Solid Modeling as a Tool for Constructing Solar Envelopes

Abstract

This paper presents a method for constructing solar envelopes in site planning using a 3D solid-modeling program as the tool. The solar envelope for a building site is a mechanism for ensuring that planning regulations on the solar access rights of other sites are observed. In this application, solid modeling offers the practical advantage of being a general-purpose tool having the capability to handle sets of site conditions that are quite complex. The paper reviews the concept of solar envelopes and demonstrates the method of application of solar-envelope construction to a site defined to avoid overly simplifying conditions. Techniques for displaying the constraints on building sections imposed by a solar envelope are presented as well.