QuVue implementation for decisions related to high-rise residential building layouts

Abstract

This paper tested a newly developed visible sky ratio measure called QuVue in an actual high-rise residential complex to determine its robustness and identify its limitations. QuVue is a new index for measuring visible sky ratios that overcomes the major hurdles of current methods. It calculates the actual three-dimensional projection area of obstacles onto a virtual hemisphere, considering humans’ downward view. A base-case Parametric Building Layouts (PBL) model was developed based on a high-rise residential complex in South Korea to serve as a basis for comparison and a means of presenting the strength of QuVue and its practical applications in residential design. Test cases showed that QuVue improved visible sky ratio accuracy and was capable of handling more complex conditions such as the forms, layouts, orientations, and heights of surrounding buildings. In terms of site planning, QuVue was implemented to optimize building layouts. Test cases addressing multi-objective optimization produced better building layout alternatives than the base-case PBL model for both QuVue and solar access right. Variables in the PBL model were also discussed to emphasize the flexibility of building layouts and reduce the restrictive force of prescriptive rules.