Relationship of shading devices and its effects on daylight in Commercial buildings in Pune

Abstract

Day lighting is a critical part of visual environment in workspaces. It creates a sense of well-being and contributes to the efficiency of the occupants. Research has established that solar radiation admitted through the windows have serious effects on visual comfort of the occupants in the indoor spaces. Use of solar shading devices can address glare problems. This signifies the need for design of optimal shading devices that increase daylight levels with desirable control on excessive sunlight with an aim to reduce glare and discomfort for the occupants. In this research various configurations of conventional shading devices used for commercial buildings located in Pune, India was examined. A typical commercial building is modelled using the simulation program Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) where existing as well as different identified configuration of shading devices was analysed for daylight performance and visual comfort with respect to amount and uniformity of illumination with Radiance rendering tool. The analysis indicated that use of appropriate shading device result in improved visual comfort for occupants. The performance of different shading device presented aimed to help architects to select suitable shading device in order to contribute to sustainability aspects of office buildings in warm and humid climatic regions.