The influence of exterior obstruction on the integrated evaluation of daylight utilization during initial design stage

Abstract

This paper presents a concise parametric study to investigate the influence of external obstruction on the evaluation of daylight utilization during design stage. A generic building located in Hong Kong has been established with dimmable controlled lighting system and interior shade. Multiple simulations under different external obstruction patterns are conducted with simulation engine EnergyPlus. Metrics on daylight availability, together with energy performance of both lighting and air conditioning system are analyzed. The result indicates that the ground floor is the most vulnerable to the existence of exterior obstruction and building zones of different orientation are affected in different ways. Further analysis also shows the impact from obstruction is not necessarily negative for daylight utilization cases. An overall assessment of this impact requires an integrated evaluation including both lighting and air conditioning system. These all demonstrate the necessity of taking exterior obstruction into consideration during the design stage.