstice for the northern hemisphere and winter solstice for the southern hemisphere. On March 21 and September 21 are the fall and spring equinoxes when the sun is passing directly over the equator. Note that the tropics of cancer and capricorn mark the maximum declination of the sun in each hemisphere.

Date-to-Day Number Conversion

Month
January February March April May June July August September October

Day Number, N
d d + 31 d + 59 d + 90 d + 120 d + 151 d + 181 d + 212 d + 243 d + 273

Notes

Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year Add 1 if leap year

November
December

d + 304
d + 334

Add 1 if leap year

Add 1 if leap year

Solar Angles

Azimuth angle is measured clockwise from North towards East. North Direction : ( ) = 0 or 360 East Direction : ( ) = 90 South Direction : ( ) = 180 West Direction : ( ) = 270

Solar time
In solar work usually solar time is used. This is measured from the solar noon, i.e. the time when the sun appears to cross the local meridian. This will be the same as the local (clock-) time only at the reference longitude of the local time zone.

The time adjustment is normally one hour for each 15o longitude from Greenwich, but the boundaries of the local time zone are subject to social agreement.

Hour angle (HRA)

The hour angle (HRA) expresses the time of day with respect to the solar noon: it is the angular distance, measured within the plane of the sun's apparent path between the sun's position at the time considered and its position at noon i.e. the solar meridian. As the hourly rotation of the earth is 360o/24h = 15o/h, HRA is 15o for each hour from solar noon: HRA = 15 * (h - 12) where h = the hour considered (24-h clock) so HRA is negative for the morning and positive for the afternoon hours, e.g: for 9 am: HRA = 15 * (9 - 12) = -45o but for 2 pm: HRA = 15 * (14 - 12) = 30o.

Stereographic sun path diagram

Sun Dial

Sun-path diagrams with Horizontal sun-dial

Sun-clocks or sun-dials have been used for thousands of years. There are two basic types: horizontal and vertical. With a horizontal sun-dial the direction of the shadow cast by the gnomon (a rod or pin) indicates the time of day. Conversely, if the direction of this shadow for a particular hour is known, then the direction of the sun (its azimuth angle) for that hour can be predicted. If the length of the gnomon is known, then the length of the shadow cast will indicate the solar altitude angle. During the day the tip of the shadow will describe a curved line, which can be adopted as the sun-path line for that day

Sun path diagrams

Reading a sun path diagram

The sun's position angles can be read directly from the chart for any given time of the year: Find the chart corresponding to the latitude of your location Locate the desired date (sun-path) line Locate the desired time point Mark the intersection of the two lines: that point indicates the sun's position at that time Project a radius line from the centre through point, to the perimeter Circle and read the azimuth (AZI) angle (in this example: 32o) Read the altitude (ALT)

Shading Strategies (General design guide)

OBJECTIVE: Control intense direct sunlight to ensure a comfortable workspace. KEY IDEAS Exterior Devices Use exterior shading , either a device attached to the building skin or an extension of the skin itself, to keep out unwanted solar heat. Exterior systems are typically more effective than interior s Design the building to shade itself. If shading attachments are not aesthetically acceptable, use the building form itself for exterior shading. Set the window back in a deeper wall section or extend elements of the skin to visually blend with envelope structural features.

Shadow Angles
When designing shading devices for windows, the required horizontal and vertical shadow angles need to be established. They are dependent on the sun position and on the orientation of the window plane. The horizontal shadow angle (HSA) is relevant for vertical shading devices such as fins. It is easy to determine: It's the angle between the normal of the window pane and the azimuth of the sun. HSA = azimuth - orientation The vertical shadow angle (VSA) is a little bit more difficult. If we imagine a virtual plane between the bottom left-hand and right-hand corners of the window and the sun, then the VSA is the angle this plane formes with the ground plane. The VSA is required when designing horizontal shading devices such as overhangs. VSA = arctan( tan(altitude) / cos(HSA) ) VSA = arctan (tan ALT / COS HSA)

Horizontal Shadow Angle (HSA)

A smaller HSA angle means a larger fin.

VSA
HSA is positive when the sun is clockwise from the orientation and negative when it is counter clockwise. When the HSA is between the absolute values of 90 and 270, the sun is behind the elevation.

The vertical shadow angle or profile angle is measured in a plane perpendicular to the building face. It is the altitude of the sun projected to this surface.

The VSA is an important aspect of shading design because of one very useful characteristic. For the Summer half of the year, the path of the Sun through the sky is such that the lowest VSA on equator-facing surfaces occurs at solar noon. At all other times in the morning and afternoon, the VSA is always greater. On the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, the VSA is actually constant throughout the day. In Winter, the highest VSA occurs at solar noon. This means that, at all other times, the Sun is at a lower altitude in the sky. Thus, as the lowest VSA actually occurs at sunrise or sunset - where its value has to be zero. Thus, to fully shade a window throughout the day in Winter would require an infinitely large shade or one that completely covered the window. A lower VSA angle means a larger overhang.

The Shadow Angle Protractor: Is a semi-circular protractor with two sets of lines: - Radial lines marked 0 at the center, to - 90 to the left and + 90 to the right, to give readings of the HSA. -Arcual lines which coincide with the altitude circles along the middle, but then deviate and and converge at the two corners of the protractor and give readings of the VSA.