Optimisation of a daylight-window: Hospital patient room as a test case (original) (raw)

Impact of Window Systems on Daylighting Performance, Visual Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Patient Rooms

2020

This paper investigates the influence of glazing characteristics and shading device configuration on energy cost, daylighting and visual comfort. A typical patient room from a hospital design in Belgium is used as a baseline scenario and different window system design alternatives are explored through parametric modelling. Based on the comparative analysis, the paper discusses potential design options that allow for energy efficient and daylit patient rooms with high visual comfort. The methodology combines dynamic energy simulations, daylighting and glare analysis. The results indicate that glazing characteristics and shading device configuration have major impact on energy cost, daylighting and visual comfort and in order to achieve an overall good performance, selecting the right window system configuration is essential. This study also emphasises the need for integrated performance analysis in order to obtain a correct insight into the window system performance.

The Energy Saving Potential of Wide Windows in Hospital Patient Rooms, Optimizing the Type of Glazing and Lighting Control Strategy under Different Climatic Conditions

Energies, 2020

If not properly designed, the adoption of large windows can sometimes have a negative impact on building energy demand. For this reason, aggravated by the outdated building envelope of the healthcare building stock, large fenestration systems are usually avoided in hospitals, especially in old structures. However, with appropriate glazing specifications, the adoption of wider openings can result into significant energy savings, lower costs and strong positive effects on patients and staff well-being. The present study investigates how different window sizes and types of glazing affect heating, cooling and lighting energy demand in a hospital patient room. The objective is to evaluate the energy savings that may be obtained when installing larger windows and to identify the glazing properties allowing one to reach the maximum energy reductions. Simulations were carried out using nine diverse glazing systems, already available on the market, and their energy performance was evaluated ...

Optimizing window size by integrating energy and lighting analyses considering occupants’ visual satisfaction

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the approximate window-to-wall ratio (WWR), window width-to-height ratio (WHR) and sill level for a room in Rasht–Gilan province and to present an optimal window in each of the WWR ranges providing the minimum energy consumption by integrating artificial lighting and thermal analyses, whilst maintaining internal comfort conditions using dynamic evaluation.Design/methodology/approachThe process of modelling has four main steps: 1 – defining the building's features and requirements, 2 – validating input weather file data by on-site measurement, 3 – determining input parameters for the lighting and thermal analysis and 4 – clarifying variable parameters and fitness function for the optimization algorithm. Also, the survey study is performed in a daylit office room, in which 30 employees are employed to answer the questions in three different times of a day. In this process, the impact of daylight on their visual comfort is surveyed i...

Energy Efficient Hospital Patient Room Design: Effect of Room Shape on Window-to-Wall Ratio in a Desert Climate

This paper reports on a research that utilized simulation techniques for identifying the most efficient hospital patient room designs and their associated window-to-wall ratios. Simulation of the energy consumption and daylighting performance of common patient room designs were conducted using a range of Window-to-Wall Ratios (WWRs). The paper focuses on arriving at solutions that balance between the reduction of energy consumption and the achievement of proper daylight distribution in the desert climate of Cairo, Egypt. Simulations were conducted using the Diva-for-Rhino, a plug-in for Rhinoceros modelling software to interface with the Energy Plus, Radiance and Daysim software. Results demonstrated that solar penetration is a critical concern affecting patient room design and window configuration in desert locations. Use of the outboard bathroom patient room design was found to be the least efficient among the tested alternatives. Although it has a smaller external wall size, it f...