DAYLIGHTING FLOW PATTERNS INTELLIGENT FACADE FEATURES IN OFFICE BUILDINGS

摘要

Building energy consumption in Lebanon is controversial. Appropriate use of available daylighting in buildings can contribute to potential energy savings in office buildings, due to the reduction of electric lighting requirements and cooling load penalty owing to solar heat. Today glass boxes and intelligent facades are the trend of office buildings. The ESCWA office building represents that trend in Beirut. Previous Study of Saridar and Elkadi (1999) showed that there is a strong correlation between average daylight factor and window to wall ratio and fenestration factor respectively. This paper aims to investigate the impact of multiple changes in the facade configuration (i.e. window to wall ratio, window height, and window shape) on daylighting flow patterns, thermal performance and energy consumption. Analysis of daylighting flow patterns and energy measures of internal spaces of the ESCWA building are simulated using APACHE software. Finally the extent of energy saving potentials is explored.