Investigating Impacts of Building Orientation and Shading on Circadian Potential of an Open Office Space

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Ling, Sandra
Area of Honors:
Architectural Engineering
Degree:
Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Richard Mistrick, Thesis Supervisor
Richard Mistrick, Thesis Honors Advisor
Dorukalp Durmus, Faculty Reader
Julian Wang, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Circadian lighting
Daylighting
Office Design
Building Orientation
Shading
Abstract:
Circadian lighting design plays a crucial role in enhancing human health, well-being, and productivity by aligning indoor lighting conditions with natural biological rhythms. This study explores the impact of building orientation and shading systems on circadian potential in a space, aiming to optimize natural daylight exposure for occupants, while also considering reducing glare and discomfort. Through an analysis of different cases, this study examines how building orientation, shade control, and shade material impacts the circadian potential sourced from daylight. Using simulation tools such as Grasshopper, ALFA, and developed python scripts, the study evaluates EML across 50 workstations of an open office in Boston, Seattle, and Minneapolis. WELL standards are utilized in this study to determine the quality of the circadian lighting that daylight provides. While daylight alone cannot meet the WELL circadian criteria, it can contribute a substantial amount of EML and be combined with a blue-rich electric lighting system to achieve the necessary EML values. Additionally, shade controls and materials have a high impact on the results. Shades that have partial closing strategies, rather than an LM-83 control strategy with fully closed shade conditions, will allow more light to enter the room while blocking excess daylight. For shade material, the higher diffusion and openness factors help maximize daylighting when the shades are closed. For building orientation, south-facing orientations provide the highest average EML but they are most likely to require partial or full shading to reduce excess daylight exposure and reduce EML to be about the same or lower than other orientations. North- and west-facing orientations proved to be slightly better with shade conditions, while east- and south-facing orientations resulted in fewer workstations reaching the 200 EML threshold throughout the year. Overall, the findings highlight the complex relationship between daylight availability, shading strategies, and building orientation, which must be integrated carefully to optimize EML.