Solar Envelope Optimization Method for Complex Urban Environments

Planning requirements in terms of energy efficiency and daylighting strongly contribute to shaping the layout of cities. Direct solar access is the main requirement of the right to light in Estonia. Direct sunlight hours on building facades can be calculated by using environmental simulation software that also allows right-to-light analysis through the generation of the Solar Envelope. It is a method for calculating the maximum buildable volume that allows neighbors to receive the required amount of direct sunlight in a specific period of the year. The Solar Envelope can be determined on paper or more easily using simulations. The methods used by actual environmental software have significant limitations if used in complex urban environments. This paper discusses the potentialities of multi-objective optimization tools to generate Solar Envelopes for multiple facades with different orientations and specific amount of direct solar access requirements. The results show the superiority of the developed method that integrates parametric design, environmental simulations and multi-objective optimization, compared to existing methods.