Visual Comfort as a Design Approach for Intelligent facades: A review

Abstract

Undoubtedly, light is a key element for human beings to adapt to their environment and to see the form, the color, and the perspectives of different objects in their immediate surroundings. Almost 80 percent of the information we obtain daily through our senses we obtain through sight. The correct design of the illumination system and building facades should offer optimal conditions for visual comfort. To achieve this aim, a collaboration between architects, lighting designers, and engineers should be established to improve citizens' quality of life. This paper sought to bridge this knowledge by finding the link between daylighting, the building façades, and visual comfort. Accordingly, the paper conducts a theoretical review to evaluate the existing studies in an attempt to present this linkage focusing on kinetic façades. Then, an analytical review is conducted for 38 eligible records, that are extracted from different scholarly databases to find the assessment methods and tools used to determine the most favorable conditions of daylight for intelligent facades. Ultimately, the outcomes of the research will provide insights for further studies, in addition to that these connections can inform policy development to assist architects to design effective facades and more adaptive capabilities designed for the building envelope. Kinetic facades were found to provide visual comfort in addition to various productivity, economic, and environmental benefits, which in turn enhance the quality of life.