Development and optimization of kinetic façade system for the improvement of visual comfort in an office building at Gurugram, India

Abstract

In a built space, the visual comfort is an important factor. It depends on the exterior environmental conditions. In general, the daylight has a positive effect on the human behaviours and circadian rhythm. Also, the occupants with a great visual connect with outdoors achieve high productivity. The occupants tend to use shading devices based on the local conditions and not based on future weather conditions. In this background, the kinetic facades provide a higher degree of manipulation thus providing a defined control over the daylight. For this reason, the kinetic façade systems remain a potential element to significantly increase the visual comfort. The kinetic façade optimization studies in the composite climate of India can provide valuable feedbacks in improving such systems for providing visual comfort in the built environment. The focus of the study is to evaluate the performance of kinetic shading systems in terms of enhancing the visual comfort in a composite climate.