A model for designing climate adaptive shading devices to improve the energy performance of Office buildings: The case of Bayrakli Tower

Façade is accepted as a determinant component on energy performance of a building, forming the boundaries between inner and outer conditions. Therefore, an existing office building is studied over the shading devices attached to its façade, with an intention to improve the building energy performance by decreasing its cooling energy consumption. OpenStudio simulation software is used for calculating heating and cooling electricity consumptions. The simulation model of the case building is calibrated through the comparison of the simulation results with the actual monthly electricity bills. In order to decide the shading device requirements, case building is simulated without shading devices and results are studied with sun path diagram analysis results. Shading devices are studied specific to their 'transparency' and 'elevation angle' parameters depending on hourly and seasonal solar movements. Then collected data is used for forming the climate adaptive shading device (CASD) characteristics. Consequently; existing shading devices and proposed CASD are compared and discussed in terms of electricity consumptions and window solar radiation energy parameters. Through the proposals; shading devices that show both hourly and seasonal adaptivity to the solar movements gave the highest improvement results in terms of decreasing cooling energy consumptions. Also, suggestions are given for developing the best performing façade in further studies.