A Methodology for Buildings Access to Solar Radiation in Sustainable Cities

The growing need to improve the environmental and energy sustainability of buildings involves the use of solar radiation incident on their surfaces. However, in cities, this task is complicated due to the constructive geometry that leads to shading between buildings. In this context, this work prese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 11; no. 23; p. 6596
Main Authors Fernández-Ahumada, L. M., Ramírez-Faz, J., López-Luque, R., Márquez-García, A., Varo-Martínez, M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.12.2019
Subjects
Alternative energy sources
Architects
Architecture
Buildings
Cities
Coefficients
Design
Energy efficiency
Facades
Geographic information systems
Green buildings
Neighborhoods
Population density
Radiation
Solar energy
Solar radiation
Sustainability
Urban areas
Urban environments
Urban planning
Spain
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Summary:The growing need to improve the environmental and energy sustainability of buildings involves the use of solar radiation incident on their surfaces. However, in cities, this task is complicated due to the constructive geometry that leads to shading between buildings. In this context, this work presents a study of solar access to the façades of buildings in cities. The methodology is based on the determination of the incident annual solar radiation in 121 significant points of each façade considering the twelve representative days of the year. To characterize the influence of the different city typologies on solar access, the urban solar coefficient is proposed. A study of two neighborhoods in Cordoba (Spain) with different urban settings have been analyzed. Specifically, two typologies of neighborhoods have been compared: one with “L-shaped” and “U-shaped blocks” and another with “Grouped blocks”. For both of them, the Urban Solar Coefficient has been calculated, obtaining a higher mean value for the neighborhood with “L-shaped” and “U-shaped blocks” (0.317) than for the one with “Grouped blocks” (0.260). Accordingly, the results show that urban morphology can influence the Urban Solar Coefficient and solar access. Finally, a regression model for each neighborhood has been obtained in order to determine the dependence of the Urban Solar Coefficient on neighborhood geometry factors.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su11236596