Optimization-based scheme for nearly-zero energy multi-storied residential buildings with architectural design elements

According to the China Building Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions Research Report (2023), the construction industry accounts for 36.3% of total societal energy consumption, with residential buildings contributing significantly due to their extensive coverage and high operational frequency. Addressing energy efficiency and carbon reduction in this sector is critical for achieving national sustainability goals. This study proposes an optimization methodology for rural dwellings in Inner Mongolia, focusing on reducing energy demand while enhancing indoor thermal comfort and daylight performance. A parametric model was developed using Grasshopper, with energy consumption, thermal comfort (PPD), and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) simulated through Ladybug and Honeybee tools. Key parameters analyzed include building morphology, envelope structures, and indoor thermal environments, followed by systematic optimization of building components. To refine multi-objective inputs, a specialized wall database was established, enabling categorization and dynamic visualization of material properties and construction methods. Comparative analysis demonstrated a 22.56% reduction in energy consumption, 19.26% decrease in occupant thermal dissatisfaction (PPD), and 25.44% improvement in UDI values post-optimization. The proposed framework provides a scientifically validated approach for improving energy efficiency and environmental adaptability in cold-climate rural architecture.

Multi-objective optimization prediction model for building parameters of photovoltaic windows based on NSGA II-BP

Building optimisation techniques provide a rigorous framework for exploring new optimal design solutions. In this study, a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to investigate the energy efficiency of a vernacular architectural element (Rawshan) in Saudi Arabia. Two objectives were optimised using a GA simulation enhanced: energy consumption optimisation and useful daylight illuminance (UDI) optimisation. A calibrated simulation model of a typical house in Saudi Arabia was used in the study. Several metrics, such as light interference from shadows or other windows, were considered to indicate the importance of the Rawshan. Computational studies were performed using different climatic conditions, and the results were compared with and without a Rawshan element using the weather data of Mecca, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Al-Baha. In this study, the blind thicknesses on the front and sides of the Rawshan were used as optimisation variables. The results showed that using a GA with energy consumption as an objective can reduce energy consumption. One of the methods proposed in the paper can reduce energy consumption by 3.6%, 3.6%, and 16.6% for Mecca, Riyadh, and Al-Baha, respectively. The single-objective optimisation method demonstrated that Rawshan provided sufficient UDI in four cities: Mecca, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Al-Baha. The research provided optimised values for Rawshan blind thicknesses on the front and lateral sides under different optimisation constraints. The results showed that using Rawshans in modern building architecture can reduce energy consumption and improve useful daylight illuminance.

Energy consumption is a major sustainability issue. One of the largest portions of energy consumption in buildings comes from cooling. This paper proposes the use of L-shaped minilouvers as shading, which both improve useful daylight illuminance (UDI) and reduce cooling-energy consumption. Jakarta, Indonesia was chosen as the study location since it has driving factors for higher cooling energy, ranging from those of demographic to the environment. An open office was chosen for simulation in Rhinoceros 3D with the Grasshopper, LadyBug, and Honeybee plug-ins, which utilize the EnergyPlus engine. Following the UDI and cooling-energy simulations, surveys were conducted to gather the information of the price of materials for shading and electricity. Savings from cooling energy were compared with the cost of shading application to obtain the simple payback periods. The best shading was provided by L-shaped minilouvers, which can achieve a simple payback period of 0.86 years, reducing cooling-energy consumption by around 18% while improving around 16.78 UDI in comparison with the base case with the average of all the orientations. All simulated L-shaped minilouvers also performed better than the overhang did, which is a more common form of shading in the simulated location.

As awareness of the ecological environment and sustainable development has increased, green buildings have received significant attention in the design stage. For the initial design stage of buildings in the tropics, cooling energy consumption, daylighting, and thermal comfort are necessary steps for green and energy‐saving design. Therefore, this study focuses on three objectives: (1) cooling load, (2) useful daylight illuminance (UDI), and (3) the predicted mean vote (PMV). First, this research uses Rhino3D and the Grasshopper plug‐in to build an architectural model and uses the Octopus plug‐in in Grasshopper to iteratively calculate the target value to solve the multiobjective balance problem and find the relative optimal value. Next, the optimized design value is compared with the initial solution, and the cooling energy consumption is reduced by 7.48%–7.76%, the UDI increases by 0.44%–2.07%, and the PMV is reduced by 25.67%–27.43%. It is shown that the optimized layout of the office achieves energy‐saving optimization in energy consumption, daylighting, and thermal comfort. Finally, the backpropagation (BP) neural network established in this research is shown to achieve good prediction of the target value and achieves the goal of green energy‐saving.

Energy is the lifeblood of modern societies. In the past decades, the world's energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions have increased rapidly due to the increases in population and comfort demand of people. In this decade, the increase in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions are expected to continue due to the demand coming from developing countries such as China, India, and some Middle East countries. Negative environmental impacts, such as air pollution and global warming, are being triggered by the generation and use of non-renewable energy, including oil and natural gas. Buildings are a significant source of the world's energy consumption. The building sector is responsible for 39% and 40% of the energy consumption and 38% and 36% of the CO2 emissions in the U.S. (Becerik-Gerber et al. 2014) and Europe (Ahmad et al. 2014), respectively. Buildings, therefore, offer a great potential for reducing the world's energy consumption and limiting the negative impacts caused by the use of non-...

Multi-objective optimization of switchable suspended particle device vacuum glazing for comfort and energy efficiency in school typologies under hot climate

Shaping an Origami Shading Device through Visual and Thermal Simulations

Multi-objective optimization of energy, visual, and thermal performance for building envelopes in China's hot summer and cold winter climate zone

It is very important to use the daylight in the building design, which is allowed by the windows into the buildings, to reduce the energy consumption. However, on the other hand, the performance of daylight varies according to the floor levels of the building. This research focused on the investigation of the correlation between the performance of daylight and window areas according to floor levels through field measurements and simulation experiments in the residential building. The aim of this research is to derive the adequate window areas according to the floor levels with respect to the orientation of the residential building to achieve the optimum level of daylight and indoor temperature in the livable areas of a residential building. The case selected is residential building from Nagpur region, of Central India. It has a hot and dry climate. The evaluation of daylight level has been done with selected parameters like percentages of Carpet Area to Window Ratio (CAWR) and Orientation by using daylight metrics, namely Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) (with Daysim and Radiance analysis tools plug-in Ecotect 2011 software). The findings of this research are the adequate area of window according to floor levels with respect to the orientation in the livable areas of the residential building.

Residential buildings consume approximately 30% to 40% of total primary energy, representing a significant share of the world's energy consumption. The contemporary designs of residential high-rise buildings in Nigeria borrow from different climates and adapt to Nigeria's hot and humid climate. Shading is an effective strategy for reducing solar heat gain and improving cooling conditions in hot and humid climates. This study tries to explore the most effective and most adaptable shading elements in the study area to be implicit in the contemporary design of high-rise residences. This study has a particular emphasis on shading techniques; hence, it will examine and present existing literature on shading devices and strategies. The aim of this research is to minimize energy consumption in residential buildings in Nigeria. Therefore, the research investigates the most effective shading strategies in the vernacular buildings that can be utilized as design criteria in future buildings. The findings led to identifying the effective and adaptable shading strategies found in vernacular architecture, which can be utilized in contemporary high-rise residential buildings in Nigeria for energy optimization. Finally, the research suggests guidelines to support architects in reducing energy usage in high-rise residential buildings in Nigeria.

Enhancing energy efficiency in shipping container house: A novel approach using hybrid louver systems

(1) Background: An ageing population and two-child policy have led to the transformation of China’s family structure, and multigenerational residences account for an increasing proportion of mainstream family residences. Different generations of residents have great differences in behaviour patterns and health requirements, but existing residential buildings are not especially designed for health needs. (2) Methods: First, based on relevant codes and a questionnaire survey, the spatial needs and behaviour patterns of different generations of residents are obtained, and the benchmark model is established based on the Grasshopper (GH) parametric platform. Then, based on the GH platform and the building simulation plug-in, which are Ladybug Tools and a multiobjective optimization tool named Wallacei, daylight autonomy (DA), useful daylight illuminance (UDI), and the proportion of thermal discomfort hours (PDH) are taken as daylighting and thermal comfort indicators, and the bedroom location, orientation, bay size, depth to bay ratio, window form, window-to-wall ratio, and horizontal shading width are optimized. Finally, the Pareto front is analysed by the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) comprehensive evaluation method, and the optimal solution is compared with existing multigenerational residences in Tianjin. (3) Results: First, the middle room, oriented south or south by east, large bay, small window-to-wall ratio, and bay window can effectively be improved for indoor thermal comfort, while rooms that are oriented south or south by east, small depth bay ratio, large window-to-wall ratio and balcony can effectively be improved for daylighting quality. Second, compared with existing buildings in Tianjin, the DA, UDI, and PDH of the adult bedroom with the ideal solution are increased by 33.7%, 3.5%, and 10.8%, respectively; the DA, UDI, and PDH of the child bedroom with the ideal solution are increased by 15.5%, 4.2%, and 4.9%, respectively; and the DA, UDI, and PDH of the elderly individual bedroom with the ideal solution are increased by 42.7%, 4.9%, and 1.7%, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The optimization scheme is substantially improved for the health of the indoor daylight and thermal environment of existing housing, and it provides a scientific and quantitative decision-making basis for the healthy design of multigenerational residences.

There are many kinds of façade shading designs which provide optimal indoor daylighting conditions. Thus, considering combinations of different types of façade shading systems is an essential aspect in the optimization of daylighting in the building design process. This study explores (1) how the pattern and different characteristics are evaluated by varying façade shading types and considering their impact on daylighting metrics; and (2) the relative relationships between Daylight Autonomy (DA) and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) with changes of the façade shading types, input parameters, and azimuth orientations. A typical high-school classroom has been chosen as a base model, and seven different façade shading types: vertical louver, horizontal louver, eggcrate louver, overhang, vertical slat, horizontal slat, and light shelf have been applied to eight azimuth orientations for the building. As tools for parametric design and indoor lighting analysis, Design Iterate Validate Adapt (DIVA)-for-Grasshopper has been used to obtain DA and UDI for comparison. Based on the simulation, (1) the effectiveness of the installation of façade shading compared to a non-shading case; and (2) design considerations for façade shading are presented. The result shows that there are some meaningful differences in DA and UDI metrics with the variation of orientation and façade shading types, although all cases of façade shading show some degree of decrease in DA and increase in UDI values. The types of shading devices which produce a dramatic decrease in DA values are the light shelf, horizontal slats, horizontal louvers, and eggcrate louvers. On the contrary, the types of shading devices which produce a dramatic increase in UDI values are the light shelf, horizontal slats, horizontal louvers, and eggcrate louvers. In the case of the vertical and vertical slat shading, the improvements of UDI values are significant in the east and west orientations. This demonstrates that the application and design of shading devices in certain façade orientations should be carefully considered for daylight control. Also, the results show that UDI explains relatively well the daylight performance in the case of the installation of a shading device.

Daylight Performance of a Naturally Ventilated Building as Parameter for Energy Management