Computer Simulation Applied to the Design of Urban Public Spaces: Day Lighting in the Squares

Abstract

This work is a study of computer simulation of day lighting applied to the design of urban open public spaces, as squares. Currently environmental computer simulation is often used in interior spaces and facades of buildings. However, it is hardly applied in open urban spaces. The contribution of this study is to assess the application of environmental simulation to public spaces and to encourage architects and urban designers to use programs to evaluate day lighting and other environmental factors in the process of design of urban public spaces. Our hypothesis is that the lack of the environmental assessment in a design of public squares reduces considerably the use of these places. The results obtained through computer simulation show the need and the potential for its use for assessing comfort of the open public spaces.