Sustainability Tools

Creating the basis for a climate neutral future

We offer an early phase sustainability service because we believe that the only way building design and urban development projects can become more sustainable is by defining a sustainability concept as one of the first steps in the design concept. The benefit of carrying out those analyses at a very early stage is the necessary impact on decision making in relation to secure our clients financial return of the investment.

The earlier those analyses are carried out the more valuable the benefit they can provide. Being able to evaluate different design alternatives in such a quick way early on can drive the decisions towards the most suitable design. By doing so the designs are compared and evaluated leaving no room for spending unnecessarily resources on the least suitable.

Moreover, the whole process can be more transparent and easily communicated to the client. Decisions can be based on actual performance metrics and the client can actively participate in the overall process as the concept of those analyses can effectively communicate the idea for all the parties to grasp over a meeting or a presentation.

A strong focus on sustainability in early phase design stages

The sustainability tools include four different analyses, namely:  The Radiation analysis, the Sun Hours analysis, the Vertical Sky Component and the Shadows analysis. This analyses package can be carried out in a relatively short time while can provide a lot of added value especially during the early stages of the design.

These analyses can be seen as simplified calculations/simulations related to the more detailed technical analyses that are necessary in the later stages of a project. The analyses focus mainly on the building envelope and particularly on the effect of a solar radiation to the indoor spaces (both in terms of daylight and solar heat gains).

The overall scope of the analyses is to inform the design process in order to take advantage of the beneficial daylight and sunlight while providing adequate shading in evaluating the most valuable surfaces/areas of the envelope for the production of energy. The desired solution is to enhance the design by linking the performance of the different spaces of the building to the desired conditions for the intended use.

Designing for a climate neutral future

Based on the intended use of each space in the building there are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled. Those requirements are used as thresholds in our analyses where different concepts are tested. Each analysis delivers specific measurable output which relate to the use and describe how well the space performs.

Depending on the complexity of each project the evaluation can link more than one criteria to the analysis in order to meet the desired requirements for the users. Such an example is a combination of daylight requirements, the need for shading to avoid overheating and a desire to produce electricity. In such a case study, the seemingly contradictory goals/requirements can be combined by utilizing the design and turning the disadvantages of one design solution to advantages of another.

The efficiency of those analyses and the effectiveness in communication of important design characteristics in the project give us the opportunity to build stronger relationship with the clients, actively include them in the design process and achieve greater engagement that can be continued in future tasks, projects etc.

What do we offer?

The Sustainability Tools are early phase design tools and as no design process is 100% linear, and integrated design requires several iterations to improve the design.

Radiation

The radiation analysis maps the effect of the sun on a tested surface by calculating the amount of radiation that falls on the tested geometry. Such an analysis can provide information regarding the potential energy a certain building surface could harvest through potential solar panels installation. The radiation analysis can be also useful for the outdoor areas where thermal comfort or plant development is of interest.

Sun Hours

This analysis provides the number of hours of sunshine received by an area such as a garden or a playground. Sun hours is a useful indicator for determining how usable a surface is for an outdoor activity. Simulating the amount of sunlight to which the façade is exposed also indicates a possible need for shading. This analysis can use certain thresholds in order to meet the legislation requirements per country.

Vertical Sky Component

The Vertical Sky Component (VSC) measures simultaneously at one point the ratio of the direct sky illuminance over the unobstructed horizontal illuminance based on BRE guidelines (Littlefair, 1991). A horizontal surface has 100% VSC because it receives daylight from the entire sky vault. A façade has about 40% VSC as it is only exposed to approximately half the sky vault. VSC is a very useful early-stage indicator which could ensure that it is possible to meet BBR, TEK17 or Miljöbyggnad´s requirements for daylight factor indoors.

Shadows

The shadow analysis can determine the areas of the tested surfaces that receive no sunlight and remain in a shadow during a period of time. Such an analysis can provide information regarding the possibility of a new building geometry to affect the existing ones in the examined region.