What is the impact of contextual overshadowing on daylight performance across the height of an office tower?

PROJECT INFORMATION

Submitted By:

Elliot Glassman

What tools did you use to create the graphic?
    What kind of graphic is this?

    2d False Color

    Primary Inputs:

    Surrounding buildings, façade properties such as window to wall ratio (WWR) and visual light transmittance (VLT) of the glass.

    Graphic Information

    What is the graphic showing?

    The graphic shows the mass of the tower with the sDA and ASE result files and then the individual floor plates unrolled into a matrix of results.

    How did you make the graphic?

    A Grasshopper script was used to generate the daylight model from a base massing geometry and specified facade parameters and floor heights. The script then performed the daylight analysis and then unrolled the meshes of the daylight result to create a matrix of floor by floor results that was exported to image format.

    What specific investigation questions led to the production of this graphic? List them:

    The investigation was how the buildings surrounding the project would affect the daylight performance along the height of the tower. On the lower levels, contextual overshadowing would limit daylight, while on the more exposed upper floors the may be glare from direct sun. The graphic was to aid in an understanding of the daylight and direct sun on every floor and if any façade alterations needed to be provided to the facade.

    How does this graphic fit into the larger design investigations and what did you learn from producing the graphic?

    The script that produced this graphic generated a lightweight daylight model from massing volumes and some facade parameters also ran the analysis and provided the results in an accessible manner. Since the workflow and visualization was managed by the script, this allowed more time to study the results and produce alternative façade options.

    What was successful and/or unique about the graphic in how it communicates information?

    At a glance, one can see how the overall building is performing, yet it is possible to focus on a particular floor to understand the daylight performance and inform more localized design decisions.

    What would you have done differently with the graphic if you had more time/fee?

    Find a way to have the script define the boundary of well daylit area (balancing daylight and glare)