Daylight and energy as active drivers in the design process of a new school in Enköping, Sweden

Abstract

With the introduction of new demands targeting net-zero energy and net zero-carbon buildings and neighbourhoods on a national level in Sweden and internationally, balancing the requirements of daylight and energy is becoming more important in the design process. In order to succeed, an effective strategy needs to be defined for utilising the right digital tools and metrics for the two factors at different times in the process, and in an integrated way. This paper presents the workflow used whilst developing the concept for a new school in Enköping, Sweden (59.633°N, 17.086°E). The analyses performed during the design process included vertical sky component, daylight factor and early-stage energy calculations. Implementing photovoltaic (PV) cells and energy-efficient lighting design were also included as part of a strategy for reducing primary energy consumption. It was found that daylight and energy can be effectively balanced if an integrated strategy is followed during early stages of the design process. National regulations can also be met, and the time required for running simulations can be reduced by a factor of three by having an effective process.