Optimization of Window Design for Daylight and Thermal Comfort in Cold Climate Conditions

Window design affects the overall performance of a building. It is important to include window design during the initial stages of a project since it influences the performance of daylight and thermal comfort as well as the energy demand for heating and cooling. The Norwegian building code facilitates two alternative methods for achieving a sufficient daylight, and only guidelines for adequate indoor thermal comfort. In this study, a typical Norwegian residential building was modeled to investigate whether the criteria and methods facilitate consistent and good performance through different scenario changes and furthermore, how the national regulations compare to European standards. A better insulated and more air-tight building has usually a lower annual heating demand, with only a marginal decrease in the daylight performance when the window design is unchanged. A more air-tight construction increases the risk of overheating, even in cold climates. This study confirms that a revision of the window design improves the overall performance of a building, which highlights the importance of proper window design. The pursuit of lower energy demand should not be at the expense of indoor thermal comfort considering the anticipated future weather conditions. This study indicates that criteria for thermal comfort and daylight, if clearly defined, can affect the energy demand for heating and cooling, as well as the indoor climate positively, and should be taken into account at the national level. A comparison between the national regulations and the European standards was made, and this study found that the results are not consistent.

Comparison of simulation-based methods and metaheuristic optimization algorithms for optimizing window design by considering daylighting and heat transfer in a tropical region of Indonesia

This study presents evaluation and comparison of simulation-based methods and metaheuristic optimization algorithms on building design models, focussing on daylight availability maximization and energy consumption minimization. The simulation-based method was presented using Rhino/Grasshopper software supported by the Ladybug, Honeybee, and Octopus optimization plugins; while MOPSO was chosen to calculate the metaheuristic optimization algorithm. The result indicated that OTTV values of the optimum design were respectively in the range of 24.06 W/m2 to 34.15 W/m2 for Octopus optimization and 25.19 W/m2 to 34.99 W/m2 for MPSO; and the WWR value for Octopus optimization and MOPSO were in the range 15% to 23% and 15% to 26%, respectively. While both methods showed similar results, the time duration for simulating in Rhino/Grasshopper was much longer compared to calculating the algorithm using MATLAB, indicating that simulation-based was less effective.

Sensitivity Analysis for Carbon Emissions of Prefabricated Residential Buildings with Window Design Elements

Owing to the advantages of high construction efficiency, prefabricated residential buildings have been of increasing interest in recent years. Against the background of global heating, designing low-carbon facades for prefabricated residential buildings has become a focus. The main challenge for this research is in designing windows for prefabricated residential buildings that can lead to the best performance in carbon emissions. The purpose of this paper is to summarize window design advice for prefabricated residential building facades with low-carbon goals. This paper adopts the single control variable research method. Building energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions under different conditions comprise the primary data used in the study. In the process of achieving the research aim, this study firstly extracts the window design elements of prefabricated residential facades. Secondly, objective function formulas are established and a basic model is built for obtaining data. Thirdly, data results are analyzed and window design advice is put forward under the condition of a low-carbon goal. This paper discusses that the optimal window-to-wall ratio (WWR) with a low-carbon orientation is around 0.15, and compares it innovatively with the optimal WWR under an energy-saving orientation at around 0.38. The research results of this paper can deepen the understanding of architectural low-carbon design and play a guiding role for architects.

Study on the Learning Effectiveness of the Tobacco Control Window Design Course in Line with the Visual Marketing Standards of the World Skills Competition

Objectives: Almost all smokers started smoking cigarettes before the age of 18 then became addicted to tobacco. Therefore, tobacco prevention education must be carried out throughout high school and university. Shunde Polytechnic integrates tobacco control health education into the window design curriculum, which allows students to complete and display tobacco control window design works on campus to cause discussion, thus achieving the promotion of tobacco control publicity and education. Based on the competition standards of the Visual Merchandising project of World Skills Competition, the original teaching methods were reformed in this research and the nine standards of the competition were divided into four modules for teaching. The required knowledge, specific skill requirements, and workflow were well integrated into the teaching of smoke control window design tasks to foster students’ abilities to display innovative design, window production, installation and operation, and teamwork. And the teaching results were verified according to World Skills Competition scoring methods and standards. The results showed that with the import of the Visual Merchandising project competition standard of World Skills Competition into the original window design course, on the one hand, the effects of students’ works and their self-satisfaction with their works have shown a significant improvement. On the other hand, although this kind of teaching method does not relieve the students’ mental, physical, time, and frustration pressure, it has stimulated and cultivated students’ good professional qualities. However, this research focuses on the assessment of professional skills and professionalism. Therefore, future research will more focus on evaluating the effectiveness of window design courses under the new teaching model in preventing youngsters from smoking or encouraging students to quit smoking, popularizing correct knowledge about the health hazards of tobacco, and establishing positive life beliefs.

Methodology Framework for Syaheeza’s Daylight Rule of Thumb for Islamic Religious Schools

Daylight efficiency correlates to window design. Guidelines recommend a 20 per cent window-to-floor ratio (WFR) at 900mm windowsill height, where acceptable 300 lx to 500 lx measured at 900mm working plane height. However, Islamic religious schools use a 300mm height table known as ‘rehal’. Studies neglect the difference in required working plane height that effect window design and the illuminance level. A study was established to propose Syaheeza’s Daylight Rule of Thumb (DRT) for Islamic religious schools. This paper aims to highlight the reliability of the methodology framework used in Syaheeza’s DRT, such as surveys, Arabic handwriting performance assessment and computer simulations. Keywords: Daylighting; Islamic religious school; methodology framework eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI:

Optimum Characteristics of Windows in an Office Building in Isfahan for Save Energy and Preserve Visual Comfort

Nowadays, the use of renewable energies has increased due to the energy crisis and subsequent environmental issues. The window design significantly affects energy consumption and natural light absorption regarding preventing visual discomfort and improving indoor quality with effective external features. Hence, it should be carefully selected from the early stages of design. Thus, the present study investigated the optimal design of windows considering four components of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), window shape, and positioning on each façade by separately considering the sill height of the window for a general office. The objective was to provide visual comfort and save energy. Applying constraints to the data set can yield an optimization method concerning the variables and their relationship as well as optimal solutions based on the stated goals. Therefore, the desired groups can be accepted as optimal solutions for improving the efficiency of the building. According to the results, the WWR of 30% with the square and horizontal shapes in the upper and central positions were optimal solutions for each window orientation, which had better performance in the north-facing WWR of 40%. Furthermore, several best design solutions were presented in each orientation in terms of energy consumption, daylighting, and visual comfort in the indoor environment. This method also allows the designer to visualize all the data while finding the clients’ desired option by improving the energy efficiency between the variables and choosing the appropriate solution.