Integrated assessment of buildings visual and thermal performance with translucent bricks

Abstract

In response to the growing need to reduce building energy consumption while ensuring occupants’ visual and thermal comfort, the Building Energy Materials and Components Lab at Empa developed a high-performance translucent construction element based on aerogel-filled glass bricks. The translucence and thermal insulation characteristics of this brick allows the exploration of different configurations of opaque and transparent surfaces to improve the integrated visual and thermal performance of the indoor environment. This paper presents a workflow to simulate the building performance in order to investigate the effects arising when the mentioned bricks are embedded in the building envelope. Simulations were conducted on a reference building in a continental climate assuming different orientations and window-to-wall ratios. Results show a clear trade-off between minimizing the cooling demand and maximizing occupant visual and thermal comfort. The application of the brick on the northern façade exhibited the best trade-off in terms of energy and comfort.